The Death of A Sinner

Fred Phelps is dead. The country watched on as reports of his failing health came in and we waited for what we know to be the enviable end for everyone.

Given his notorious history, there was question about how people would treat his death. In case you don’t know, Fred Phelps was the founder of West Boro Baptist Church—a small, radical group of folks who targeted various events around the country to spread a message of, quite literally, hate. They’re most known for carrying picketing signs at the funerals of soldiers which read such ignominious things as “God hates fags,” “God hates America,” and “Thank God for dead soldiers”—to name just a few of their many slogans.

In my very, very small hometown, we had the misfortune of having the West Boro Baptist Church come and protest the funeral of a man who had died after having fought in Iraq. It caused quite a stir among the community, and people from all walks of life agreed that protesting the funeral of a fallen soldier, no matter on what grounds, was despicable.

But what do we as good, loving Christians make of the death of Fred Phelps? Two particular readings from Scripture come to mind for me as we might seek to come to a faithful answer to that question:

Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’ –Luke 18:9-14

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live? –Ezekiel 18:23

It’s easy for us to look at the behavior of the West Boro Baptist Church—in particular of Fred Phelps who founded it—and say to ourselves and others, “Well, at least I’m not that bad.” In that place, we’re acting just as rottenly as the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable above. It’s not our place to sit in judgment of others. Instead, like the verse from Ezekiel tells us, we know in fact that God doesn’t take pleasure in the death of any of his children, no matter how misguided or corrupted they might be. God desires for us to have life and have it abundantly. For in the end, we’re all a bunch of sinners, wholly dependent on the grace of God for anything—our lives, ourselves, and everything we have.

God doesn’t promise us that it’s believing the right thing or doing the right thing that earns us our place in the Kingdom. The promise is quite simply that Jesus, God’s love incarnated, has already earned our place in eternal life and given it to us freely. This knowledge frees us from judgment of others and encourages us to call us to live in the hope and freedom it gives us. And perhaps we ought to do well to remember that in this period of Lent, how much God loves the whole world and desires not for its destruction but its life—even for those rotten sinners we call ourselves.

-DS

A Different Look

Baptism has become a tranquilizer, a Xanax for the terrified conscience of humanity. Baptism is a commodity to be bought and sold like the consumer capitalism that stole our families. Individuals want to shop for churches and leave churches when they are upset with something that one part of the body is doing—instead of remaining in the body and loving the least of these, people flee. They flee to other churches where faith can be found like a good pair of shoes. The shoes we find in churches are stilettos, they are uncomfortable, they just look nice, but they do not serve a real purpose besides sex appeal. Because we have changed faith into something that is bought and sold like prostitution, like sex, Baptism and consequently Eucharist has become about power.[1]

Baptism is not for the individual but instead baptism is for the community. It is a community affair because once one is baptized the community is responsible for that one. The community is like Jesus who leaves the flock of 99 and goes out to find the one lost sheep. The community is the guardian of the baptized—the community is the keeper of all the brothers and sisters. Baptism is about radical hospitality. It is about recognizing that one of the community members is absent and missing and knowing that without that one the whole is not the same. The community is more than the sum of its parts—each individual is important, essential, and with all the individuals the whole community is powerful.

Eucharist is also a community affair—it is a family dinner! The Eucharist, like dinner, strengthens the body to continue the service to the other. The Eucharist empowers the community to be one, to be unified, and the Eucharist mobilizes the community to process, never recess, into the world—to continue the liturgy in the world. The Eucharist has become about the linens and colored paraments instead of what is actually in the chalice. Christ, the dirty, sweaty, bleeding Jesus is in the cup of salvation, which draws the community into faith, into fraternity, and into love for God and neighbor. Christ says to the community—to the body of Christ on earth, “this is my body given—FOR YOU and this is my blood shed—FOR YOU”.

Like Janet Walton writes in the Dictionary of Feminist Theologies, the Eucharist is a ritual meal that embodies memory, imagination, power, encounter, freedom, relationships, presence, and blessing. She highlights that some feminists think that the Eucharist cannot be redeemed from its present oppressive form. They believe that it is too married to the patriarchal structure that it cannot be fully embodied by women. The 16^th century and prior made the Eucharist into a fancy host to be worshipped, but not eaten. The bread lost its ‘breadness’ and the wine was never shared with the community—instead it was hoarded for the male priest, the one who was considered holy enough. The women could not be priests because their ‘womanness’ made their holiness null. Walton calls into question how the community of Christ might breakdown the walls that gender, class, race, age, and physical disabilities, etc. have placed as stumbling blocks around the people. The Eucharist and the liturgy has become an obstacle course for women to navigate as men sit in the Eucharist and navigate worship like rowing on a placid lake.

Women have allowed themselves to have Stockholm syndrome—they have come to love the abuse that they have endured. Women allow themselves to be complacent and compliant because that is what they are meant to do. Individuals’ misunderstanding of Paul have led to the women of times past and present to submit to the idea that they are less than, but what Paul is really saying and what the church should be saying is “You are ours! We love all of you from the blood that flows from you lower lips to the blood that flows from the chalice of Christ’s body to your beautiful red lips.” The Eucharist tells the story of the church—life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The Eucharist tells the story of the humans that eat and drink at the table. People bring their messes to the table and are sanctified and made whole.

Women and others who have been silenced throughout history are called upon in Post Colonial thought to engage the Eucharist in new ways. Like Walton expresses, the Eucharist is festive yet mournful. It expresses the resurrection of Christ but it allows us to recognize that we are still on the cross awaiting our bride to save us from our oppressed existences.

In the ELCA’s document, “Means of Grace” it outlines many aspects of the liturgy. Baptism and Holy Communion are both emphasized, but even the suggestions that the ELCA puts fourth are not the lived reality. The ELCA writes, “Water is used generously” but often the reality is that there are a few drops placed on the head of the baptizee and are immediately wiped off. The water creates a mess that must be contained because humanity has taken the mess out of God. God cannot be dirty, God cannot be seen as sweaty or wet, God must be secured in a host because if God gets out something incredible might happen. The document also states, “Holy Communion is celebrated weekly.” This is the reality in some places but in many places it is rarely celebrated because individuals are scared that the Eucharist will not mean as much (sacrality) if it is celebrated too often. Many individuals still have an ex opere operanto view of Eucharist while others keep the sacraments and faith at arms length.

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[1] As Oscar Wilde states, “Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.”

The Transfiguration: A Brief Thoughts on the Mountaintop Experience

This past weekend, the church celebrated the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. It’s the last Sunday before the season of Lent begins, and it’s one where we find out just who Jesus is before he begins his journey to Jerusalem to complete his mission among us.

With Jesus were his disciples James and John and Peter. What they experienced, I’m sure, shaped them and molded them for the rest of their lives. It’s telling that this event happened on top of a mountain. We might say that these disciples experienced a “mountaintop experience!”


Several events in the bible occur on the top of mountains—Noah’s boat comes to rest, Moses receives the law, Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal, etc. The most significant event that occurs atop a mountain is Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9), where Jesus is declared the son of God in the presence of Moses and Elijah before the disciples. A mountaintop experience is one considered transformative in someone or something’s life, much like the transfiguration was transformative for our understanding of who Jesus is.

-DS

It's Almost Here...

We’re standing on a precipice. You can almost feel it in the air—the sense that something big is about to happen, but you just can’t put your finger on it.

This weekend, we in the church will celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord. It’s the Sunday when we remember how the disciples heard God declare Jesus the Son of God. From here, Jesus and his disciples will begin the long journey down the mountain to the city of Jerusalem, where he’ll ultimately be crucified, demonstrating once and for all what it means to truly and really be the “Son of God.” The church remembers this period of Jesus life in the penitential season of Lent.

Lent is a penitential time because it’s a time when we remember with especial clarity the brokenness in this world and in our lives. We abstain from joyous shouts of “Alleluia!” Our worship is more austere. We are intentional about spiritual disciplines—not in an effort to become holier, but in an effort to reflect more deeply on the reality of our existence. Lent is a time for us to focus on what makes us truly human and prepares us for the joyous Easter celebration at the end of this season.

It’s easy for us to fall into a trap, however. It’s easy to fall into the trap of obsessing about just rotten we are, how rotten other people are, and how rotten the world in general is. Although it’s important for us to remember how much we need God during this period of Lent, it’s also important for us to remember that God made us and all that is, and what’s more, when God made it, we know that “God saw that it was good.” Lent is a time for us to focus on those things that aren’t as God intends them to be, but it’s not a time to forget that God loved us and loves us still. It can be easy to focus too much on the bad in life, and forget the good.

As we stand atop the mountain with Jesus and his disciples, ready to embark on another Lenten journey, it’s good for us to step back and remember that we are children of God—called, marked, and sealed with the cross of Christ forever. God loves us, despite our failings, and nothing can change that. That’s the point of Lent—to remind us just how much we need God, but in the end, that we see, believe, and find comfort in knowing that God loves us too!

-DS

Welcoming Strangers, Entertaining Angels

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it, -Hebrews 13:1-2

Like much of America, I decided to return to the gym in January. This past summer, going to the gym was part of my daily routine. It has been for the past several years, off and on. I knew it was good for me to start going to the gym again, and I knew if I paid for a membership, I’d be sure to go. A financial incentive always seems to do the trick!

I walk into the fitness area at the recreation center, and I’m confronted with a roomful of fit young men—lean muscles rippling and faces stern in concentration—as they attempt to sculpt there bodies into even finer specimens. I felt horribly out of place in my faded sweat pants and t-shirt unadorned by any particular company's logo. But I kept going…

When I walked into the cardio room, the place was packed with people moving in sync with their music and machines. Again I felt horribly out of place, the words “What am I doing here?” running across my mental screen. But I stayed…

I stayed because I knew it was good for me. It was good for me to overcome that sense of awkwardness and unbelonging and take care of myself physically. I knew that no one was paying me any attention anyhow, so I could go about my business.

In the church, we have people who come who because they too recognize that it’s good for them. They too, for whatever reason, arrive because they recognize that going to church outweighs the benefit of staying away. But it can nonetheless be difficult for them. We who are the “insiders” at the church—the ones who know what words like “liturgy,” or “lectionary,” or “acolyte” mean. And sometimes that knowledge sets us apart from people in ways that do more harm than good.

It’s not that we don’t want to welcome people, but sometimes we don’t know how. But unlike at the gym, we’re called not to simply ignore them and stay in our own “church world.” We are called to reach out and welcome people who aren’t like us, to make room for them at our banquet—the banquet of our Lord. This is something that even the most welcoming churches must keep working on. Just as God’s welcomed us into the mystical union with Christ, so must we also—as a reflection of that lovingkindness—welcome people into our midst. For the body of Christ is that much richer for each new face, voice, and hand that is incorporated into it!

And you might never know. By welcoming a new person into the fold, you could just well be hanging out with an angel of God!

-DS

Luther and the Holy Spirit in the Catechisms

         
         The Holy Spirit lies at the crux of Martin Luther’s theological framework and is essential in understanding his teachings.  This is seen not only through the teachings of both the large and small catechisms but also in his hymns and sermons as well.  More than this, it is clear that Luther’s understanding of the Holy Spirit is greatly informed by his understanding of the Trinity and Augustine’s use of Pauline materials, which Luther adopts into his theological tool-kit. Ultimately, Luther’s theology and more specifically his view of the Holy Spirit serves as an invaluable resource for preachers and church leaders alike for the message Luther fosters is the very proclamation of the Gospel, comfort.

            In Luther’s Large Catechism, he discusses the third article of the creed, which examines the work of the Holy Spirit. Above all, Luther talks about the work of the Holy Spirit sanctifying humanity. He writes, “I cannot give a better title than “Being Made Holy.”[1] This is especially pertinent in 21^st century America because there is an Evangelical Christian phenomenon that emphasizes the work of the individual to make oneself holy. This attempted journey to sanctification is birthed out of biblical interpretation and the idea that one can become like Jesus. When Jesus becomes an example for holy living one runs a continual and relentless risk of despair. In Dr. Timothy Wengert’s book, Reading the Bible with Martin Luther, he is forward in his commentary on the acronym WWJD? where he asserts, “WWJD? He would hit you over the head and say, ‘Get over it! Stop turning me into a lawgiver! It is not about you and your precious rules and how you clobber others with them; it is about the mercy of God.’”[2]  There is a notion that one might work one’s entire life to climb the ladder of holiness with hopes that God will reward this effort. This is not the reality of sanctification; instead Luther asserts that they Holy Spirit is the active agent who sanctifies the believers.

The message of the Holy Spirit and its reality in the life of a Christian is one of the most important realities that a leader can teach their flock. The message of the Holy Spirit is one that every individual finds virtually impossible to believe, in part due to this “ladder to holiness” concept floating about in America (and elsewhere), but also because the old creature[3] within an individual finds it hard to believe that the work is done.  In the Large Catechism, Luther understands that the Holy Spirit allows an individual to undergo a daily baptism. The first baptism is of water and the Word but there is a daily dying to sin and raising in Christ. Luther writes,

Baptism is nothing else than the slaying of the old Adam and the resurrection of the new creature, both of which must continue in us our whole life long. Thus a Christian life is nothing else than a daily baptism, begun once and continuing ever after. For we must keep at it without ceasing, always purging whatever pertains to the old Adam, so that whatever belongs to the new creature may come forth. What is the old creature? It is what is born in us from Adam, irascible, spiteful, envious, unchaste, greedy, lazy, proud—yes—and unbelieving; it is beset with all vices and by nature has nothing good in it. Now, when we enter Christ’s kingdom, this corruption must daily decrease so that the longer we live the more gentle, patient, and meek we become, and the more we break away from greed, hatred, envy, and pride.[4]

            Throughout Luther’s Large Catechism he emphasizes that the Holy Spirit makes humanity holy and the Holy Spirit continues to make humanity holy. This is not a single action done by the Holy Spirit at a stagnant point on a timeline; instead this is a continuous action that the Holy Spirit works throughout the life of the believer. Luther writes, “The Holy Spirit works through the following: the community of saints or Christian church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”[5] This sanctification is essential in the life of a believer because without this process one could not know God. No one could know Christ or accept Christ as the Messiah, God incarnate, without the aid of the Holy Spirit. This is enabled by the Holy Spirit through the pure preaching of the gospel, which occurs from the pulpit and through the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.[6] Without the Holy Spirit’s presence there is no Christian community because the Holy Spirit is essential in calling, gathering, and creating community. Luther asserts, “…apart from [the Holy Spirit] no one can come to the Lord Christ.”[7] He goes on to write, “I believe that there is on earth a holy little flock and community of pure saints under one head, Christ. It is called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, mind, and understanding.”[8] Luther reiterates the importance of the Holy Spirit and humanity’s utter dependence on the Holy Spirit throughout his Large Catechism.

            In the Small Catechism, Luther reduces this explanation to three rich and powerful sentences. In the first sentence Luther sums up his entire exploration of the work of the Holy Spirit saying,

I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.[9]

Luther emphasizes the human’s utter dependence on faith, which does not exist apart from the Holy Spirit and the proclamation of the Word. The human cannot come to Christ without the aid of the Holy Spirit and one cannot partake in God’s saving power without the Holy Spirit. This is difficult for humans to understand or come to terms with because humans want to secure their salvation through their own means even though it leads to despair.

God’s Spirit within humanity is expressed in the love of one’s heart and remains there throughout one’s life.[10] Prenter writes, “The Holy Spirit must be understood as the direct presence of God”[11] in the life of a human being. One does not want to run the risk of diminishing the importance of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through negating the importance of the Holy Spirit. One who says that the one does not need the Holy Spirit in order to come to Jesus diminishes this fact. As Timothy Wengert writes in A Formula for Parish Practice, “If we diminish sin and the human predicament, we are at the same time reducing the importance of Jesus’ saving death and resurrection and the work of the Holy Spirit in declaring us righteous and making us holy in God’s sight.”[12]

Martin Luther’s understanding of the Holy Spirit, which runs through all of his work, is important in considering all of Luther’s theology. Luther understands the Holy Spirit to be indispensable in the faith of humankind and without this grace given as a free gift from the Holy Spirit one can do nothing. Each part of the godhead is vital in the whole and each part sustains, redeems, and creates including the Holy Spirit. It is essential that all public theologians might consider this and teach it to their people because the Holy Spirit runs through the veins of congregations—building up, strengthening, sustaining, and redeeming the human sinners. 

-lb

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[1] LC 435:35

[2], Wengert, Reading the Bible with Martin Luther, 23.[3] 2 Corinthians 5:17 makes mention of the new creature that comes as a result of baptism. The Old Creature dies daily until it is finally destroyed. The Old Creature represents our prebaptismal self that lives inside, fueled by the Devil and self to fight against Christ and Christ’s power.[4] LC 465:65-67

[5] LC 435:37

[6] LC 436:38

[7] LC 436:45-46

[8] LC 437:51

[9] SC 355

[10] Prenter, Spiritus Creator, 7.

[11] Prenter, Spiritus Creator, 8

[12] Wengert, Formula For Parish Practice, 21.

A Short Reflection/ Devotion

Paul reminds us that we have hope in the steadfastness of Scripture. Christ comes to us as a servant on behalf of the truth of God that God’s promises are confirmed. And Paul calls us to a radical hospitality. To not only welcome in the people who look like us, the people who are as smart as us, the people who dress like us, the people who think like us… Paul calls us to welcome the people who have the opposite political views, the people who are of different faith traditions, people who don’t look like us or talk like us or think like us!

We don’t have to do this on our own!

Jesus promises to come to us… to help us

To aid us in our journey!

Jesus goes where no king or God should go… all the way down to a stable in Bethlehem (living the human experience), all the way to a cross on Golgotha, to the depths of hell, and to each of our individual sides, to our needs! God comes to us! We don’t need to go to God… we can’t go to God. People think they don’t need the help of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees think that they have the privilege that they can earn this righteousness on their own and John convicts them! He calls them vipers! He tells them they’re wrong! They need this baptism to cleanse them because they’re corrupt servants of sin.

We see little glimpses of the Kingdom of God here on earth. We see it in people who are lit on fire by the Spirit to work for justice and to love mercy. Nelson Mandela sat in prison for years because he spoke out against apartheid in South Africa. He didn’t do it on his own. He did it with the help of God. We see it in the struggling single mother who works three jobs to support her children. We see it in all the works of our hands led by the spirit of God. In every breath, in ever diaper changed, in every conversation with someone who is lonely, in our celebrations of the Eucharist, in baptisms, over morning coffee and chats with spouses. This is the kingdom! It’s coming and it’s already here… Jesus is coming and Jesus is already here!