The Lutheran Church May Depend Only on the Laity in the Future - The Clergy Are Too Lazy and Comfortable

Spring Observations - A Wonderful Place To Live - Springdale Arkansas

 Norma A. Boeckler

We had some rain today and more is coming, but our friends around the US are shocked we have such warm weather. As Mrs. Ichabod said on the way to the reunion, "It is a long way north to Moline, Illinois."

Another benefit we have is having the worst storms go north of us (bound for Joplin and St. Louis) and south of us (Ft. Smith and Little Rock).

The first green I noticed was a weed poking out of the mulch. Next the daffodils emerged from the mulch and in the mulch. I pulled pine needles from among the flowers we had on the altar yesterday. Mrs. Gardener is enjoying them now.

 Grape Hyacinths are not grapes and are not hyacinths,
but they bloom early and smell sweet.

The only other bulb plants in flower now are the grape hyacinths.

The roses began to leaf out a few weeks ago. They are surprisingly hardy plants and scoff at the cold. Now their leaves are green. The first order of bare root Easy Does It is already in the front yard, and now I wish I had the second order in as well. But I learned that ordering a lot of roses is much easier than digging them into damp clay and maple tree roots.

The dripping rain is good for the canes of the new bare root plants. The inches of rain coming will speed up the renaissance in the soil - bacteria, mold, protozoa, earthworms, moles, and many more soil creatures. Tons of nitrogen fertilizer will fall from the sky - as rain - and green up the newest plants and restart the perennials.

I now have more crepe myrtles, with a bargain shipment last year. I gave away four of them to our lawn crew and our daughter-in-law. Still I will have them growing along the Gardener fence and the Wright front yard. They are late to start, late to bloom, but steady in flowering the rest of the summer.

 The Mother of All Crepe Myrtles was almost upstaged
by two crops of Buckwheat.

I dumped wheelbarrows of leaf fragments from the street at the base of the Mother of All Crepe Myrtles. Each year I dote on it and get rewarded with a stunning display, often a second full bloom. I piled organic matter up to see if the pyramid would flatten out again. For that to happen, the soil creatures must pull down the flakes of leaves and digest them. Earthworms and mites do most of the work. The pile is already flattened and should be a normal blanket soon.

Caladiums will grow under the myrtle, their color protected by the shade.

Many bushes are leafing out now - Elderberry, Butterfly, Gooseberry, Spice Bush. The mints are just starting to wake up. I saw some green in the Cat Mint. Parsley was the last to go dormant in the fall and is now the first to green up.

Trump memes and more to share | Churchmouse Campanologist

Q - how do you find such great graphics, ChurchMouse?

Trump memes and more to share | Churchmouse Campanologist:





"This will be my last political post before Easter.

Below are useful memes and a brief news update which can be discussed with family, friends and — for those online — readers."



'via Blog this'

What Would Jesus Rationalize? (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note) | Arkansas Business News | ArkansasBusiness.com

 "Thompson’s story topped the front page the next morning. That was just four days after he blew my mind by reporting that the FBI believed Wilkins’ briber, lobbyist and mental health care executive Rusty Cranford, had tried to hire a hit man to kill a co-defendant in the embezzlement case that has him in custody in Springfield."

What Would Jesus Rationalize? (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note) | Arkansas Business News | ArkansasBusiness.com:



"Micah Neal, the former state representative from Springdale, pleaded guilty to taking kickbacks in return for steering grants from the state General Improvement Fund to Cranford’s company and to Ecclesia College. Jon Woods, the former state senator from Springdale, is accused of the same and will be tried next month, along with Ecclesia President Oren Paris III and a mutual friend, Randell Shelton Jr. of Alma.

According to the indictment, Paris suggested in a text message that “a good selling point” when encouraging “conservative legislators” to route GIF money to Ecclesia was it “produces graduates that are conservative voters.”

Imagine the righteous outrage if Democratic legislators argued that taxpayers should support Hendrix College — an affiliate of the United Methodist Church — because it produces a lot of liberal voters. But Woods was not outraged. His texted response to Paris: “Agreed.”

I will note that Wilkins resigned as soon as his corruption became public, even though he has not yet been charged with a crime. And he even expressed regret in his letter of resignation: “I am profoundly sorry that my own actions make this resignation necessary.”

Now, I know that seems like the least a corrupt elected official could do upon being found out, but Neal did not resign upon pleading guilty. (His term as state representative expired days later.) And Jake Files continued to draw a salary as a state senator for almost a year after he admitted to the Democrat-Gazette that he had submitted fake bids for a construction job that was being paid for with GIF money he directed."

'via Blog this'

The Care of Roses - Listen Up! - Creation Gardening Is So Much Easier and Cheaper Than Gardening Center Slavery

 Norma A. Boeckler - yes this is a painting.

I am just going to briefly note some things about the care of roses. The best thing most people can do is stop the toxins and prune a lot more.

Planting Roses
Either roses are in pots or they arrive bare root. I am keen about soaking plants in rainwater for hours, even overnight, before planting.

Pruning is always good for roses. I prune the roots and the canes when planting. The ones I pruned the most also popped their leaves first. Listen up - roses love to be pruned. They go to sleep when not pruned.

They are thirsty for water, so newly planted roses should have their canes watered every other day or so, every day if windy.

Listen up! - Do not fertilizer roses with that garbage they sell in hardware stores, gardening centers, etc. That green grainy stuff has little long-term effect and does a lot of damage to the balance of God's Creation. Mulch will be pulled down by soil creatures, and they like leaf fragments, compost, wood mulch, newspaper, and cardboard. Newspaper held in place by wood mulch is useful and attractive.

The War Against Aphids and Chewing Pests
In my garden, aphids go for the white roses and Peace first of all. I leave them alone, because the beneficials will feast on them and set up a happy household nearby. They are not fast to arrive, but they do their jobs. Later the same roses will be almost damage free.

Listen up! Insecticides and fungicides are banned from Creation Gardens. They wipe out beneficial life above and below ground.

Birds, spiders, and toads are assets for the Creation Gardener. They are like military specialists, each group having their own specialty. A lack of toxins and an abundance of food, shelter, and water will favor all the good creatures. The birds sing for joy when I enter the front or back. Either I will feed them or water the plants to help them bath and search for worms.

Continuous Pruning - Continuous Growth
Some people really need to study John 15. Nothing grows on dead wood and blackened stems. Dead wood is not neutral. It drags down the vitality of the bush. Summer means continuous harvesting of roses and pruning  the dead wood. Cutting a rose bloom or a bud means the plant will grow above and below for new ones. Leaving them alone means letting them go to seed and go to sleep.

Listen up! The flowering branch is cut to make it even more productive. The dead wood is cut off and thrown away. KnockOut roses especially respond to pruning. Cut 30% away, that growth will be back quickly with dozens of blooms.

Look for the Death Star - the empty bud with the petals fallen away. That means the rose is done blooming ready to form a hip, a seed pod. KnockOuts are so prolific that Death Stars are all over the plant. Cut them off short, cut them off long, snap them off with fingers.

Roses Are Not Members of the Cactus Family
Listen up! Roses need a good watering at least once a week. I do not just water the base, but give them a good shower as well. Falling petals will give away spent blooms, something to prune away later when the plant dries. Do not prune wet plants.

I Do Not Treat for Blackspot and Never Worry about It
My roses are almost free of blackspot. If I have some ugly leaves on the ones for the vase, I cut them away.

Roses and Hostas and Mulch - Oh My! Roses Go Postal

Roses and hostas and mulch - oh my!

I feel relaxed enough to start writing more Creation Gardening posts.

I am limiting my plant selection to roses and hostas and Joe Pye Weed. The Easy Does It roses soaked first in the rain barrel. I obtained some hostas last fall so they can enjoy sun/shade of the front yard.

As gardening books have pointed out, hostas will get along in deep shade, but that makes people want to limit them to planting under trees. We have a distant neighbor who fashioned most of their shady front yard out of hostas, and it is very appealing. But hostas like sun too, and their prime appeal for me is their production of flowers that hummingbirds adore.

The only problem with sun and hostas is from colorful ones being bleached out by too much sun.

I am thinking of hostas as the plants between roses, because the living roots of plants will hold water and fertilize the soil. Most of the organic material in soil comes from roots, so all roots matter.

I have various mints to divide. They are clumping plants, so they do not take over the way catnip does. I can share them with other gardeners too. They can make tall or large mounds once they are growing well. Mountain Mints are tall and large when established.

 Creation Gardening
The cover design and illustrations are by Norma A. Boeckler.

Roses Go Postal
The mailman began a discussion with me about roses. His wife does not like to prune at all. Since he  had a few houses left on the cul-de-sac, I went to find Creation Gardening and gave him two copies. "So YOU wrote this?" I said, "Yes, those are my roses in the book."

Yes, I just told this story, but some of you do not read and memorize everything in this blog - to your peril.

I look my own photos of roses and think, "I grew that? Wow!" Like everyone else, I am stunned by the beauty of roses. I often tell people, "God grew them. I just dug a hole, watered, and pruned them."

As St. Paul wrote, "Sow abundantly, reap abundantly."

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

I do not recall Paul saying, "Plan abundantly, grow bigly."

I coddled the roses for the winter, with collars and mulch protecting each one. However, four died. When someone says, "Why?" I have to respond, "I don't know. They don't leave a note."

But if I have a large number of bushes, I will have plenty to share with others, far beyond what we need for ourselves and the altar. When the landlord's repairman comes by, I give him a rose vase with roses for his mother. She loves them. We have many stories from people around town about roses being shared and enjoyed. They get  Creation Gardening free if they are interested.

 Bride's Dream - largest hybrid tea rose.

Buying Roses

When ordering roses -

I like Edmund's Roses; Jackson and Perkins roses are too expensive.

I favor fragrant roses because everyone wants to enjoy the various kinds of scents coming from the bloom. If they get  a few Peace (no fragrance) with one Mr. Lincoln, they think the scent-bomb is from the whole bunch.

I favor red roses over yellow because of blackspot being more active in yellow roses. Mr. Lincoln is inexpensive and grows like a weed. Fragrance - chokingly strong.

 Easy Does It - sunset colors, constantly blooming.

Veterans Honor is the most perfect red rose ever and lasts forever in a  vase. The canes are not as strong as Mr. Lincoln's.

 Veteran's Honor red set off by Pope Paul II white.
The background is Sassy's limo - 1994 Lincoln Town Car.

Floribundas are going to give more color in the garden, so they are the best choice for that outcome. Some - like Easy Does It - also produce great roses for the vase.

Pope John Paul II is a splendid pure white rose - and prolific in the garden, but wilts fast when cut.

 Fragrant Cloud - Duftwolke - ranks with Mr. Lincoln
in rose fragrance. The color is kinda orange, kinda brick, much more attractive than descriptions allow. The shape of the bloom is exquisite.

Use Insecticide Indoors, Beneficial Bug Plants Outdoors
Toxins do not belong in the garden. The more we favor the beneficial bug plants - and attract birds with food, baths, and resting areas - the more our favorites will be spared.

Let's say a particular beneficial insect kills the creatures that eat up roses. (Don't forget spiders helping out.) Would you not want to have a strong, willing, hungry army of pest-easters ready for the next round of blooms? That is God's design, which panicky gardeners mess up by killing everything in sight.

If the beneficial bug eats those destructive critters, his family will settle in the area and plot more stratagems against the next invasion. The benefits are exponential, as people have seen from perfect roses handed to them, sometimes with little Hover Flies still trying to do their jobs.

 Two of my college students fell in love and became engaged,
so I put two Falling in Love roses in a vase and delivered them the day they announced their engagement. We attended their wedding.

 Falling in Love has a white reverse and great fragrance too.

Question about Sermon Writing

Someone with Seminary Experience wrote:
Please accept my compliments on today's sermon.  I've listened to it twice so far.  Perhaps one day you will walk me through your sermon-writing process.

***

GJ - I will write down some basics, in case they help anyone.

I work on doctrinal and Scriptural issues all week, so often something is on my mind when I am writing the sermon.

We use the KJV for readings and The Lutheran Hymnal for hymns. I use a wide variety of hymns from TLH, with an emphasis on Luther and Reformation hymns.

We only use the historic one-year pericopes, because we grow from repetition of the Word, which was always the idea. Luther's sermons, Lenker edition, follow the same set of readings.

If I preached on the Epistle lesson last year, I normally use the Gospel for the current sermon. And vice versa.

I used to simply quote from Luther's sermon for that reading, but I realized that more people will read Luther if I post one or more of the sermons each week. I try to get it posted Saturday and linked on Facebook. I read through it again before I start.

I often open Lenski for that passage and quote Lenski.

Two things are very important:

1. The sermon must be written out completely, because writing makes a precise mind. In this Internet age, we owe people a form they can easily share with others via email, etc. We also save the Ustream file. If everyone published the written sermon, the plagiarism would jump up and do jumping jacks because of those buying or sharing sermons.
2. The sermon is almost always preached without any manuscript available. The notes are the text. Eye contact, even with a camera, is important. Classroom experience has taught me that reading a text to someone is not effective.
3. It is always a new sermon, never borrowed from the past, though I have a deep barrel - this blog.

This works for me because I finish writing the sermon early on Sunday morning. then it is fresh for me. Others may want to vary this, but completing it early has not worked for me. 

The Content

The purpose of the text is to teach faith in Christ. It is not for political action, fund-raising, joke telling, or adoration of the synod. 

People visit with me all week, by FB, email, even by phone. I also visit our neighborhood twice a day and see local people. People give me ideas about what bothers them. That definitely becomes part of the mix.

Ministers are obliged to teach the truth of the text and nothing else. In many cases, the Biblical text alone has enough in it to write a small book. 

If there is a miracle, I ask what lesson is being taught by the miracle. Sometimes there is a major lesson and a minor one. Parables offer a lot variety because so much is said in a few words.

I will go back to Luther, Lenski, and some classic passages in theology when I am getting stuck, such as on the robbery of Philippians 2:5ff. 

I also feel obliged to mention false doctrine, often from rationalism, that is applied to texts. I was blessed with three great Biblical professors at Yale. They emphasized the text above all else, but they also knew the theories and discussed them. Today I dealt with "the mind of Christ" as if Jesus did not consider Himself the Messiah. I also dismissed the idea that Paul never wrote about the Virgin Birth when this Philippians passage exalted His Incarnation. I suppose Moses never mentioned the Virgin Birth either, though the Burning Bush illustrates the Two Natures, just as Romans 1 does.

So I go through the Biblical text and teach what that is teaching. I try to be clear and plain. I tend to omit things preaching that were written down, but they are there for people to study. Sometimes I link material that cannot be discussed at length in a sermon.

I continue to be astonished and inspired by Luther's sermons. I have copied hundreds of his statements into a database and worked on the Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons. In short, I am saturated with Luther's thought and also admire Melanchthon and Chemnitz as well.

Stories

True to life stories are good in a sermon. Borrowing stories is not a good idea. A story is a verbal graphic. The abstract idea sticks to a narrative because the story is more personal. 

The Gracious Nature of Christ

There should always be a clear emphasis on the gracious nature of Christ and forgiveness through faith in Him. Jesus was very clear about this. The Holy Spirit's work in the church is convicting the world of sin - because they believe not on Me. That is the foundational sin. That continues to be shocking for many. Carnal sin is still sin, but making that primary is not in harmony with Jesus' farewell sermon in John 16.

Ministers should also have complete confidence through Isaiah 55:8ff and Romans 10. The Sower and the Seed should guide us in abundant sowing - as many ways as possible. We share the written sermons freely over the Net and serve a large group of people stuck under snow or keeping their flu to themselves at home.

I never finish a sermon feeling great confidence in what I said, but I do have endless confidence in the Word itself reaching people. Therefore, the sermon should quote other Scripture or refer to other Biblical passages as appropriate. 

Universal Grace - Universal Objective Justification - The CLC (sic) Teaches Against the Means of Grace

 The heirs of Walther-Stephan-Rambach are now completely divorced from the Means of Grace.
They simply repeat their UOJ inanities.

The UOJ Simpletons avoid

1. Justification by Faith
2. The Means of Grace, and
3. The Efficacy of the Word

the way drunks avoid stepping off a curb. The UOJists know they will tumble and wet themselves in public if they dare take on the basics of John's Gospel, St. Paul, and the Book of Concord.

For a doctoral seminar at Notre Dame, I read dozens of books on the topics of election and grace, which involved Augustine, Pelagius, Calvin, Arminius, Roman Catholics versus the Jansenists - not ot mention Luther, Melanchthon, and others.

Universal Grace is an interesting topic, a concept specifically named by the Sleepy Eye pastor. Everyone in the world is forgiven - past, present, future - before they were born. The timeline is getting tangled already. But when does this take place?

• Walther and Rambach say, the moment Christ rose from the dead, based on their perversion of 1 Timothy 3:16. 
• But others say - the moment Christ died on the cross.
• Still others claim - when the angels proclaimed peace on earth.

So we have three different moments of world absolution without faith.

But this tangle battles against the Means of Grace. The Scriptures nowhere name, suggest, or imply Universal Grace. However, the Bible does reveal to us -

The invisible Word of teaching and preaching - and the visible Word of the Sacraments - are the Means or Instruments of God's grace.

How do we know we are forgiven? We know that God distributes the treasure of the Gospel by the Holy Spirit, using these Means or Instruments. The treasure is the atoning death and victorious resurrection of the Savior.

Jesus is the righteousness of God, a righteousness we receive only through faith. We do not honor the grace of God by making unbelievers and apostates the objects.

Justification is not a term to be played with, the way a magician handles his gimmicks to make us believe something that is not true. A good magician can even tell us what he is going to do and make us believe his special abilities allowed him to accomplish it.

The UOJ Magicians and Soothsayers want to change God's justification of the individual believer into Universal Grace. They may call it by the bastard name used by John Sparky Brenner - Abracadabra! -The Justification of the World. Or they may call it by another name never found in the Scriptures or Book of Concord - Shazam! - Objective Justification.

Certainly, the concept of Universal Absolution was already taught by many false teachers before it became the stigmata of the Synodical Conference. Rationalists cling to it, and that is where Pietism emerges from the swamp of Enthusiasm.

Some leave Pietism for the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace, because the Scriptures teach that Gospel with clarity and precision. But others are blinded by the subjectivism of Pietism and long for a reasonable religion. What is more reasonable than saying that everyone is forgiven and saved? What is more popular for the moment? What makes an easier club to subdue those loyal to the Reformation?

All those advantages pale in comparison with the peace that comes from the revealed Gospel in contrast with the fake peace of Universalism. The false prophets say "Peace! Peace!" where there is no peace.

Some people should shudder at what they have done to the Scriptures.

When Will the Sectarians Recognize the Chief Article of Christianity? - Justification by Faith!

Any doctrine that cannot be "rhymed" with the doctrine of justification, bears on its face the brand of apostasy from the one revealed truth and stands disclosed as a false interpretation of Scripture. For this article of justification is "the chief topic of Christian doctrine, which, understood aright, illumines and magnifies the honor of Christ (which is of especial service for the clear, correct understanding of the entire Holy Scriptures, and alone shows the way to the unspeakable treasure and right knowledge of Christ and alone opens the door to the entire Bible." (Ap. Art. 4, Phila. Ed., p. 84.) "If this article is apprehended and kept with a sure and firm faith, the other articles will gradually follow. For in the same all articles of our faith are comprehended; if that is kept pure, the others are taken good care of." – Schmidt. _Intuitu Fidei_, Part 3.

 The opening of Romans 5 is a perfect summary of Romans 4, featuring Abraham - the example of Justification by Faith.

From Sleepy Eye, Minnesota - Where the CLC (sic) Teaches Judas Iscariot Is Forgiven in Hell

 The pastor quotes WELS and LCMS for UOJ -
why are all these false teachers separated brethren?

Mayhew's father-in-law is Paul Tiefel, a stand out false teacher in the CLC (sic). Redlin said of him and Koenig, "They are always getting into trouble and never listen to anyone."

At the 15 minute mark, this Church of the Lutheran Confession (sic) pastor teaches Universal Objective Justification - Universal Grace (Calvinism) - and Judas Iscariot forgiven in Hell.

"Judas is in Hell with his sins forgiven." How is that possible? Because of Objective Justification!

New Ulm is midway between Sleepy Eye and Mankato,
two cities named after Indian chiefs.
Old Doc Mayo was involved to some extent in the Indian war there.

These yahoos are always yawping about Justification by Faith being Calvinism. However, Calvin taught Universal Grace.

He tries to say that Subjective Justification is Personal Justification, which is faith. However, that is wrong according to Walther, JP Meyer, and other false prophets. They make Subjective Justification a decision to accept Universal Absolution without faith.

The evidence -

 You must accept the general absolution of the world.

UOJ and Church Growth are bosom buddies, as Valleskey has proven, but figs do not grow on thistles, and the Israelites did not steal the Egyptian garbage.

Make a decision, accept or decline!

This so-called Bible study is nothing but a collection of rationalistic claims without Biblical evidence. The pastor stumbles into Calvinism and condemns the very dogma he finds in the Geneva Reformer.

 Gather these UOJ robots into a unified sect where they can go down together in peace and harmony.

Palm Sunday, The Sixth Sunday in Lent, 2018. Philippians 2:5-11

Palm Sunday, The Sixth Sunday in Lent, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn #160         All Glory, Laud             

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual          

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 162                 Ride On                 

The Love of Christ

The Communion Hymn # 42            O Thou Love Unbounded  

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #341                Crown Him with Many Crowns                          

KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Palm Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast caused Thy beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give all mankind the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, and that, following the example of His patience, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred passion and death, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Love of Christ

KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Luther:

1. Here Paul again presents to us as a powerful example of the celestial and eternal fire, the love of Christ, for the purpose of persuading us to exercise a loving concern for one another. The apostle employs fine words and precious admonitions, having perceived the indolence and negligence displayed by Christians in this matter of loving. For this the flesh is responsible. The flesh continually resists the willing spirit, seeking its own interest and causing sects and factions. Although a sermon on this same text went forth in my name a few years ago, entitled “The Twofold Righteousness,” the text was not exhausted; therefore we will now examine it word by word. “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

I noticed in reading about mainline apostasy that they loved to use the term "the mind of Christ." They were always citing "the mind of Christ," but what they really meant was - nevermind. In their own thoughts, these great scholars assumed that Jesus was an invention of Paul and the disciples, so we really need to honor the Messiah as an ordinary man. That is the overwhelming consensus of the modern Biblical professionals and the hip translators, so they have no connection with the text at all.

Paul teaches in this passage about the way the mission of Christ should influence all of our thoughts and deeds. The setting for this passage is what precedes it - 

2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Verse 5 is a transition into verses, whether poetry, a hymn, or a creed that they already know. I think of these passages as all three, poetic and hymnic and credal. Moreover, Paul is reminding them of what they already know by heart.

People memorized a lot in those days because paper, leather, and scribes were expensive. The more we save on a computer or printed in a book, the less we remember. My computer instructor bought one of the first smart phones because he could not remember his appointments.

Passages like this are anchors for our thoughts and behavior. Knowing the personality of Christ gives us a model of our own. Attributes of Christ should be our attributes.

Instead of arguing against factions and selfishness, Paul says in the clearest words - Christ was and is God in essence. There are many ways to try to express this. The fulness of the Godhead dwelt in Him, so He was/is not one third of the Trinity but God Himself. He exists from eternity and He is the Creating Word of Genesis 1.

Let me give a teeny-tiny example of authority. The postman began talking about roses with me because I was working on mine in the front yard. His wife did not like to prune them. He knew better. I got him Creation Gardening and said, "The roses in the book are my roses from this garden." That was a way for him to say, "If you want roses like this, prune them." The book necessarily says, "If you want roses like this, follow the principles of Creation."

So when Jesus was addressing the crowds and His opponents, He was doing so as the Creating Word. That is what Paul means by "not robbing God." How can God rob God? Therefore, since Jesus was and is God, we should first of all consider all He did for us and imitate His example, His words, His attitude toward others.

As the eternal Son of God, the I AM of the Burning Bush, Jesus carried out His mission to show us the true, gracious, loving character of God.

Verse 6 introduces the majesty of the Son of God. That belongs to Him from eternity, but the form of of a servant is a mission He willingly took upon Himself, in obedience to the Father's will.

 Norma A. Boeckler

7 But made himself of no reputation (a),  and took upon him the form of a servant (b), and was made in the likeness of men (c):

We do not have any claims of our own, although many people assert special roles. That is always amusing when someone mentions a predecessor who was known for something - or should be. What does the grandfather's life have to do with the grandson? Is this a royal dynasty? I found that amusing when a high school graduate said, "You don't know who my mother is?" I almost said, "Do you know who MY mother is?" 

This is why the great and powerful ignore and even hate Jesus, because His divine form challenges their pretensions - and worse - He willingly gave up all claims to be our Savior. Faith in Him as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 and the crucified in Psalm 22 - that is the essence of the Christian Faith. This truth offends the liberal philosophers who like Jesus as a liberal philosopher but not as their Savior. 

Thus the unbelieving world, made up of many outwardly religious people, will always be offended by Jesus. Those Messianic claims are more than offensive in our sense of the word - they are death-triggers that expose the lack of faith and the lack of humility in those people. They want people to tremble at their word - they do not tremble at God's Word.

Here is a three-part step down from divinity, like The Prince and the Pauper. Giving up His royal form, He:

1. Surrendered any reputation He might have as the Son of God. He performed miracles to verify His Word, but He refrained from constantly proving this and becoming a walking wonder-man. The fakes pretend to slay people with their divine, spiritual power.
2. He willingly took on the image of a servant, such as washing His disciples feet, an act Peter found astonishing. He walked from town to town, became thirsty, did not use His divine power to make things easy for Him.
3. Because of His Incarnation, people saw an ordinary man, not the great Messiah mounted for war. It was like dressing up as a hobo and walking into a bank, asking for a personal banker. How far would that go?

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

This is the great miracle of the Bible. I find it odd that people choke on Creation, or the Genesis Flood, or any given miracle. The Word becoming flesh is the greatest miracle of all because the Son willingly gave up the form of divine majesty in order to serve us by dying on the cross for our sins. He remained God in every sense of the Word but appeared to be an ordinary human being. On several occasions, being surrounded by angry crowds did not limit Him at all, because of His divinity (the non-reciprocity of the second genus). His human nature did not limit His divine nature, but the crowds only saw the human form most of the time.

When waves crashed around the boat, the disciples thought of Jesus as a man. But He walked on the water and stilled the storm. 

This is our conundrum today. We have God revealed to us and all His attributes are displayed in Christ, but we comprehend only human attributes. How could God pay for our sins? How could God help us in time of need? Both require and enact the Word of God, which can move mountains and raise the dead in an instant.

We can see three steps in this poetic credal hymn

1. And being found in fashion as a man, 
2. he humbled himself, 
3. and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

This brings us to a two-part transition, from the mission of the Suffering Servant to His exaltation as the King of Kings. This is a classic Old Testament style of verse. The same truth is revealed two different ways:

1. God has highly exalted Him.
2. God has given Him a Name above every name.

These proclamations support and strengthen faith. The great truth of the Atonement is that Jesus allowed Himself to be the bait on the hook (an early church comparison) so that Satan seized the bait - "I will kill this usurper of my power!" and found himself caught by the Gospel. His wealth, weapons, and power which he Satan trusted are taken away. As the loser, the spoils go to the army of Christ, no longer enslaved but given great wealth and freedom. The believer is so powerful through the Word of the Gospel that no Satanic attack can defeat him.

What about persecution and death for believing in Christ? Since the beginning, the Gospel has grown and thrived through persecution and death. People forget that the greatest empire on earth was knocked into the dustbin by the Gospel. The martyrs in the stadiums took their deaths so well that Imperial Rome was shocked and shaken by their ancient pagan beliefs. The Christian Faith thrived in Rome where it was most persecuted, and Constantine created a new capital for the Empire to get away from pagan influence. He took the grand features of Rome and moved them to Constantinople for a Christian city, a Christian Empire that preserved the manuscripts and Greek culture for 1100 years, spreading into Europe (by persecution, the Ottoman Muslims) to create the Renaissance.

The attributes of Christ - meek, lowly, and willing to die for others - became the attributes of Christians. These actions and attributes were repeated during the Reformation when the new Rome burned Lutherans at the stake and rejoiced at their deaths.

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Even now, people bow and curtsy before royalty. But this will be an action that will be appropriate for all people alike. At the return of Christ, there will be no doubt and every knee will bend to acknowlede His divine majesty. Even the devils will confess to that truth.

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is why people think of this passage as a credal hymn. What the Son of God has done is objective fact. But not everyone confesses this truth. Many have their own ideas and spend their lives attacking this truth, one way or another.

Confessing this truth comes from faith, and faith is a creation of God through the Holy Spirit in the Word. As Luther said about Easter, since Jesus has done everything for us, there is nothing else to do (alternatively, the greatest thing we can do) - but take this Gospel to our neighbor. That is done with art, books, worship, hymns, and conversation. "Be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within you." We do not have to go to pagans, since paganism surrounds us. Pagans come to us - sometimes knocking on the door to attack the Gospel. Pagans offer up reasons why they are against the Christian Faith, but this is like chess. Every attack opens up a weakness to exploit.

We are New Creations through the Word of God. We know that when the Gospel makes us joyful, relieved, at peace, and eager to  serve Him.

 Altar design and graphic by Norma A. Boeckler