Happy New Year!

You might be thinking I am saying this early but I am not as early as you may think. This Sunday for a lot of churches is the first Sunday of the Church year as well as the first Sunday of Advent. It definately a different way of reckoning time. Not only is it on a different day that the secular world says it is but it also changes days. The Sunday in Advent and New Year is determined by what it the Sunday closest to Saint Andrew's Day. Another weirdness for me is that even though Saint Andrews determines the date, I have not seen the saints day celebrated. If I have, it has been so infrequent as not to remember.

The other weirdness about the changing of the church year is the focus of the readings. For one, the last Sunday of the year for some is Christ the King Sunday has the gospel reading focus on the crucifixion of Christ. This happens in the midst of getting several weeks of readings looking at the second coming of Christ. When Advent comes, we switch from his death and his second coming to his first coming in the manger. It is a jarring shift of gears. Yet when you start putting it together, it makes perfect sense. Christ is a King but not a normal king- he came to serve and save to die and to rise. His cross is a unique, perfect throne for this Savior, King. It also brings together that Christmas is all about Easter. If there is no Easter, then Christmas is for not. Both of these combine and we look forward to his second coming.

Happy New Year and Come, Lord Jesus!

Reading The Psalms with Luther

This book was originally published as Psalms with Introductions by Luther in 1993 by Concordia Publishing House. The translation of the Psalms used is the English Standard version. The edition I am reviewing is the 2007 printing by Concordia Publishing House by the name of Reading The Psalms with Luther.

This book has several helpful features. It has a section on how to sing the Psalms so that can become a part of your daily devotions. There is a power to singing scripture especially the psalms which were written to be sung. There is both an explanation and prayer with each psalm to help dig further into the psalms. There is also a list that categories the psalms as well as two different reading schedules for going through the psalms. You are not limited to using the schedules suggested.

At least for my style of devotions, this is a great aid in my devotional life. It is aid for personnel worship as well as learning God's Word. Definitely a great way to deepen your devotional life.

Giving Thanks

I got an email from my pastor last night saying we made our target fund raising to get the new hymnals. Another showing of God provides and what timing, just before Thanksgiving so we can another reason to thank God. (there is always enough reasons but one more never hurts). It is also in time that we can get it used for Advent and/or Christmas. Good way to start the church year. Worship is so important in the life of the church and each Christian. We were never meant to be a believer in isolation. The Lutheran Service Book, I think, will be an excellent resource in our corporate worship. It will also be a great resource for at home. Having a single book as private and public worship resource is fantastic. That topic is a blog post in itself. Now if I can only remember, then I have a topic to flesh hout.

Thanksgiving- Blessings from the Mundane

Giving thanks can be hard. Work is hard. Family is not the Cleaver's from the old 50's show and how can you give thanks when two problems pop up for every one dealt with. how do you give thanks when you being trampled under.
For safe, clean water that comes without thinking, I am thankful.
For bread, I am thankful.
For work and pay, I am thankful.
For friends, t am thankful.

There are so many good things that are so common and we are blessed with them as makes them common and mundane, we ought to be thankful.

It's not that easy. Life is hard. Life is also so blessed. Even the hard things of life are a blessing. Without being hungry, how would we know how good full is. Without struggle, how we become strong.

God is a good God and he provides. Itis not that easy to see. This world, our friends, neighbors, goods and all things are from him. In that we should be grateful.

Transcendance In the Mundane

Bread and wine. Two everyday items that are common for meals. Bread is so common that it is a staple and taken for granted. Depending on the culture, the same could be said for wine. Yet, in these two mundane items we do an extra ordinary thing at church- we actually touch, feel and taste the real presence of Christ. It is not just a memorial . If it is just a memorial, then there is no real presence and no power or means of grace. How sad to take the meat (pun intended) out of the meal. The old testament sacrifices called for the shedding of blood. No blood, no forgiveness. This is just a foreshadow of the new testament once and for all sacrifice of Christ's death and resurrection. The Lord's Supper is that blood of atonement once for all time and for all man. Once again, no blood, no forgiveness.

Some may say God is harsh for demanding this. If God did not demand amends for sin, he would cease to be holy. God in his love and in his holiness, provided the lamb of price for our sins. This is celebrated in true power and true physical presence in the Lord's Supper. It is a meal we share with the saint in heaven. During communion, heaven and earth move closer and are connected over these mundane items. If that is not transcendence in the mundane. I do not know what is.

Holiness in the Mundane

It is so hard to do the Christian walk when you are caught up in the daily rush of everyday mundane life. There's work, bills, sports, TV, family and so much more that eats away at your time that time for your spiritual life can not only be put on the back burner but shoved right off the stove. Yet, it is in the mundane of daily life that I think the height of spirituality is. We are not called to be in solitude (although solitude is needed from time to time) but to be the salt of the earth. Salt is not useful unless it is in the meal. A Christian is not useful unless they are living in the world but not a part. We need to live the life that sets us apart as Christians. At least that is our calling.

I don't want to sound law oriented by stating this in a way that sounds like we do this if we want to earn our salvation. We can not earn our salvation. Christ on the cross and resurrected has done that. It is out of our response to this gift of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit we do this calling. It is a gift of God. We are called and empowered by God to live our daily vocation to His glory. Since we are still sinners, we will fail miserably. Thanks to God's gifts, wonderful things will happen despite our sorry selves.

The challenge is that you don't do your job for your boss or for the paycheck but for Christ. You care for your child not only for the child but for Christ. Sometimes when life seams so meaningless and difficult, if you can see the things in front of you for God's Glory, some of the drudgery goes away. It's not always that easy to see that. Our humanness can make seeing that impossible. Faith is going out on what is unseen. May God provide that faith in us especially when we are weak.

It is easy to think and see God in the grandeur of things but God is truly everywhere. Even in the more mundane of things.