The Word at Work Spring 2020

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The Word at Work The magazine of the Institute of Lutheran Theology

Easter: I Walk with Jesus All the Way Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Spring 2020

Letter From The Editor Dear readers of The Word at Work, Easter of the year 2020 A.D. might well go down as the strangest one of my life. Easter, the festival of the Resurrection of our Lord, is normally one of the two occasions of the year that I can count on a more or less “packed church.�

Not so this year. Concerns about the transmission of the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 illness have caused a massive disruption in our society, and even churches have been affected.

For the last several weeks, my small congregation in northern Nebraska has been relying on recorded worship services, sermons, and devotions. As a pastor, I have had to familiarize myself with this kind of technology in a way I never anticipated.

Thankfully, these computer programs and applications are mostly user-friendly.

When it came time for Easter, instead of standing in front of and preaching to a packed church, I preached to an empty sanctuary while looking at my computer screen. It was an odd feeling, to say the least.

What I explained in my sermon, however, is that no matter the circumstances, we cannot cancel Easter. It comes when it comes, even in difficult and hopeless times, as was the case with the first Easter. The followers of Jesus felt a combination of disappointment, defeat, and guilt. Yet Jesus came to them, alive, bringing good news, bringing peace to them. The followers of Jesus then were able to carry on in faith, as the risen Jesus Christ restored and empowered them.

And so, we carry on in faith as well. Our Easter celebrations this year were no doubt unconventional for most of us, but the story of Easter came at an important time. While we are all living with some uncertainty and even fear of the future, Easter is the message that Christ has conquered death, that nothing, not even death, can separate us from his love, and that therefore we can rest securely in Him. With this issue, we begin the practice of offering this magazine only electronically. Nevertheless, the purpose of this magazine remains the same as before. With this publication, we seek to acquaint our readers with the work of ILT as well as to provide edifying devotional and theological content for individuals and congregations. I sincerely thank all of our contributing writers for their submissions and the gift that they are to ILT. Articles for this issue were submitted in anticipation of the season of Easter and therefore reflect that theme. Though the fifty day season of Easter has now passed, we are reminded that we always walk in the presence of the risen Jesus Christ. Indeed, every Sunday is for us a "mini Easter."

The Lord has risen! The Lord has truly risen!

Rev. Thomas E. Jacobson, Ph.D.

Editor

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I Believe

By Jonathan Sorum

Christ in the Present

By Douglas Morton

8 No Hypotheticals!

By John Rasmussen

10 Why Are You Looking for the Living Among the Dead?

An Easter Meditation on Luke 24:1-12

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By Wendy Poch

Christianity's Hamster Wheel of "Spiritual Advancement"

By Dan Lioy

14 When You Walk in Danger

By Thomas Jacobson

Photo by Fatma Nabilla on Unsplash

Christ

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Word at Work Spring 2020

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Word at Work Spring 2020

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I Believe Dr. Jonathan Sorum “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

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hope grows (Rom. 5:1-5). Instead of feeling superior to the world, we stand in solidarity with the world in its suffering, loving it with God’s own love and waiting with patience for the coming of Jesus.

esus is coming again! The disciples thought that Jesus would immediately bring in the final kingdom right after he rose from the dead. But Jesus showed them that there would be a delay—a wonderful and gracious delay. The disciples were to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would empower them to proclaim the good news “in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). All people, both Jews and Gentiles, were to get the chance to hear and believe and be gathered into God’s kingdom. Because of that delay, we too are among those who eagerly look for him to come.

Meanwhile, we live by hope, not by sight. “Hope that is seen is not hope. . . but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Rom. 8:24-25).

Jesus made it clear that it is not for us “to know the times and the seasons that he [the Father] has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). If we knew when he is coming, our hope would be destroyed and we would become arrogant. Those who try to correlate current events with prophecies in the Bible to create a timetable for the end can’t help but feel superior to those who don’t share their so-called knowledge of the future. As it is, the less we think we know about what God is doing in history, the more we are thrown back on his promises and the more

But when he comes, then everything will be revealed, for he will “judge the living and the dead.” In the bright light of his appearing, the truth about everyone will come out. Then humankind will be divided into two groups: those who are prepared for a surprise and those who are not. The heedless, who thought they could do whatever they wanted, will find to their horror that they were wrong. Similarly, those who thought they had everything figured out and followed the rules in order to force God to accept them will be shown up as the rebels they are. But those who had died with Jesus, who claimed nothing for themselves, those who lived, not by sight, but by hope, will be astonished beyond measure. For during this present interim age, our life is “hidden with Christ in God.” We know nothing about our real selves, the person we are in Christ. But “when Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him glory” (Col. 3:34). You will find out what you have done in Christ and for Christ (Mt. 25:31-46). You will be amazed! The new you will be revealed in glory, to live with Christ before the Father forever.

We can only cry, with all the saints of every time and every place, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)

Note: This article is the seventh in a twelve-part series on the Apostles’ Creed.

Jonathan Sorum is a Professor and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at ILT.

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CHRIST IN THE PRESENT

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Douglas Morton

or the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" . . . So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Rom. 10:11-15, 17 At one time, preaching was not at the top of the list of things I enjoyed. Can you imagine that! A preacher not fond of preaching! This all revolved around an erroneous idea. I came close to looking at preaching as simply telling people about salvation in Christ, or about the doctrines of the Christian faith and how they applied to a person’s life. For me, preaching was imparting information about Christ to people, and I believed the best way to do this was in a classroom setting. So, my motto became, “Give me a Bible class over preaching any day!” What was my problem? Simply this: I had a faulty view of preaching.

What took me years to grasp is that preaching is a dynamic event, not a static impartation of information.

In reality, true preaching imparts the very forgiveness of Christ and not simply information about forgiveness in Christ. This makes all the difference in the world. Now I can say, “Give me preaching any day” (even though I must admit I still love teaching Bible classes).

Article IV of the Augsburg Confession teaches the doctrine of justification by stating, “we receive

forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God out of grace for Christ’s sake through faith when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us.”1 What is the gospel in this sentence? It is that “Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us.” Do you notice there is nothing we do in this sentence? That’s because the gospel is something God has done and does for us in Christ. This gospel, as one Lutheran theologian writes, is “the gracious promise of the forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake – this, and nothing but this is the Gospel.”2 It is good news, wondrous good news! The gospel is not simply information about a potential forgiveness, but it is the very forgiveness we need! And, how does one receive this good news? Paul says, through “faith.” This “faith” is “simply the response of man to this promise, his trust in the pledge of divine mercy.”3 Article V of the Augsburg Confession declares how this forgiveness of sins is delivered to us so we might, through faith, receive it for ourselves. “To obtain such faith,” states the confession, “God instituted the office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit who produces faith, when and where he wills, in those who hear the gospel. It teaches that we have a gracious God, not through our own merit but through Christ’s, when we so believe.”⁴ So, preaching the gospel is extremely important.

No one becomes a believer in Christ through some immediate working of the Holy Spirit apart from the preaching of the gospel of sins forgiven in Christ. “In these matters,” writes Luther, “it must be firmly maintained that God gives no one his Spirit or grace apart from the external Word which goes before.”⁵God’s Spirit works through “means,” and the means God uses is the gospel word of Christ.

Certainly, preaching also involves the

proclamation of the law.

Yet while the preaching of the this is done from the pulpit as a pastor, in another culWord at Work Spring 2020

7 law is necessary, and God works through the law to ture as a missionary, or as the people of God in our convict us of our sinfulness, this law has no power to daily conversation with others. The gospel alone has engender faith in us. In other words, the law is not a the power to take people away from “the righteousness “means of grace.” C. F. W. Walther tells us that “the that is based on the law” (Rom. 10:5) and give to them Law uncovers to man his sins, but offers him no help “the righteousness based on faith” (Rom. 10:6). It alone to get out of them and thus hurls man into despair. . . . can create a faith in a person’s heart1⁰ that issues in the It conjures up the terrors of hell, of death, of the wrath confession from his or her lips.11 of God. But it has not a drop of comfort to offer the sinPaul was concerned with the Jewish people who ner.”⁶Thus, in Rom. 10:17, Paul says, “faith comes from rejected the gospel word of sins forgiven in Christ. Yet hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” In parhe also knew that the very gospel word they rejected ticular, the word that brings faith is not simply any word, was the only thing that possessed the power to create but it is the word concerning Christ and the forgiveness faith in them. This gospel word has the same power of sins he brings us through the cross. Thus, as another today. Thus, proclaiming this word is the greatest and Lutheran theologian writes, “Justification, the end of the most blessed thing a person can do, for it truly brings law, comes only by means of hearing a promise.”⁷ with it Christ and his benefits. The word of the gospel is God uses this very word of promise of sins forgiven the means God has chosen to present to the world forin Christ to bring people to faith. The very thing people giveness of sins in Christ. It makes presenting the word are called to believe is that which the Holy Spirit uses of Christ a joy since the proclaimed word brings into the to create this belief. The Gospel word brings into the present the very forgiveness emanating from the cross presence of the hearer the very forgiveness the hearer of Christ. Preaching takes the history of the cross and needs. Thus, the Gospel word is not simply a word brings it into the reality of our present. This means the about forgiveness, but rather it is that very forgiveness hearer has something ‘solid’ to grasp. It means he or itself. Wherever the gospel is, there is forgiveness she can be sure Christ is there with his forgiveness in also! The gospel declares, “Your sins are forgiven in the preached word. Now that is truly something about Christ!”⁸This means the gospel word we preach actuwhich the preacher and the hearer can get excited! ally brings Christ near. It actually imparts Christ and his The message is no longer information about something forgiveness to the hearers. This is in contrast to many, absent because it happened so long ago. No, prowho, in preaching the word of Christ, see this word claiming the word of Christ is a dynamic event in which basically as a mere remembrance of what Christ has Christ and his forgiveness are present to all who hear. done for us long ago. However, according to Paul, it is No wonder Paul can declare: “For the Scripture says, a making present that very Christ and his work for us.⁹ ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’

For Paul, there is no faith in the forgiveness of sins For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for in Christ without the bringing of that forgiveness into the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all the present through proclamation, and there is no procwho call on him” (Rom. 10:11-12). lamation without someone to do the proclaiming. This makes the preacher’s message the most important message in all the world since it carries within it the power of God to bring people to faith in the promise of Note: Scripture passages in this article are from the English forgiveness of sins in Christ. It does not ask what peoStandard Version (ESV). ple must do, but proclaims what God has done. Good news like this is always beautiful, and thus Paul can Douglas Morton is Instructor of Biblical declare from the prophet Isaiah, "How beautiful are the Theology at the Institute of Lutheran Theology. feet of those who preach the good news!" (Rom. 10:15).

Our weapon against unbelief is to continue to proPhoto by Mojtaba Ravanbakhsh on Unsplash claim the gospel word of forgiveness in Christ, whether

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Word at Work Spring 2020

NO HYPOTHETICALS! John Rasmussen

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Photo by Giu Vicente on Unsplash

n the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19 One of the most popular Bible passages for American Evangelical Christianity is Revelation 3:20-21, in which Jesus, appearing to John as the eschatological Son of Man, says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” I remember a well-meaning Bible camp counselor showing us a well-known painting depicting this passage and pointing out that there was no knob on the door.

The omission was intentional, she said. “You see, Jesus can’t open the door to your heart. You have to open it to Him—from the inside.”

The problem with interpreting this Bible passage in this way and in isolation from the rest of

Scripture is not that the verse is false, but that doing so forces us to focus on the hypothetical.

And hypotheticals, especially hypothetical promises, never help real, live, “non-hypothetical” sinners. “If anyone opens the door, I will come in...” True enough. But what if I don’t, or can’t, or won’t? How does it help then? If a soldier can stop a bullet with his chest, he has no need for body armor. True enough. But how does that help a private on patrol in Afghanistan? The Apostle John says, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 Jn. 3:21).

True enough. But my heart and my conscience condemn me all the time. Where am I to turn?

Martin Luther spent his whole life cutting through such hypotheticals and driving toward something infinitely better. He knew from bitter personal experience that real sinners need a real savior with a sure and certain word of life and salvation to cut through the barriers of sin, death, and unbelief. He knew that our situation is not that of the ivory tower intellectual musing about hypothetical alternatives but, rather, that of the disciples

Word at Work Spring 2020

on Easter evening, who had the door to the room in which they were hiding so heavily barred from the inside that nothing could get through it. He knew that we, like they, are “in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves,” and if Jesus were to wait on the outside for us to let him in, he’d still be waiting. Luther writes in his Summer Church Postil from 1544: You see here what happened to the disciples of Christ. They sit there, locked up because of their great fear of the Jews [—or perhaps of one Jew in particular whom they had betrayed, denied, and abandoned who now was said to have come back from the dead!]; they dare not go out, and they have death before their eyes... their hearts tremble, and they have no peace or rest.i

“So, what did Jesus do?” Luther answers: “In[to] this fear and anxiety the Lord comes, soothes their hearts and sets them at peace.”ii What did Jesus do? He went right through the door! You can read it all in the text. It’s John’s story of the coming of the Holy Spirit—his Pentecost account. Jesus blasts right through the locked doors of that room and His disciples’ locked hearts and says, “Peace be with you.” He shows them His hands and His side. He breathes on them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And then He sends them out to forgive sins by the power of His breath—His Spirit. He sends them with a sure and certain word. No hypotheticals. Again, Luther writes: Christ came to the disciples through the closed door in order to point out that after his resurrection and in his kingdom on earth he will no longer be bound to a bodily, visible, tangible, and worldly way of life, to time, place, space, and the like. Rather, we should

recognize and believe that he is present and rules through his power everywhere, in all places and at all times, where and when we need him, and will be with us and help us, undetained and unhindered by the world and its power.iii

That’s what this passage from John is all about—real sinners who lock the door to God every day of their lives, and a real Savior who in His white-hot passion becomes our Lord. He utterly demolishes that door, breathes the breath of His Spirit upon us, and through that Spirit replaces all our “ifs, ands, buts, and maybes” with a word that creates life and light. Just as it did at the beginning of creation, it does so with a word that creates faith and inaugurates the new creation here and now. As Luther says in his Small Catechism, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith.”iv No hypotheticals there. No, none at all. Thanks be to God!

Note: Scripture passages in this article are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

John Rasmussen is Instructor of Historical and Systematic Theology and Director of Military Chaplaincy at the Institute of Lutheran Theology.

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WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD?

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AN EASTER MEDITATION ON LUKE 24:1-12 Wendy Poch

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perplexed. They were distraught! How would you feel if, after the death of a loved one, the body was missing? Can you imagine? Think of how deeply emotional this must have been for this group of women. What in the world could have aster is perplexing! The resurrection runs

happened to Jesus?

counter to everything our human reasoning would lead us to

Suddenly, two men in dazzling clothing, clothing as

believe. The hard reality is that death is real. Gut wrenchingly

bright as lightning, appeared in the tomb with them. The

real. You and I have experienced the death of beloved family

women instantly went from perplexed to terrified! These

members, friends, parishioners, and community members.

faithful women immediately hit the ground, fully prostrated

And yet, even in the midst of our deepest grief, we profess

and trembling with fear before these men, these angels, sent

the resurrection of Jesus through whom we receive eternal

from the Lord.

life. To the world, that is perplexing indeed!

The women who had been following Jesus knew all too well that death was real. In fact, while the majority of Jesus’

The angels said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”

disciples couldn’t bear to watch Jesus being crucified, these women stayed with Jesus until the end. They witnessed the

Now, to be honest, what kind of question is that? I mean,

nails and the spear. They were present when Jesus’ blood

where else would they be? Why wouldn’t they be looking for

was poured out upon the cross for you and for me. They saw

Jesus in the tomb where they had left Him? It is so easy to

Him suffer. They felt His anguish. It was much more than just

skip over this question when we read Luke’s gospel account

a song for them. They were there when the soldiers crucified

because we want to focus on the next line, “He is not here.

our Lord.

He is risen!” But, this question, “Why are you looking for the

These women were incredibly faithful. Even in the midst of their grief, they honored God by honoring the Sabbath.

living among the dead” is critical to the gospel message. It’s the turning point.

From sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday, they didn’t do any work, including the work of taking care of Jesus’ body. Instead, even while they were overwhelmed

So, let me ask you this: Why are you looking for the living among the dead?

with unspeakable grief, they chose to be obedient to God and set aside the Sabbath day to worship and rest in him.

Stop and read that last line again.

What a beautiful example of faithfulness! Immediately after the Sabbath, these women woke up long before sunrise on

Slowly.

Sunday morning and took the time to lovingly prepare the special spices they intended to use to anoint Jesus’ body.

Why are you, beloved child of God, spending your time

Then, while it was still dark outside, the women took their

focusing on what will eventually die instead of focusing

spices and returned to the tomb.

on Jesus Christ who has risen? Why are you focused on

The stone had been rolled away. So, the women went

worldly things, which will all pass away, instead of Christ-like

inside to begin their work on Jesus’ body. But his body

things that are eternal? We all do this. You and I are guilty

wasn’t there! The resurrection account in Luke says the

of looking for the living among the dead. This is not what our

women “wondered about this.” Well, that’s an understate-

Lord wants for us. You and I are called to fix our eyes upon

ment if there ever was one! These women were genuinely

Jesus, our risen Savior.

After being confronted with this all-important question,

we continue to look for the living among the dead.

Word at Work Spring 2020 11 is that the angels continued, “He is not here. He is risen! Remember While such a statement is rather sad, the reality

how He told you while he was still in Galilee that the Son of

Jesus knows this about us. He forgives us. He’s patient with

Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinful men, and

us. And, this is why he continues to send us a preacher. This

be crucified, and on the third day rise again?”

is why, no matter how familiar we are with the Scriptures, and no matter how many times we have heard the truth of

And then, in what was surely like a lightning bolt moment, the women remembered.

the gospel, you and I need to hear it proclaimed to us again, and again, and again.

So, just as the Lord sent the angels to proclaim the res-

These women had been following Jesus throughout his

urrection to the women, He has sent you a preacher as well.

ministry. They heard all that Jesus had said, all that He had

Every Sunday, no matter what the selected text may be,

taught. But they hadn’t fully grasped the magnitude of His

your preacher has been sent by God to tell you to stop look-

words. So, the Lord sent them a preacher.

ing for the living among the dead because Jesus Christ has risen! He did this for you.

Two, actually.

Whether you are a new believer or the most seasoned of biblical scholars, whether you sit in the pew or preach from

Even though these women were extremely well versed

the pulpit, my prayer is that you read these words as if, like

in Scripture and the teachings of Jesus, they needed to hear

the women at the empty tomb, you’re hearing them for the

the gospel proclaimed to them. This is one of the amazing

very first time: Jesus Christ loves you. He knows everything

ways the Holy Spirit works. During that proclamation, the

you’ve done and He forgives you. Jesus died so that you,

Lord opened their eyes, and the women remembered! They

too, will be resurrected and can spend eternity with Him.

finally understood who Jesus was and what He had done for

In the meantime, whatever you are facing, no matter how

them. With tremendous excitement and joy that overflowed

painful, no matter how perplexing, He is there with you now

their hearts, the women ran off to proclaim the good news to

and He will be with you wherever you go, for there is nothing

the eleven disciples.

in heaven or earth or under the earth that can separate you

Now, the disciples were as familiar with Jesus and his

from His love. He has chosen you. You, beloved child of

teachings as the women were. What’s more, the women

God, are worth dying for. And when Jesus Christ rose from

(who were the very first preachers of the gospel) had pro-

the grave, he conquered your sin and your death, so that

claimed to the disciples that Jesus Christ has been raised

you will live!

from the dead. But the disciples still didn’t believe. Ten of them ignored the gospel proclamation completely. Peter was

Thank you, Lord, for this indescribable gift!

the only one (in Luke’s gospel account) who was at least curious. He ran to the tomb and found it empty. Yet even

Alleluia and Amen.

he was still perplexed about what actually happened. The disciples would need to hear the gospel message again, and more than once, before they would truly believe.

Note: Scripture passages in this meditation are from the New

You and I are more like the disciples than we would like

International Version (NIV).

to admit.

Wendy Poch is Associate Pastor of Spirit of Hope How often have you heard the gospel message, that

Lutheran Church (LCMC) in Parker, Colorado and will

Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead for you? Many

graduate from the Master of Divinity program at the

of us have heard the Gospel message, or even preached it,

Institute of Lutheran Theology on May 31, 2020.

for as long as we can remember, and yet our reactions can be like those of the disciples. Somehow, we’re unmoved, our senses dulled to the pure joy of the resurrection. Somehow,

Photo by Vo Danh on Unsplash

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CHRISTIANITY'S HAMSTER WHEEL OF "SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT"

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Dan Lioy

he heading for this piece takes its cue from an article Casey Chalk wrote, which was posted on January 9, 2020, at The American Conservative website.i The main title is, “America’s Hamster Wheel Of ‘Career Advancement,’” followed by the subtitle: “We’re told that getting ahead at work and reorienting our lives around our jobs will make us happy. So why hasn’t it?”

Regretfully, the same sort of attitude can be found in various forms of Christianity. It’s characterized by a hamster wheel of “spiritual advancement.” Supposedly, if Jesus’ followers do A, B, and C, as well as avoid X, Y, and Z, they can expect to make steady, measurable progress in their walk with Christ.

It is common for advocates of the preceding view to admonish believers to reorient their lives around the practice of any number of highly touted spiritual disciplines.

According to this way of thinking, compulsively adhering to a cherished list of practices is guaranteed to make them happier Christians.

Admittedly, on the one hand, Scripture and church tradition commend the practice of prayer, fasting, Bible reading, regular corporate worship, and so on. Yet, on the other hand, the presence or absence of these neither make believers more nor less acceptable to God. Expressed differently, the Creator does not either like or dislike us based on the level of piety we imagine to be ours.

I wonder, then, whether any version of Christianity that is dominated by seeking individual merit and striving after personal goals (no matter how laudable they might seem) takes more of its cues from the corporate world of contemporary pagan culture than from Scripture.

Consider, for example, the following observations Chalk makes in the opening paragraph of his article: Many of those who work in the corporate world are constantly peppered with questions about their “career progression.” The Internet is saturated with articles providing tips and tricks on how to develop a never-fail game plan for professional development. Millions of Americans are engaged in a never-ending cycle of résumé-padding that mimics the accumulation of Boy Scout merit badges or A’s on report cards…except we never seem to get our Eagle Scout certificates or academic diplomas. We’re told to just keep going until we run out of gas or reach retirement, at which point we fade into the peripheral oblivion of retirement communities, morning tee-times, and long midweek lunches at beach restaurants.

A parallel set of observations could be made about a hamster wheel of “spiritual advancement” prevalent within certain faith communities. For instance, there is the compulsion to make visible, measurable progress in one’s Christian life.

Indeed, the shelves of Christian retail outlets are filled with self-help books that offer believers lists of “tips and tricks” for how to achieve their “best life now.”ii Conscientious believers obsessively adopt a daily routine that is akin to accumulating heavenly “merit badges” or

Word at Work Spring 2020

“find rest ” superlative grades on a cosmic “report card.”

Despite setbacks and disappointments, these well-meaning Christians soldier on, convinced that if they just do their best, then surely God will pick up the slack and do the rest. A similar, popular falsehood is that God helps those who help themselves.

In the process, many of God’s children become trapped in a “never-ending cycle” of “doing more” and “trying harder.” Yet, they never feel as if they’re getting anywhere.

It doesn’t take long for such sincere believers to discover that the summit leading to the coveted prize of “spiritual advancement” always appears to be frustratingly out of reach. It’s not surprising, then, when they become exhausted and burned out because they fall short of achieving their “fullest potential.”

Clearly, despite all our ardent, dogged efforts, we utterly fail at obtaining the sort of happiness paraded endlessly in Christian self-help books. Not even a lifetime of chasing after the chimera of personal renewal can meet our deepest spiritual needs. Instead, it leaves us overwhelmed with guilt and shame at not measuring up to a human-centered, performance-oriented, ego-centric, and legalistic religious standard.

What, then, is the antidote for the hamster wheel of “spiritual advancement”? The believers’ inward gaze must be directed outward to the Savior. In this grace-oriented approach, we recognize that the Redeemer alone can satisfy our eternal longings.

Consider Jesus’ statement that is recorded in Matthew 11:28–30:

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Photo by Leonardo Iheme on Unsplash

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke of obedience upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to carry and my burden is light to bear.

Jesus made three comparable declarations that are found in the Fourth Gospel: Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.

Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life (Jn. 4:14).

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (Jn. 6:35).

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn. 8:12).

Considering the above passages, what are we waiting for? Right now, we have an ever-present opportunity to get off the hamster wheel of “spiritual advancement” and “find rest” (Mt. 11:28) for our “souls” in the compassionate, caring arms of Jesus.

Dan Lioy is Professor of Biblical Theology at the Institute of Lutheran Theology.

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Word at Work Spring 2020

WHEN YOU WALK IN DANGER Thomas Jacobson

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Photo by Gio Bartlett on Unsplash

nyone who knows me well knows that I love Christian hymns from a variety of different places and eras. Over the years, these hymns have sustained me and given me words with which to express my faith, especially when my own words fail me. When we have these songs written on our hearts, they are there for us when we need them, and we can find in them comfort from God’s Word. Of course, not all hymns are equal. Some I would say are real clunkers, but there are those that have endured for even hundreds of years and for good reason. They have a way of taking the message of the Bible and expressing it honestly and with beauty. They have the ability to feed our souls.

Every so often, I run into someone who has a negative attitude about these kinds of hymns. They think they are old-fashioned and that contemporary music is the only way to be relevant. I have nothing against modern music. I often listen to contemporary Christian music on the radio, and I am convinced that such music does have its place. However, I am appalled by the dismissive attitude that many have toward these hymns, these treasures of our faith. When we neglect

these hymns, we are depriving ourselves of much of the great wisdom of those saints who have gone before us. In times of joy and trial, these hymns speak to us and comfort us with God’s promises, as they did for the generations that have gone before us.

As our society is currently dealing with the fallout from the outbreak of the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 illness, our lives have been significantly altered for the moment and for an undetermined length of time. School has been cancelled in many places, meaning that parents are taking on additional responsibilities for education. Work responsibilities have changed. Social lives have been disrupted. Even churches have had to alter their worship schedules in order to allow for “social distancing.” The economy has been negatively affected. All of this, of course, is on top of the very real fear of people getting sick. For many, there is a new or renewed awareness that we do indeed live in a dangerous world filled with uncertainty. We walk in danger as we go through this life.

Hans Adolph Brorson (1694-1764), active in the eighteenth century, was the Lutheran bishop of Ribe, Denmark. However, much more than his work as an ecclesiastical official, he is known for his many hymns. Some of his more well-known contributions

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to Christian hymnody are as follows: the Christmas hymn “Your Little Ones, Dear Lord, Are We”; another Christmas hymn “My Heart Is Filled with Wonder”; yet another Christmas hymn “I’ve Found Now the Fairest of Roses”; an Ascension Day hymn “I See You Standing”; a hymn giving thanks for the departed faithful based on Revelation 7 “Behold the Host Arrayed in White”; and a hymn praising God for His creation “Rise Up, All Things that God Has Made.” These six barely scratch the surface of Brorson’s voluminous collection of hymns. They were used especially by later generations of Scandinavian Lutherans, and over the years a few of them, such as those listed above, have been translated into English.

Yet there is one more hymn by Brorson with which English-speaking Lutherans developed some familiarity. I would sing it much more often at my congregation, but I try to restrain myself from using it too much. The reason is that it is far from a “feel good” hymn. In fact, it is brutally honest about life. It can be said that this hymn is roughly based on the words of 1 Peter 5:8-10 in the New Testament: Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

The hymn by Brorson to which I refer goes by the title “I Walk in Danger” (Danish: Jeg gaar i fare hvor jeg gaar). Far from being a “day brightener,” the first three verses speak honestly about the danger a Christian faces in the world from the devil, various trials, and death:

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I walk in danger all the way, the thought shall never leave me: that Satan, who has marked his prey, is plotting to deceive me. This foe with hidden snares may seize me unawares if I should fail to watch and pray. I walk in danger all the way.

I pass through trials all the way, with sin and ills contending; in patience I must bear each day the cross of God’s own sending. Oft in adversity I know not where to flee; when storms of woe my soul dismay, I pass through trials all the way.

Death does pursue me all the way, I cannot rest securely. He comes by night; he comes by day, and takes his prey most surely. A failing breath and I in death’s strong grasp will lie and face my own eternity; death does pursue me all the way.i

Compared to the eighteenth century, we live in a pretty sanitized world. We live in the most prosperous time in human history, with lifespans far exceeding that of previous generations. Modern medical care and vaccines have given us a sense of security, and we sometimes forget that it was not all that long ago that people had a much more precarious existence. Things such as sinus and ear infections that are today mostly considered minor inconveniences were sometimes fatal. Childbirth was much more dangerous. People faced real physical dangers every day in their struggle to survive. And so Brorson’s hymn would not have sounded nearly as shocking to those of his time as it does to us.

Because of our sanitized world, we might be tempted to dismiss “I Walk in Danger” as a relic of a bygone era. But this recent scare with COVID19 reveals that in spite of all of our technology and advancements in medicine, we still face physical danger. And in the end, no matter how much technology we have at our disposal, we still face death. This is one of the reasons that the annual observance of the season of Lent is so important. It is a constant reminder of our limitations, our mortality, and our need to be connected to the God who has created us and all things.

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And this leads us to the most important point: aside from whatever physical danger we face, our Christian tradition affirms the reality of a greater danger, expressed in that verse from 1 Peter:

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My walk is heavenward all the way. Await, my soul, tomorrow when you will see a brighter day without your sin and sorrow. All worldly pomp be gone; to heaven I now press on. For all the world I would not stay; my walk is heavenward all the way.ii

“Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

God calls us to “be sober; be watchful.” There are always spiritual forces of darkness that seek to pull us away from God and lead us to spiritual ruin, and at times dealing with crises can lead us to cling to our Lord more tightly. In trying times, may our eyes be opened even more to the greater danger that we face. And with faith, we trust that God does not abandon His people to ruin. The first three verses of Brorson’s sobering hymn speak of the danger we face, but the last three verses speak of the comfort we find in God’s promises in Christ: I walk midst angels all the way; they shield me and befriend me, and keep the devil’s strength at bay when heavenly hosts attend me. They are my sure defense, they send my sorrow hence! Unharmed though foes do what they may, I walk midst angels all the way.

I walk with Jesus all the way, his guidance never fails me; within his wounds I find a stay when Satan’s power assails me. With Jesus there to lead, my path I safely tread. In spite of ills that threaten me, I walk with Jesus all the way.

I cannot guarantee that our lives will be untouched by COVID-19 or any other calamity. And it is good to take the danger posed by this illness seriously. But I can communicate the message of our faith that God always looks upon us with love and desires to keep us in His grace. In times of trial, let us also look to what God might be trying to teach us about our lives and also how we might be of service to others. In the words of the German Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lost his life in the struggle against Nazism in his country, “May God in his mercy lead us through these times; but above all, may he lead us to himself.”

Note: Scripture passages in this article are from the English Standard Version.

Thomas Jacobson is Instructor of Christian History, curator of the North American Lutheran Archive, and editor of The Word at Work magazine at the Institute of Lutheran Theology.

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END NOTES Doug Morton Christ in the Present Pg. 6-7 1. Augsburg Confession IV 2 – 3 in The Book of Concord, trans. & ed. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1957), 30.

2. Hermann Sasse, Here We Stand: Nature and Character of the Lutheran Faith. (Harper & Brothers, 1938; reprint ed.: St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, n.d.), 111.

3. Ibid., 122. Sasse notes “that as soon as the Gospel is no longer understood exclusively as the gracious promise of forgiveness of sin for Christ sake, the concept of faith is altered” [Ibid.]. Faith then becomes something more than simple trust in the promise of forgiveness of sins in Christ and it becomes also “a response to the commandment which accompanies the promise in the Gospel. Thus the idea of faith approaches the idea of obedience” [Ibid.]. This “idea of obedience” has become the meaning of the word “faith” for many people, and in the end this idea leads one back into “the righteousness that is based on the law.”

4. Augsburg Confession V 1 -3 in The Book of Concord, 31.

5. Smalcald Articles III, VIII 3 in The Book of Concord, 312.

6. C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel (St. Louis:

Concordia Publishing House, n.d.), 14.

7. Steven D. Paulson, Lutheran Theology (London: T & T Clark, 2011), 225.

8. Walther, who lived in the nineteenth century, states: “The sects picture reconciliation as consisting in this, that the Savior made God willing to save men, provided men would be willing on their part to be reconciled. But that is the reverse of the Gospel. God is reconciled. Accordingly, the apostle Paul calls on us: ‘Be ye reconciled to God.’ That means: Since God has been reco ciled to you by Jesus Christ, grasp the hand which the Father in heaven holds out to you. Moreover, the apostle declares: ‘If one died for all, then were all dead.’ 2 Cor. 5,14. That means: If Christ died for the sins of all men, that is tantamount to all men’s dying and making satisfaction for their sins. Therefore nothing at all is required on the part of man to reconcile God; he already is reconciled. . . . in reality the Gospel is God’s proclamation to men: ‘Ye are redeemed from your sins, ye are reconciled to God; your sins are forgiven.’” [Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, 136.] I have often used the illustration of expressing love in a marriage. Which of the following declarations is good news for a spouse? “Honey, if you believe that I will love you, then I will love you” or, “Honey, I love you!” The first bases one’s assurance of the spouse’s love on what the other does, on his or her belief. Thus, the love is really a ‘potential’ love. The second actually gives the person the spouse’s love and creates faith in that love.

9. Gerhard Forde writes: “Preaching . . . is to move into the present, to speak ‘in the Spirit’ of the living God. It is to assume that what I have to do now in the living present is the present edition of the mighty acts of God. There ought, it seems to me, be much more speaking in the present tense, the declaration here and now, the attempt to make it plain that this is the moment now in which the text comes true, doing what the text talks about. After all, this is what happens in the sacraments. We are authorized and instructed to do what is usually only talked about. For some reason or another the move to the present seems one of the most difficult to make. Often it seems to me, sermons can be excellently done and one sits waiting for the final move to the present, but it never comes. Actually, of course, that just means that free choice remains the controlling presupposition. So the hearers are left to make the last move somehow for themselves. Or muttering, perhaps, ‘Well, that is all very nice, Reverend, but when will it happen to me?’ One of the dirtiest tricks in the ‘evangelical’ bag is to be endlessly talking about grace and justification as a free gift and then never actually giving it. Preachers need to be much more sensitive about the move to the present.” [Gerhard O. Forde, The Preached God: Proclamation in Word and Sacrament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), 193.]

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10. “In the language of the Bible, ‘heart’ covers the whole inner man, his mind no less than his emotions and his will.” [Martin H. Franzmann, Concordia Commentary: Romans (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1968), 189.]

11. der the the

“Faith and confession are two aspects of one reality; they constitute one life before God unthe lordship of Jesus Christ. Man does not come to faith in solitude; when those who preach Word of faith to him say, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,’ he replies with confession, ‘I believe in Him.’” [Franzmann, Concordia Commentary: Romans, 189.]

Dan Lioy Christianity's Hamster Wheel of "Spiritual Advancement" Pg. 12-13 1. Website: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/americas-hamsterwheel-of-ca reer-advancement/.

2. This phrase is epitomized by Joel Osteen’s book titled, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps

to Living at Your Full Potential (Hachette Book Group; 2014).

John Rasmussen No Hypotheticals!

Pg. 8-9 1. LW 77:127 2. Ibid.

3. LW 77:129-130

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