Creation Gardening Is Counter-Intutive for City Folks. Join the Creation League

Today we reached a milestone in mulching. With Sassy watching from the middle of the garden, we used the last bag of wood mulch with many editions of the NW Arkansas-Democrat flapping in the breeze. The papers were ready to fly throughout the neighborhood, like the balloon follies of Cleveland.

Remember the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, when the ice cream cone was supposedly invented? The vendor ran out of dishes and reached for waffles from his neighbor, thereby inventing the ice cream cone.

Today will be remembered for doing the same with Peat. We  scooped it onto the newspaper foundation - fast, easy, and effective. The directions on the package will be simple:

1. Peat on the newspaper base.
2. Re-Peat.

I vision-cast an IPO with gratifying results. Thrivent will back it - they look up to The Wolf of Wall Street.

 I knew a businessman who tried to make a mint
with manure - Barnyard Gold!
Too soon - he was far ahead of his time.

 Thrivent bragged they had a fraudulent, drug addicted, immoral financial cheat as their main speaker. Surely they would back my Re-Peat business!

 Buckwheat holds down weeds and builds the soil, seeding itself, as I learned to my sorrow last year, two crops engulfed the rose bushes.

 Gabe Brown says, "Leave living roots in the ground as long as possible."

 Two area physicians have said, "Greg, your roses are in a different league."
Yes, Creation League.

Counter-Intuitive

I thought about how Creation methods are counter-intuitive for city folks:

Fertilizer? - no! 

• Mulch with leaves, grass, hay, newspapers, cardboard, and shredded wood.

Till? - no!

• Let the earthworms and soil creatures mix, tunnel, fertilize, and aerate the soil. Moles are also handy for soil mixing and earthworm moving and storage.

Spray the insect pests? - no!

• Entice the birds with toxin-free plants, abundant watering places, perches for preening and spotting food, various kinds of food and shelter.

Kill the weeds with herbicides? - no!

• Mulch over the weeds, which become compost. Ignore some for their rooting value, until they need to be cut.

Soak the roses with fungicide? - no!

• Let's talk frankly about blackspot. The colored roses introduced this problem via the Grandpappy Persian Yellow rose. Unsprayed roses will spot somewhat and still do well. Sprayed roses will harm beneficial soil fungi and yet the blackspot will still be around. Ignoring blackspot is free and helps the soil. Plants need healthy soil a lot more than they need manufactured chemicals from the hardware store. Hint - smell the chemical aisles. Walk down - take a deep breath - gag. 

Birds Entertain Us All Day

We are expecting a storm Wednesday from the enormous system moving north from the Texas and Louisiana coastlines. Our second kitchen window overlooks the various bird baths and a feeder. The kitchen window faces a thistle feeder, currently a favorite spot for all species.

I clean the baths and fill them every day. The algae builds up in the sun - as designed during Creation. The formation of algae feeds the plants, because it is a rich source of nitrogen and various nutrients. Some people collect pond scum for their gardens. I have it in my back garden, as a byproduct of birds, birdpoop, and sunlight.

When I was interested in having a big pond in our yard in New Ulm, I read up on them and saw how the creation of algae was an important first step in pond ecology.

This is another foul up - pun intended - in the theory of a Creation stretched out over millions of years. Strictly as an observer, I wonder how God would manage to coordinate the creation of algae with the sunlight, pond plants, and animals, and so forth.

Bird poop is a great fertilizer. I consider it interest earned - or perhaps a deposit - on the wealth of food I have donated to their cause - earthworms, bugs, berries, and seeds. Besides that, they sing to us and entertain us with their amusing antics. Starlings are great pest eaters and very intelligent. They bathe with great energy and trade places in the three main baths.

 The birds eat our berries, so we get them from Walmart.

Giant Hogweed in America - I Wrote a Post about Doctrine and Giant Hogweed - Ahead of My Time

 Poison Hemlock is from the same family, plants which are not all toxic, but Giant Hogweed is awful and Poison Hemlock is deadly.

According to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, the plant can grow anywhere between 8 to 14 feet tall when it's flowering. If the plant is in bloom, the numerous white flowers will cluster into a flat-topped "umbrella."

Wiki:

Heracleum mantegazzianum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Apiales
Family:	Apiaceae
Genus:	Heracleum
Species:	H. mantegazzianum
Binomial name
Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier

Heracleum mantegazzianum, commonly known as giant hogweed,^[1][2][3]cartwheel-flower,^[1][2][3] giant cow parsnip,^[4][5] hogsbane or giant cow parsley,^[6] is a plant in the family Apiaceae. In New Zealand, it is also sometimes called wild parsnip,^[2] or wild rhubarb.^[2] It typically grows to heights of 2 to 5.5 m (6 ft 7 in to 18 ft 1 in).^[7] Superficially, it resembles common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), Heracleum sosnowskyi, or garden angelica (Angelica archangelica). It is phototoxic and considered to be a noxious weed in many jurisdictions. Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus region and Central Asia. It was introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in the 19th century, and it has also spread to many other parts of Europe, the United States, and Canada.

The sap of giant hogweed causes phytophotodermatitis in humans, resulting in blisters and scars. These serious reactions are due to the furocoumarin derivatives in the leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds of the plant.

Pictures of this varied and useful family can be found at this link.

Giant Hogweed - A Lesson about Importing False Doctrine - 2015

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2015/05/giant-hogweed-lesson-about-importing.html

Even touching this plant can make you sorry for a long, long time.
Note the Queen Ann's Lace profile -
Queen Ann's Lace is called wild carrot, but those wild carrots are poison.

Wikipedia says:

Giant hogweed was among many foreign plants introduced to Britain in the 19th century, mainly for ornamental reasons. It is now widespread throughout the British Isles, especially along riverbanks. By forming dense stands, they can displace native plants and reduce wildlife interests.^[8] It has also spread in the northeastern and northwestern United States and southern Canada. It is equally a pernicious invasive species in Germany, France and Belgium, overtaking the local species.^[8] It was introduced in France in the 19th century by botanists, where it is much appreciated by beekeepers.

A Facebook friend posted a video about Giant Hogweed in Michigan, and I wondered a bit about a hoax, so I looked it up on various sites.

The plant looks like carrots gone to seed, parsley, and Queen Ann's Lace, all part of my gardening efforts. For good reason - Giant Hogweed belongs to the same family and has that umbrella shaped seedheads.

My first thought is - If a plant can grow 10 feet without effort, be very wary of it, because that is not a typical plant and it is unlikely a wholesome plant.

Mr. Gardener and I laugh about the government suggesting kudzu vine and the Chinese multiflora rose as good plants for farmers to plant and encourage. Both are noxious plants and illegal to grow now. In Arkansas, he says, there are still areas owned by kudzu, smothered by the vine.

They found a disease that attacks the multiflora rose, so that plant is no longer considered a major threat to life, health, wealth, and peace of mind. Neither kudzu nor multiflora rose could be weeded out - which tells us something right there.

Plants and Sound Doctrine
Plants from the same family have similar growing habits, similar flowers and seeds, but they often vary in their usefulness.

The nightshades include tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, egg plant, woody nightshade, deadly nightshade, and garden huckleberry. The last item produces black berries that can be cooked and made into pies. Deadly nightshade is the basis for belladonna, still a useful medicine, but the berries are toxic.

The umbellifers include:
The Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae), commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, are a family of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family, which is named after the type genus Apium, is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera; it is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants.^[1] Included in this family are the well-known plants: angelica, anise, arracacha, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, Centella asiatica, chervil, cicely,coriander (cilantro), culantro, cumin, dill, fennel, hemlock, lovage, Queen Anne's lace, parsley, parsnip, cow parsnip,sea holly, giant hogweed and the now extinct silphium.

Since Giant Hogweed comes from a distinguished family, it must be good. I am sure that was the argument, and "Look, how the bees love it." And - "Easy to grow!"

Touch this plant and get blistered and scarred.
It is extremely toxic.

We all have our toxic plant stories, including poison ivy. I once tried to pull it out of the ground with my bare hands. I really suffered for that. Mr. Gardener and his wife both have their own poison ivy stories. Our cousin almost died from eating a mushroom that she was hyper-allergic too, though it did not affect her family.

Dealing with plants means discerning the good from the bad. I do not have the knowledge to find the right mushrooms in the wild so I do not even try.

Sound Doctrine Is Healthy Doctrine - False Doctrine Is Cancer

Distinguishing sound doctrine (literally healthy teaching) from false doctrine (described as a cancer) is a mandate for all Christian believers, especially those who would teach the Faith.

The arguments of false teachers are just as compelling as the government's promotion of kudzu vine -

1. Kudzu grows quickly on its own.
2. The roots hold the soil.
3. Cattle can eat it - free food.

Church Growth came from Robert Schuller and the nearby Fuller Seminary, both near Disneyland in California. Schuller was a Dutch Calvinist, a Protestant. Look at how successful he was, and look at how Fuller became the largest pan-demon seminary in America.

Superficially, Church Growth is not opposed to the Christian Faith. The leaders promoted it as good for all denominations (a bad sign). And church executives from all denominations - even the Church of Rome - came to be trained there.

The leaders of the LCMS, WELS, and ELS have been trained at Fuller, Willow Creek, and similar re-education centers, like Trinity Divinity in Deerfield. Lutheran laity have paid the tuition for them. Thrivent has also backed this 100%  - another bad sign.

No single aspect of Church Growth can be refuted.

• Is it wrong to phone a lot of people for evangelism? 
• Is it wrong to clean the church and make it attractive? (Rare, but not wrong) 
• Do we have to use page 5 and 15 for the worship service?
• Do all the hymns have to be from Lutherans?
• Cannot our members sing solos and glorify God?
• Must we stick to the KJV, which did not come from Lutherans? (Shading the truth a bit)

Church Growth dogma and methods can be promoted successfully when it is carefully presented to the innocent, hiding the real agenda, which works more by displacement than outright antagonism.

Giant Hogweed does not kill other plants - it simply overwhelms them with its enormous leaves and prodigal seed production. Dill and Queen Ann's Lace can easily be spread by crushing the seedheads and sowing the seed. I simply took home mature Queen Ann's Lace and left it on the ground.  But neither plant takes over the way Giant Hogweed does.

They brag about going there and deny it -
Bivens and Valleskey.

Kudzu enriches the soil in many ways, but it also smothers homes, cars, and utility poles.

Church Growth has spread its culture of doctrinal indifference to every single church body in America. From doctrinal indifference comes all the bad fruit of any fast-growing weedlike false teaching.

Frau Mueller, Wayne's cross-dressing son,
Larry Olson, perhaps the worst teacher at Martin Luther College,
and Jeff Gunn, DP Buchholz' favorite pastor,
all are working together to smother and destroy the Means of grace.

I first heard it in Columbus, Ohio from the adulterous clergy in WELS -

• Doctrinal discernment is "Christian bashing."
• Anyone against Church Growth is "lazy."
• "You are not one of us." (Good)
• "We have been talking to your members and..."

 WELS funded a separate campus of the same congregation,
 to present Craig Groeschel sermons verbatim.
They even borrowed the Groeschel graphics and slogans.

Like WELS, Missouri, and the ELS, they lost by winning. The Columbus WELS congregations are collapsing faster than a Hillary alibi. Those clergy (like Jay Webber and Jon Buchholz) who did nothing against Church Growth are loudly proclaiming forgiveness without faith as the true Gospel - denying UOJ is the foundation for Church Growth, even though the adulterous Karl Barth and the heinous David Valleskey taught UOJ with glee.

Don Patterson denied his Chruch and Change credentials,
went to their "last" conference,
took staff to Exponential,
and became the District President.

Loud Sassy, Kids, and Gardening for Moms. There Are No Good Gardeners, Only Good Weeders

Sassy is looking at the photographer on the floor.
This is her amused look when my antics puzzle her.

Yesterday Sassy got her evening stroll, limited to our cul-de-sac. We have evening shade and almost no traffic, unlike the busy Scott Street, which some treat as a race track.

The kids treat our street as their playground, so cars are very careful. This was a small reunion for the Laotian family across the street, so the adults watched the 6 and 7 year-olds pet Sassy. We talked about her loud barking and their sudden discovery of her missing leg. Sassy and I walked across to our house, and they were behind. "Look, a garden! Roses."

I asked, "Do you want some for your moms?" They are cousins. I went inside for my collection of soft drink cups, which are good, expendable vases. "McDonalds! I love McDonalds," the boy said.

I got them the remaining roses plus a Wild Ginger flower and some Balloon flowers. They popped several "balloons," which is what the expended flowers look like. They took their rose bouquets across the street, where the adults were smiling and waving.

Sassy was very happy. She adds people to her list as she gets to know them. Then she is not so barky with excitement. But nobody can stop her when she is. I figure it is a safety valve to keep her from exploding with happiness.

After the 6 AM, Editing the Garden
A big mulching project was delayed, so I decided to devote some morning time each day to editing the garden. Grassy weeds were starting to annoy me.

I have a battery clipper which ideal for trimming weeds around the Daisies, Joe Pyes, and roses. Mulch kills most weeds and composts them, but the opportunistic weeds on the perimeter get extra water and some open space to re-establish.

I am using layers of newspaper, wood mulch, and leftover peat moss to shut down the sunlight that enboldens the weeds. Mulching is modular, so I have extra mulch here and there to pile on top of the latest edit.

1. Trim weeds down to the ground, instead of pulling them,
2. Add a layer of newspaper, sometimes cardboard.
3. Pile on powdered peat from the two bales I have left from 2017.
4. Put wood mulch on top.

Ranger Bob's cat came through the garden, not seeing me. I said, "Here kitty," and she took off. She loves my Cat Mint and visits all the time, rubbing her fur against it. The Mountain Mint is tall and giving off strong mint aromas. Soon it will bloom and gather an airfleet of pollinators.

Cat Mint bloomed early and has remained in bloom. The Horse Mint - purple bergamot - is now in full bloom. All three grow by clumping rather than taking over the entire garden. I told my helper, "Do not plant Peppermint." Soon he was bewailing its spread. "I told you." I drive by where his family used to live - lots of Peppermint and the Purple Splash roses I gave them.

 Fragrant Cloud rose is one of our favorites.

When Is a Good Time To Prune Roses?
Short answer - always. They love being pruned and grow even more flowers.

When I am sitting on the ground, weeding, I have a good view of the roses' need for pruning. I clip every one within reach.

 Hot Cocoa is has more orange in our garden,
but climate does change color and fragrance to some extent.

The Third Sunday after Trinity, 2018. Luke 15:1-10. The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin

The Third Sunday after Trinity, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

                       

The Hymn # 652    I Lay My Sins on Jesus               

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 #436            The Lord’s My Shepherd               

The Grace and Gentleness of Jesus the Savior

The Communion Hymn #350       Jesus the Very Thought of Thee        

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 #123             Our God, Our Help

KJV 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 

8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Third Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, we all like sheep have gone astray, having suffered ourselves to be led away from the right path by Satan and our own sinful flesh: We beseech Thee graciously to forgive us all our sins for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ; and quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may abide in Thy word, and in true repentance and a steadfast faith continue in Thy Church unto the end, and obtain eternal salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end Amen.

Luther’s two sermons on the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Luke 15:1-10

Background - Objective and Subjective Views of the Scriptures

The problem with most Biblical commentary is that the so-called experts start with a subjective view of the Scriptures, which are correct only to the extent they agree with the expert.

The Roman Catholic Church established this view well before the Reformation and used it against the Lutherans when the papal party could not win against the Lutherans by arguing from the Bible.

The starting point for Rome was - what agrees with Roman dogma? Therefore, they necessarily argued for the lack of clarity and incompleteness of the Biblical witness. Because of all the confusion, everyone needed a Supreme Court and senior justice, which would be the bishops headed by the Pope. The infallible pope concept, which Stephan and Walther propmoted, is easily transferred to Rome, where many LCMS pastors have landed.

Eastern Orthodoxy picked a different route because of their history of brutal, bloody wars over doctrine, so they emphasized worship and took a vague approach to doctrine. They agree with Rome but are tired of the wars. This approach is very appealing to the high church LCMS pastors who leave, sometimes right after ordination.

However, this is not limited to the Lutheran Reformation versus Rome. Zwingli and Calvin decided on approaches they would take, contrary to the Reformation - the efficacy of the Word, the work of the Spirit exclusively through the Word, and the Sacraments as the visible Word, actually conferring forgiveness.

That is why the vast majority of written material on the Bible starts with "What can I do with this story?" It can be compared to politicians who speak of a "narrative" to get them elected, or scammer who scares people into buying something. 

All this above is the subjective approach to the Scriptures. The faux-Lutherans of today practice this by starting with their dogma and shaping their narrative from the Bible to fit the agenda. 

In contrast, the objective view of the Scriptures means that we take the whole as God's Word, all in perfect harmony, as the revealed truth. Lots of people say "inerrant, infallible, inspired, plenary inspiration, norma normans, etc" but what do the labels mean if they deny what is clearly taught in the Word?

That is why Luther's Sermons are so important. They were his #1 way of teaching, and he also considered preaching the #1 task of the Church. 

1. What is number #1 today when pastors are encouraged to copy each other's work or to take them (free!) from Craig Groeschel? 
2. What is number #1 if disagreeing with false doctrine is reason to kick a pastor and congregation out of the organization?
3. Is #1 successful in the eyes of the world or faithful in view of the Scriptures?
4. Where is expository preaching if #1 is raising money and being successful in the eyes of Christianity Today?

The Grace and Gentleness of Jesus the Savior

KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 

This passage could easily be called the introduction to the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Prodigal follows these illustrations and teaches the same grace of the Father in a different light, with good people acting like the outraged Pharisees. I am pointing that out to show how much the setting matters. These are not slips of paper glued together, but complete works all in harmony with the One Truth of the Bible. What is true in one place must be true in another or mistakes are being made.

Jesus' illustrations are begun with an interesting and contrasting audience. The hated tax collectors and obvious sinners drew near to Jesus, because He was the first one to teach them about another righteousness, the righteousness of faith in Him. 

They could not be seen that way by the scribes and Pharisees, who argued for the righteousness of works. These works-saints were offended by men (publicans) who extorted taxes for the hated Roman Empire and those sinners who were known as worthy of shunning.

The charges agains the Son of God are severe, 

"He welcomes sinners, and

He sits down to dine with them!"

The righteousness of works was not attractive to these people. It was only salt in their wounds. The Pharisees of that day and today would prescribe more Law for those who violated the Law. That is like getting test results (bad!) but no treatment, no medicine, no healing.

The true nature of God the Father is full of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. The mission of Jesus was to teach this and to show this in His own work. The Father and Son are in perfect agreement, and the Holy Spirit witnesses to this harmony.

So Jesus offered two clear parables to illustrate the nature of divine mercy and grace, which is so appropriate for Father's Day. What the Son illustrates is always what the Father teaches - there is no contrast.

Luther:

1. The words of the Gospel are living and quickening, if we only comprehend them aright. But, in order that we may learn to understand this Gospel better, we will now place before us two classes of men, namely, public sinners and Pharisees, and will make Christ their judge. You have often heard that it is our duty, for love’s sake, to serve our neighbor in all things. If he is poor, we are to serve him with our goods; if he is in disgrace, we are to cover him with the mantle of our honor; if he is a sinner, we are to adorn him with our righteousness and piety. That is what Christ did for us. Philippians 2. He who was so exceedingly rich did, for our sake, empty himself and become poor. He served us with his goods, that we in our poverty might become rich. He was made to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 

Here the parable puts the listener in the role of the shepherd. We have all lost an animal for a time and went out to find it. If two pet dogs are in the house and a third one has vanished, the third one gets the attention.

This is quite a view - the shepherd leaving the entire flock in the wilderness, where he should be protecting them, and looking for the lost one until he finds it. So Jesus puts us in the shepherd's role, but that is far beyond what a sensible person would do. And that is the point. God is not like man - God does far more than we can imagine. To show us that point, the relationship between God and man is shown in a human dramag where we can identify with many points but see also - yes, only God is like that, a grace far beyond what we can show ourselves, but one that should move us through the Gospel Word.

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

We can identify with the found part, and that should give us joy. What we have done wrong, God rejoices in hauling us back from the precipice.

Sometimes it is doctrinal error, where the agreement of many false teachers will make error seem like the highest good. How can 60 professors and pastors be wrong? - The same way that Rome is wrong, error strengthened by numbers and centuries of tradition. So we can be yanked back by a sudden controversy, conflict, shunning, rejection, and turmoil.

When we have lost an animal, we enjoy telling people about how we found it. Once I asked Sassy to track Precious, and that took about 15 seconds. When Precious saw Sassy, she just sat down - the party is over. I surrender. Take me home.

Man's temptation is to pile more Law on the hurting sinner, but the message here is to rejoice at finding someone. As Luther wrote, it is one thing to share goods and food, which is easy to do. But to identify with the sinner, to cover his sins and be condemned (as Jesus was) is another matter. 

Typical of Luther - he points out Jesus covering our sins, which is in the introduction - He is condemned by the works-salesmen. But the nature of God is to rejoice is the lost. So we should not pull back from helping if it casts a bad light on us. That is not to endorse the sin. 

"This means that I must love the sinner and be his friend, must be hostile to his vices and earnestly rebuke them, yet that I must love him with all my heart so as to cover his sins with my righteousness."

7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 

This is another commending of grace for the repenting sinner. Someone may be contrite and ready to start a new life, but is still weak and confused from previous experiences and habits. Yet we rejoice in the new state and the hope that begins to grow.

The 99 are those who imagine themselves beyond all need, and it is an ironic twist or poke at the works-saints. To say they need no repentance is ironic humor, because we are all in need of repentance. It is that state where we feel no need that we harden our hearts against others and no longer feel the need for God's grace and forgiveness, since we are above that.

That is the self-righteousness of apostasy in America today, where most church bodies are done with grace and now want to change society for the better. A 20+ "classic" the Braaten-Jenson Dogmatics makes fun of the Atonement and the cross. The authors subsequently howled over the results of their apostate dogma.

It is easy to notice that the message of American culture is works rather than God's grace in Christ.

8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

I hate to mention this, but this parable becomes true for us several times before it is a Gospel lesson again. I was actually on a borrowed phone, ordering a new one, when an Army Ranger did a search of our house and found the lost phone. More recently, it was expensive medicine.

Do we not accomplish every possible task to find what is lost? I will crawl on my knees, get out the mega-flashlight, pick up all extra items and shake them out, move, examine, re-examine, and try strange and exotic places for the lost item. Freezer? Don't be so sure. Go ahead and look. Under the papers. I looked. Look again. 

There it is, There it is. A similar item.

So when the lost item is found, we rejoice and tell people about it. 

9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

The bigger the find, the happier we are. The angels rejoice over the repentance of one sinner, so we can see that Jesus teaches grace and forgiveness over condemnation by the Law. 

We can always make ourselves feel superior if we are not vulnerable to that one weakness, whatever it might be. However, the entire world lives in condemnation for lack of faith in Christ. That condemnation is universal - except for those who trust in His gentle forgiveness.

Once again we can look at Luther's comparison with all the subjective forms of Christianity. They talk about Jesus all the time - even the radical chaplain at Yale said so, William Sloane Coffin - but they tear down the access to His grace - the Means of Grace.

Where do I find grace? In having a church with 6,000 members drained from other churches? In praying for the US to get out of Nicaragua (a prayer at a wedding)? In being obedient to a denomination? In feeling grace? (Yahoooo.)

Grace is always found and will always be found in the Word, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion. 

Father's Day Grace

Every father of a child shoud rejoice in that child, no matter what. God's gift of life, natural or adopted, is a special miracle. We can take that for granted, and many do. 

But Jesus is the example of gentle forgiveness. When mothers complained about their children "ruining a rug by spilling on it," my wife said, "Be glad. My daughters cannot spill on anything." The irony is - Erin Joy loved spills of all kinds and had people laughing til they cried over her delight. Falling nurses - hilarious, falling with babies, even funnier. Falling into a wheelchair - breathless with laughter. Falling quart of yogurt shooting upward over a nurse - the best ever. No one was hurt from the human and food spills - everyone had weeks and months and years of laughter from it. One enormous 3 ring binder fell and spilled the papers all over the floor - the nurse, pardon me, cussed over the spill. She heard a tiny voice laughing and laughing. That became the unit's big story of the day.

In that way too, God converts sin into forgiveness through contrition. The way can be very rough at times, for all people, because we all need both components - contrition and forgiveness. But we can rejoice in the forgiveness, just as God and His holy angels do.

Luther:

21. Therefore, when you feel your sins gnawing at you, and feel your heart trembling and agitated, place yourself beside the publicans where they are standing. These are the very ones who shall receive the Gospel. Do so joyously, and say: “Oh, God! it is thy word that says there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance, and that all the righteous and angels are to interpose and cover up sins. Now, Oh, God! I have come to this that I feel my sins. I am already judged. I need but the one Shepherd who seeketh me; and I will therefore freely venture on thy Gospel.”

22. It is thus that you come to God. You are already the sheep placed upon his shoulders. You have found the Shepherd. You are the piece of silver in the hand. You are the one over whom is joy in heaven in the presence of all the angels. We are not to worry, if we do not experience or feel this at once. Sin will daily decrease, and its sting will drive you to seek God. You must struggle against this feeling by faith, and say: “Oh, God! I know thou hast said this, and I lean upon thy Word. I am the sheep and the piece of silver; thou the shepherd and the woman.”

23. You might say: Yes, this I will gladly do; but I cannot atone for my sins. I can render no satisfaction for them. Consider then the publicans and sinners. What good have they done? None. They came to God, heard his Word and believed it. Do the same. His are living words. The Gospel is too deep to be fathomed by human words. Conscientious men who tried it readily understand this.