He was born in Germany, and so is part of the first generation in my family to arrive in America and settled in Southern Illinois. Here’s the article:

THE LEDGER

Steeleville, Illinois, Thursday, March 29 1923

Henry Kothe

We have just returned from the funeral of Henry Kothe The report of his sudden demise was a shock to the community not because his age made an eагly demise improbable; the opposite was true. He was burdened with the weight of the Scriptural age1 and was ripe for the scythe of death2. His passing away shocked us, because of its suddenness and because it was not at this time expected. He had attended divine services but two days before his death. Heart failure put out the light of life and prostrated his strong frame in death.

Henry Kothe was born in Germany on January 21st. 1844. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church, remaining staunch supporter of this church throughout his life.

His wife Sophie, nee Bode has preceded him in death. They were the parents of eight children who are all surviving the parents The children are Lizzie of Chester, Illinois, Mrs. William Wolters, Herman Kothe3, Mrs. Wm. Eilers, Mrs. Henry Edler, Mrs. Herman Fastenau and Louis, Kothe.

Mr. Kothe was a wealthy and highly esteemed citizen of our community. The testimony of all his neighbors is that his word was always dependable. He was trusted and honored by friends and by foe, if he had any. His life was irreproachable, but he would not be blinded by the compliments of men. He believed & realized that before God he was a transgressor even as all men fail to keep the law of God. He believed that Jesus alone could save and lead into life eternal.

He put no trust in his own respectability and works, but placed all trust in Jesus alone. This is the reason why we believe as he did shall be reunited with him in the world to come.

Mr. Kothe had passed the 79th birthday when he died on March 23rd, 1923. His remains were laid at rest on the Wine Hill cemetery.

The Rev. Emil Koch4 delivered a sermon on “The Preparation for Death” in which reference was made to the departed.

May God confirm the bereaved with his never failing comfort.

What a wonderful witness to the life of a Christian. Would that we all would live a faithful life such at this that would be so obviously that the public newspaper would write about it.

Here’s a project I’ve been working on to help visualize which chapters of the Bible are most often used in the Lectionary.

There are a number of lectionaries out there. (Lectionaries are books of appointed Scripture Readings for Sunday worship and other major festivals). I am using the LCMS 3-Year Series Lectionary for the charts below. You can find those Lectionaries online here. (This is also a helpful resource.)

One great benefit of the Lectionary is that you will hear from a larger variety of books throughout the year (or over three years). Some churches go through one book of the Bible at a time (the Gospel of John, for example) and that might be all you hear from for a year. However, a lectionary gives more structure to the Church Year, and follows the weeks and seasons. At the very least, the lectionary can protect hearers from only hearing a preacher’s hobby horse verses. At best you get to hear the whole counsel of God.

The three-year lectionary follows one Synoptic Gospel each year: Series A follows Matthew, B follows Mark, and C follows Luke, and then readings from John are scattered throughout the three years. Our current church year that started with Advent (December 2025) is Series A, and so many of our readings will be from the first Gospel.

The Data

We hear from 404 chapters out of the 1189 in the Bible during the 3-year series. Through the 3 year cycle we hear from about 33% of the chapters in Scripture. You can see some of the heavy hitters below. Luke 2 comes out on top because we read from it often during the Christmas season. Psalm 119 is so long that even if you don’t hear the same verses each time, it comes up a lot. Acts 2 shows up at Pentecost and throughout the Easter season, and on we go.

Obviously the least represented group is the Old Testament, except for the Psalms, since we always have a Gospel Reading, a Psalm, an Epistle Reading, and then and Old Testament Reading, which is sometimes superseded by a “First Reading” which is usually from Acts. Being a fan of the Old Testament this is one of the reason I prefer the three-year series to the one-year: You get more Old Testament! But, of course, you can see entire books we never read from: Judges, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Esther, Song of Solomon (I’m probably okay with that 🤣), Obadiah, Nahum, Haggai. The only two New Testament books we never hear from are 2 & 3 John.

Take a look:

This chart just shows the chapters that come up five or more times over the three year cycle. But if you want, here is the link to the full chart.

Here is a more interactive version of the chart which also includes the references in each chapter and in which series it appears.

I hope that helps see where in Scripture our Readings come from during worship. Let me know if there are some other versions of the data you would like to see.

What about the one year lectionary? Okay, I guess :)

And here is the interactive version

Thanks for reading. As always, if you notice something off in the data, please let me know!

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Here is the updated LCMS Comparison info. This was gathered after all the Districts had their Conventions which made the data more readily available and up to date. Some data is still old.

More exciting than that, I was able to make an interactive map, which is much more user-friendly. I cannot embed it directly, but the interactive map is available here:

Interactive Map

Not all of the data is included in the visualization, but the three major datapoints are: number of congregations, baptized membership, and district annual budget. You can find out more about the map’s creation in the footnote1.

Here are still images of the visualized data, at least for reference.

I was recently able to be a guest on the Lead Time podcast hosted by Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to talk a bit about the data. It was good be on with them! You can watch that episode here:

And finally, here is the spreadsheet for the updated info: (Click here for a full page version of the data)

And here is the extra spreadsheet I made just to see what it would look like if Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota were just 1 district each. (Click here for the full page version.)

Let me know if you find any errors in the data, and let me know if you thought the data was helpful in map form!

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If you are still a member at Thrivent, consider voting in this year’s election. It is important to have members on the board of directors that share our understanding of Scripture as LCMS Lutherans, where Thrivent has its origins. This informs how decisions are made at the company, where money is spent, and which organizations are supported (Choice Dollars), which has been an issue in the past.

Here is the slate of officers up for election

As I have done for the previous few years, I’ll try to give information about each candidate. Primarily this information is about the denominational affiliation of their home congregation. And so my recommendations will simply be based on the public confession of their home congregation. I do not know any of these candidates personally.

There are 12 candidates on the ballot this year, which is more than the previous elections I’ve covered. You can vote for two candidates, and the two candidates that Thrivent recommends are incumbents currently serving. Some of the other candidates have been on the ballot before.

Here’s a bit about each candidate:

• ⭐Debbie Ackerman

  • Home Congregation: First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette, Wilmette, IL

  • Affiliation: PC(USA) - Presbyterian Church USA

• Diana Anderson

  • Home Congregation: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Manasquan, NJ

  • Affiliation - ELCA

• ✝️John Buric

  • Home Congregation: Scottsdale Bible Church, Scottsdale, AZ

  • Affiliation: Non-denominational

• Matt Davidson

  • Home Congregation: One Line Church, Wheaton, IL

  • Affiliation: Non-denominational

• Beth Bradner Davis

  • Home Congregation: Church of the Highlands, Fultondale, AL

  • Affiliation: Non-denominational

• JC Hurtado-Prater

  • Home Congregation: The Immaculata Church, San Diego, CA

  • Affiliation: Roman Catholic

  • Was a pastor at New Hope Community Church (non-denominational)

• Itzel Lopez Gonzalez

  • Home Congregation: Lifegate Church, Omaha, NE

  • Affiliation: Non-denominational (Christian & Ministry Alliance)

• Donnie McCleskey

  • Home Congregation: ONE | A Potter’s House Church, Los Angeles, CA

  • Affiliation: Potter’s House (Megachurch started by TD Jakes in Dallas, Texas) [Pentecostal]

  • Second Home Congregation: The Well Christian Church, Livermore, CA

  • Affiliation: Non-denominational (Calvary Chapel)

• ✝️ Jeb Meyers

  • Home Congregation: The Church of Saint Margaret Mary, Golden Valley, MN

  • Affiliation: Roman Catholic

• ⭐Nikki Pechet

  • Home Congregation: Grace Cathedral, Episcopal, San Francisco, CA

  • Affiliation: Episcopal Church

• Kerry Tietgen

  • Home Congregation: Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church - Sioux Falls, SD

  • Affiliation: ELCA

• Justin Wynter

  • Home Congregation: Central Presbyterian Church - Austin, TX

  • Affiliation: PC(USA)

⭐ = Thrivent’s recommendation

✝️ = My recommendation based on their congregation’s public confession

Conclusion

Unfortunately this year’s slate has no conservative Lutheran candidates. Often there are at least some LCMS or WELS members. We would differ greatly with the approach of ELCA, PCUSA, and Episcopal church teachings (marriage, sexuality, life issues, etc.). That leaves a number of people who have membership at non-denominational churches, whose theology can vary greatly.

I am most comfortable recommending Jeb Meyers. And I will hesitantly recommend John Buric based on his congregation’s statement of faith.

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We’ll hear this account in our Gospel Reading on Sunday.

Luke 8:26–39 (ESV)

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

I usually try to match some kind of artwork or visualization for my congregation to help them picture at least one of the Scripture readings appointed for the day. And I came across something beautiful that I wanted to share.

(Some Russian text crudely translated via Google Translate).

This is a tapestry created by artist Andrew (Andrey) Madekin of Moscow, Russia.

This article gives some biography:

Tapestry by Andrey Madekin
For nearly 30 years Russian artist of applied art Andrey Madekin has woven about forty large tapestries (three square meters) and approximately the same number of small, within one square meter. The main topic for him is Biblical and ancient mythology.

Tapestry by Andrey Madekin is inspired by the works of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, India, the Byzantine iconographic canon. Also by works of masters of the twentieth century – Cubists and meta physicians of early twentieth century – Picasso, Braque, Chirico.

Born in 1963 in Moscow, Andrey Madekin grew up in a family of textile workers. His great-grandfather – Pavel Nikanorovich Derbenyov before the 1917 revolution was a major textile entrepreneur, from 1894 to 1905 was mayor of Ivanovo-Voznesensk, now the city of Ivanovo. Madekin graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts of the Moscow Institute of Technology (MGUS) in 1985. He became a member of the Union of Artists of Russia in 1990. In 2003 worked as a chief artist of the Russian units in the American company “Carpets Design Company”.

The article also shares some of the creative process and shows this tapestry being created in 2012. Although he comments in this Facebook post that the idea first came to him in 2002.

I am no visual artist, and know very little about weaving or tapestries, but I do know this is beautiful and the work of a master.

It captures the holiness of Jesus, the healing of the demon possessed man, the concern of the villagers, and the strangeness with the herd of pigs by the water. Soon after the moment captured by this tapestry this former demoniac would be a missionary to his village after they reject Jesus.

I hope this artwork blesses you as you meditate upon this strange but powerful account of mercy in Luke 8.

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Update:

Here are some of the other biblical tapestries that Madekin has created:

Let’s start in the basement. Unfinished. But that just means you can be rowdy. And there was room to setup a club house where we made up plans to get rid of the “Bad Gang” (pretty rough imaginary crowd, as you can imagine).

But being an unfinished basement when you’re ten years old or younger meant I didn’t really like being down there alone. Basements… especially dark basements, were not favorite places. Especially when the spare shower was down there. You got in and out and on your way. These were classic wooden basement stairs with gaps between the treads where the Bad Gang could grab your ankles if you weren’t fast enough.

At the top of the stairs you could go outside through the side door, or keep going up to the kitchen. And when you’re getting done being the basement alone, and turning off the lights as you go, you take those stairs quickly!

To get to the next set of stairs to go up to the bedrooms you had to go through the kitchen and dining room, and then living room, basically making a full circle around the main floor.

These main stairs were much more enjoyable than the basement stairs. Afterall it wasn’t dark and scary. But they were by the front door. (I guess stairs and doors went together in this house.) If you opened the front door, the stairs would be blocked, but of course you don’t use the front door of your own house very much. And these stairs had an even better landing. You went up the stairs most of the way, catch your breath, take a left, and then finish your journey. (The landing was a great place to prep your sleeping bag slide run down the stairs!)

And my room was the first door on the left. And it was a pretty normal room. It looks smaller now than I remember it as a kid (as everything does) now that I see it in pictures as an adult. And like most bedrooms, this room had a closet. But it was more than a closest. It did have a closet, but it also had the stairs to the attic.

You remember what I said about the basement stairs right? You’d think having the attic stairs in my room would freak me out, but it didn’t. And here’s why: When you open the closet door, on the right hand side was a double hung bar for two rows of hang-up clothes, and then if you were going up to the attic you would take a left and go up. And if you did, this giant door/lid would have to be lifted via pulley to get into the attic. (No small feat for a little kid!) But back down at the closet door, those two bars of clothes didn’t have many of my clothes, they were mostly my dad’s clothes for work; his dress clothes.

And his weekday routine would be to come in to put me to bed and then pick out his clothes for the next day of work, and then iron whatever he needed to, so things were ready to go for the next day. Having a closet door in a little kid’s room that went up to the attic sounds like a nightmare, but for me it never was.

We would say bedtime prayers, often ”Now I lay me down to sleep…” He would sing I am Jesus Little Lamb; a hymn I have memorized to this day. And then we would play this silly game where I would be laying in bed, my feet would be flat on the bed, but my knees would be up in the air like a mountain, and I would challenge him to see if he could push my legs down flat against the bed. And he would, of course, pretend to struggle to push them down like any good dad would, and then I would let my legs drop and he would crash onto the bed and we would laugh and laugh, and I would beg him to do it over and over again, until the iron was warmed up enough to press the clothes.

And the he would get the clothes ready, put away the ironing things, pull the string of the closet light, and close the door. It was the best bedtime routine.

I was never afraid of that door, or the stairs to the attic, because that was the reason my dad and I got to spend time together each night.

Happy Father’s Day!

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There are a lot of animals in the Bible. One book I have lists over 100 animals that are referenced in Scripture. Here is one list I found online.

Animals are creatures made by God. They are part of creation. God has given us the responsibility to care for them. Some of them are not just mentioned, but play a significant role in the story of salvation, both good and bad.

Some of the animals in the Bible we immediately think of as good: The dove because of it’s connection to the Holy Spirit. Jesus is called the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. And don’t forget about the donkey that carries Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (and the one that talks to Balaam.)

But there are also some animals that we think of almost exclusively as negative. The first is the serpent in the Garden of Eden as Satan tempts Adam and Eve. The dragon of Revelation is another reference to the devil. And some animals are used in the plagues to convince Pharoah to set God’s people free: frogs, gnats, flies, and locusts.

But I would like to introduce you to the worst animal of them all: the ostrich. If you have been a student in my religion class you know that I despise them. So this article is personal. But since ostriches are actually mentioned the Scripture, and the references are actually bad, it makes me feel a little bit better to write this; let’s call it therapy.

Ostriches in Scripture

First, here are the 10 times the ostrich is mentioned in Scripture:

1. Leviticus 11:13–19 (ESV) “And these you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, the falcon of any kind, every raven of any kind, the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind, the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl, the barn owl, the tawny owl, the carrion vulture, the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

2. [Very similar the passage above] Deuteronomy 14:11–20 (ESV) You may eat all clean birds. But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, the falcon of any kind; every raven of any kind; the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind; the little owl and the short-eared owl, the barn owl and the tawny owl, the carrion vulture and the cormorant, the stork, the heron of any kind; the hoopoe and the bat. And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten. All clean winged things you may eat.”1

3. Job 30:29 (ESV) I am a brother of jackals and a companion of ostriches.

4. Isaiah 13:21–22 (ESV) But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.

5. Isaiah 34:13–14 (ESV) Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches. And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place.

6. Isaiah 43:20–21 (ESV) The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.

7. Jeremiah 50:39–40 (ESV) Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon, and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the LORD, so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

8. Lamentations 4:3 (ESV) Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

9. Micah 1:8–9 (ESV) For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches. For her wound is incurable, and it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.

But here is the best example of why the ostrich is the worst, from Job 39:

13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love? 14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground, 15 forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them. 16 She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear, 17 because God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding. 18 When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider.

You can see the ostrich is among the unclean animals, obviously. And it also hangs out with jackals and hyenas. Bad company to say the least. You find ostriches in desolate and abandoned places. Lamentations said they are cruel, and the final passage from Job 39 talks about how poorly they care for their eggs and their offspring, has no wisdom, and the only positive attribute, they can run away quickly.🤦

Themes

If someone calls you an ostrich, it is not a compliment. Listen to this lexical burn:

“God caused her (the ostrich) to forget wisdom, i.e. did not endow her with it.”2

Apparently it was impressive to hunt and capture ostriches to the ancient Egyptians, sport hunters went on “the lucrative chase of the ostrich, which was highly valued for its plumes and eggs, and was sold to the wealthier Egyptians.”3 But why waste your time?

‎Egyptian hunters pursued game primarily in Upper Egypt, closer to the interior of Africa with its abundant game herds. This picture (below) shows hunters returning with captured animals, an ostrich with feathers and eggs and two small antelopes, probably gazelles. Egyptians hunted both for food and in order to capture animals as pets and for menageries. Pursuing and catching swift creatures like these was a notable feat worthy of commemorating with a painting like this.4

And this is why ostriches are no longer found in biblical lands and now only further south in Africa. Ostriches were never in the Americas, so that helps me sleep better at night.

Etymology

Let’s look at the word itself. Ostrich in English has roots in French, Latin, and Greek.

But all of our examples are from the Old Testament, so that means looking at Hebrew. Some scholars think ostrich references could also be owls, but don’t let them fool you.

בַּת יַעֲנָה

The most common word used for Ostrich is “Bat Ya-anah.” “Bat” is the common Hebrew word for daughter. And “Ya-anah”, the word for ostrich, means desolate or greed. And so the meaning behind the Hebrew word for ostrich is “daughter of greed” “daughter of wilderness” or “daughter of desolation.” A fitting meaning for a bird that is used symbolically for desolate places.

רְנָנִים

Job 39 uses “Ra-na-nim.” The only time this is word is used in the OT. And its meaning is given as “bird of piercing cries.” This is also designated as a female ostrich, probably because of caring (poorly) for her young.

Note: Jesus does NOT use the ostrich in Luke 13, but chooses the hen to gather her chicks, for obvious reasons.

תַּחְמָס

The Hebrew lexicon5 also has an entry for the male ostrich, which is not used in Scripture, but is worth noting. The “tach-mas” has roots in the word for violent. These birds are know for their aggression.

If you don’t believe me, or Scripture, or the Hebrew dictionary, search for ostrich attacks on YouTube. Better yet, don’t. Let this very realistic clip from Jumanji strike fear into your heart!

If that isn’t evidence enough, the ostrich’s little cousin, the cassowary, is widely believed to be the most dangerous bird in the world (with ostriches and emus coming in at #2 and #3).

If you’re still not on board, an ostrich almost killed Johnny Cash.

One of the most interesting ostrich-attack stories involved the American musician Johnny Cash, who kept an exotic animal park with ostriches on his property. Cash encountered an aggressive male ostrich several times during his walks in the woods in 1981. On one occasion, Cash brandished a 6-foot stick and swung it at the bird, who dodged the swipe and slashed at Cash with its foot. Cash noted that the blow struck him in the stomach, and if it weren’t for a strong belt buckle, he said that the ostrich’s toe claw would have cut his abdomen open and killed him.6

Conclusion

The only theological and academic conclusion is: Ostriches are gross and bad. They might not bury their heads in the sand, but that is of little redeeming value. Noah only took them on the ark because he had to.

When in doubt remember the 3 Ds of ostriches:

• Disgusting

• Dangerous

• Dumb

So, as you can tell, by this tongue-in-cheek theologically-adjacent rant, I don’t like ostriches. But, I acknowledge they are part of God’s good creation. And hopefully this “article” brings an eye roll to your face when you hear about ostriches in your Bible reading.

The totals in my chart are close (but don’t quite add up) to the totals available from the 2023 LCMS Annual Report. The goal was more for comparisons between the districts and the averages of the congregations than the exact data, because I have never come across such a comparison before. If you know of one, I would love to see it.

Click here to see the chart in a new window to see the data better.

Some of our districts are single states, many of them are combined regions, but a few states have multiple districts. Michigan and Texas has been the biggest districts recently, but I decided to combine Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois each into their own state district just to see how they compare. The data with those extra “districts” is available below separately because they would skew the totals and averages. Spoiler alert: they are bigger than Michigan and Texas in many cases!

Here is the chart with extra districts: United Minnesota, United Wisconsin, United Iowa, and United Illinois Districts.

If anyone has corrections or more up to date data, please let me know! Were there any surprises in the data for you?

Edit: Updated 2 districts’ finances that were miscalculated.

UPDATE: You can see the newer version of the data, as well as an interactive map on this more recent post.

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Technology and Art in the Church

There’s a long-running debate about whether or not sanctuaries should have screens in them. I have my opinions but, this post isn’t about that, not really.

One of the benefits I see for screens in a sanctuary is to show beautiful things. Often the bulletin is replicated on screens during worship with lyrics or Scripture readings, but my favorite use is showing imagery. It could be famous artwork, maps during a sermon, or pictures of biblical places.

There is a long tradition of artwork and iconography in churches. Many churches have stained glass windows telling the story of salvation without words. Often churches would uses such imagery because most of the congregation could not read or write. As technology advances and we discover more ways to use imagery, this is what I imagine for sanctuaries in the future.

In 2021, my wife and I were able to attend the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit in St. Louis. It is described as an “Immersive Experience.” And I think that was a true statement! You didn’t just look at the artwork, it swirled around you in motion and with added music and sound effects. It was pretty amazing to say the least!

This project uses a technology called Projection Mapping, which is basically like the projector and screen in a movie theater, but with multiple projectors on multiple surfaces. Instead of just the one flat screen in front, you use all of the surfaces in a room to create a 3D effect. This would be very similar to a VR goggles, but without the need for the headset, and it would be experienced by everyone in the room simultaneously.

Here’s an interesting video about setting up projection mapping on a house. Today it still takes work to get everything working properly, and the Van Gogh exhibit took lots of projectors and computer power along with many hours of content creation. But technology advances quickly.

Another example of this technology is the Sphere that recently opened in Las Vegas. Similar to going to an IMAX theater, the idea is to completely immerse you in imagery.

Putting it all together

Here is where my imagination is going:

You can already take tours of famous places in 3D, using a VR headset, allowing people to visit places they might never be able to see in a very life-like manner.

And there are very beautiful places that have been created by faithful Christians throughout the centuries. But it would be extremely costly and time-intensive to be able to see even a fraction of them. Most of our people can now read and write, but most cannot travel extensively. Could we bring these faith-inspiring places to our people?

Imagine projection mapping the Sistine Chapel onto your local sanctuary. Bring St. Peter’s Cathedral to a small town in the Midwest. Make Michelangelo’s David tower above your congregation. Get into the fine details of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Explore the catacombs under Rome where our persecuted ancestors in the faith have been laid to rest.

There are many such possibilities that I’m sure much more creative people than me could dream up.

Here’s an example of projection mapping Van Gogh and Rembrandt in a 17th Century church in Amsterdam which is already a beautiful place, but allows the people there to see even more beautiful things. Imagine it with sacred art!

Final thoughts

Of course, the technology isn’t there yet. I would still consider it cost-prohibitive and require an expert level of technological know-how. Especially when we’re considering the budgets of small congregations. But I imagine the day is coming sooner than we think when multiple projectors and hours of setup will not be required. Rather one device could map your sanctuary and then a spherical projector could surround our people with imagery captured from around Christendom.

What do you think about this kind of technology in your local congregation?

My sermon for Advent Midweek was on the Songs of Christmas. And in that sermon I included a slide about Christmas Carols that were relatively recent. I said al of these beloved Christmas Hymns were all newer than our congregation which was founded in 1851.

Initially doing my research I just used our hymnal (Lutheran Service Book) to get approximate dates. It often does not list the date when the hymn was written or published, rather the birth and death year of the author/composer.

It was a relatively minor point in the sermon, but was worth looking into more accurately since many of the people in the congregation were skeptical! And upon further investigation, some of these are in fact older than 1851, but still in the same ballpark, meaning, they are “new” Christmas songs.

So with a little more research here are the dates I’ve found, thanks to those on Facebook who did some digging as well!

• Angels from the Realms of Glory - 1816

• Silent Night - 1818

• Once in Royal David’s City - 1848

• It Came upon the Midnight Clear - 1849

• Angels We Have Heard on High - 1862

• O Little Down of Bethlehem - 1868

• What Child is This - 1871

• Away in a Manger - 1885 (some attribute it to Martin Luther, but not likely)

• Gentle Mary Laid Her Child - 1919

There are, of course, newer Christmas songs than these in our hymnal, but these are considered “classics” I would say.

But of course some of the oldest hymns in our hymnal are Advent and Christmas Songs, and those are worth highlighting as well.

• A Great and Mighty Wonder - c700 (Germanus)

• Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - c450 (Liturgy of St. James)

• From East to West - c450 (Coelius Sedulius)

  • He also wrote the Epiphany hymn, The Star Proclaims the King is Here)

• Of the Father’s Love Begotten - c400 (Aurelius Prudentius Clemens)

  • He also write, Sweet Flowerlets of the Martyr Band for the Holy Innocents

• Savior of the Nations Come - c400 (Ambrose)

• O Gladsome Light, O Grace - c350 (Unknown)

I went on to make the point that all of these hymns are new compared to the four Christmas songs Luke records in the first two chapters of his Gospel:

• Song of Mary

  • The Magnificat, sung by Mary after the annunciation from Gabriel

• Song of Zechariah

  • The Benedictus, sung by Zechariah after his mouth is opened once again after his son, John the Baptist, is born.

• Song of the Angels

  • The Gloria in Excelsis, sung by the angels to the shepherds, announcing the birth of the Savior.

• Song of Simeon

  • The Nun Dimittis, sung by Simeon, after meeting the Christ Child as the Holy Spirit said.

There are many songs throughout Scripture, especially in the Old Testament. The Psalm are all songs, but perhaps the old song in Scripture is the Song of Moses (Exodus 15) about the salvation of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

Of course if Job is the oldest book in Scripture it is a poetic book that would be similar to the Greek epic poems like the Odyssey — a long ancient song about one man’s trials.

A closing thought it looking forward to the New Song that Revelation speaks of.

In Revelation 5, they sing a “new song” which is recorded. This and the other songs in Revelation are known as the Dignus Es, and the Te Deum laudamus

Revelation 14 also mentions a new song but it is not revealed, we will have to wait until the Last Day for that new song!

Revelation 14:1–3 (ESV)

1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

I hope your enjoy singing Christmas songs both new and old!

Merry Christmas

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Have you ever wondered what Jerusalem would have looked like at that time? Why did the disciples comment on the stones and the building? We do have a description of Jerusalem and the Temple before it was destroyed in 70AD. This happens just as Jesus predicted in his response to his disciple exclamation: “And Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.’”

Josephus was a Jewish historian that lived just after Jesus. He would have seen the Temple in Jerusalem before it was destroyed and he gives us a description of it. It gives us a hint as to why the disciples were so impressed!

You can read everything he wrote, but in his book “Wars of the Jews” in Book 5, chapter 5, paragraph 6 he writes this:

Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men’s minds, or their eyes. For it was covered all over with plates of gold, of great weight: and at the first rising of the sun reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it, to turn their eyes away: just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers, when they were coming to it at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow. For as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. On its top it had spikes; with sharp points; to prevent any pollution of it by birds sitting upon it. Of its stones some of them were forty five cubits in length, five in height, and six in breadth. Before this temple stood the altar, fifteen cubits high; and equal both in length and breadth: each of which dimensions was fifty cubits.1

It is quite the description! Gold all over, huge stones. Remember most of the disciples are from rural Galilee, fisherman and the like. It would be like visiting New York City for the first time and just marveling at the skyscrapers. (Which is how you can easily spot the tourists!)

Here is an image I’ve put together to give you the approximate scale of a person with one of the blocks Josephus describes, as well as his description of it from the paragraph quoted above.

What wonderful stones indeed! But what an even greater Temple is Jesus, the one torn down, but rebuilt in 3 days!

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Thrivent Was Silent

This summer, Thrivent was silent when it came to celebrating Pride Month. It seemed like more corporations went that route this year. The previous year was quite different. I shared some thoughts on their activities last year and provided my first voters guide.

However, the results of the elections were predictable. The incumbents recommended by Thrivent easily won reelection.

And although the election outcomes were predictable, I think the message was received by leadership through many letters, social media, and other channels based on their activities or lack thereof this year. However, the leadership has not changed.

2024 Elections

I realize that most of us are preoccupied with other elections this time of year, but thought it worthwhile to share some thoughts on Thrivent’s election anyways.

Here is this year’s ballot:

As noted by the gold star, the three incumbents are recommended by Thrivent for reelection:

Current Thrivent BOD

Thrivent’s Board of Directors has 11 members. And this is the current makeup by religious affiliation.

While there are more Lutherans than any other tradition, there is currently only one Lutheran from a conservative denomination, and he is up for reelection. Hopefully the tradition of reelecting incumbents remains for this case.

Often we have allies in the Roman Catholics on many cultural issues (marriage, abortion, etc.) but that doesn’t seem to be the case for these particular Catholic communities as far as my research can tell, but please correct me if you find out otherwise.

Candidates

As before, I don’t know any of these candidates personally, and I am assuming all of them are qualified for service by education and experience. I will merely highlight their home congregations’ affiliation, and assume their personal confession matches the public confession of their church body.

• Diana Anderson

  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church - Manasquan, NJ

  • ELCA

• Cornell Boggs⭐(Current board chairman)

  • Trinity Church - Ludington, MI

  • Evangelical Free Church of America

• Kenneth Carow⭐✝️

  • Calvary Lutheran Church - Indianapolis, IN

  • LCMS

• Matt Davidson

  • One Line Church - Wheaton, IL

  • Non-denominational ( I couldn’t determine any specific denominational affiliation.)

• Michael Fiffik ✝️

  • Ascension Lutheran Church - Pittsburg, PA

  • LCMS

• Jill Louis⭐

  • Concord Church - Dallas, TX

  • Baptist

• Kerri Tietgen

  • Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church - Sioux Falls, SD

  • ELCA

• Justin Wynter

  • Central Presbyterian Church - Austin, TX

  • PCUSA

⭐ = Thrivent recommended incumbent

✝️ = My recommendation based on church affiliation

Conclusion

I only have two strong recommendations this year:

• Michael Fiffik was also in the running last year and one of my recommendations.

• Kenneth Carow is the only current conservative Lutheran on the board.

• And then I might simply recommend against ELCA and PCUSA candidates based on the public confession of those church bodies.

I am glad that the feedback last year changed the direction of this year’s “celebrations”, but the same people are in charge. I believe we had more candidates last year from conservative church bodies to choose from, but it is important to continue to fight for the institutions that we created. And let us pray that Thrivent remains faithful to its heritage.

Blessings.

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[There were issues with the sound system in church this morning, so the online video did not have any audio with it, so here is the sermon written out, or you can listen using the button above.]

This sermon was preached on Sunday, September 22, 2024 at Zion Lutheran Church & School in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be yours from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Word of God that engages us this morning comes to us from our Gospel Reading in Mark 9 where Jesus predicts his death and resurrection for his disciples.

Mark 9:30–37 (ESV)

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

And this is the second of three passion predictions (As they are often called) in the Gospel of Mark. And these three passion predictions in chapter 8, 9, and 10 (8:31, 9:31, 10:34) are only given by Jesus to his disciples… never to the larger crowd. It was something that He only shared with his close followers. But, the disciples don’t fully understand what Jesus means by this. They, and many of the Jews in that time, have quite a different idea about what Jesus should do as the Messiah. But certainly dying was not part of their concept of the Messiah, and so here when Jesus tells them for a second time about his suffering, death, and resurrection… they don’t understand, and they don’t dare ask. Maybe because they didn’t want to know.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were afraid to ask a question? I asked that question earlier this week online and some of you gave some answers that probably ring true about being afraid to ask a question.

• Some of you said when you were afraid to ask a question when you were afraid about what the answer might be… You don’t want to ask the question, because you don’t want to know the answer! 

• Maybe that happened in the doctor’s office waiting for a diagnosis. 

• Maybe a difficult conversation with a spouse… or child… or friend. Or worse yet, even if you asked the question it wouldn’t matter anyway.

• Maybe you were in a situation where asking a question would reveal you were a bad listener! The question might have already been answered!

• Someone shared about being in the military and having to ask his drill instructor a question… and the price of the answer was some extra PT.

• Maybe some of you know the person who always asks questions and makes the meeting last longer! You don’t want to be that guy. 

• And then some of you said you’ve never been afraid to ask a question 🤣 I’m not sure what that feels but, God bless you.

• One more to think about… Maybe you have been yelled at before for asking questions… and you don’t bother asking anymore.

A retired pastor told me about some conversations at his congregation before retiring. That some of the elder members remembered a pastor from some time ago. And when students asked questions in Confirmation class… often he replied… “You should know that by now!” And eventually guess what happened? The students stopped asking questions. And what was the end result? They ended up learning even less because they were afraid to ask.

In our text from Mark, why were the disciples afraid to ask Jesus a question?

Well, just before this, at the beginning of chapter 9, Mark records the Transfiguration of Jesus. And while Jesus was up on the mountain with Peter, James, and John, the other 9 disciples were down at the base of the mountain with the crowd of people. And they were talking with the crowd, and healing people, specifically casting out demons… Jesus had given them the authority to do that back in chapter 6 when he sent them out 2 by 2. So this is apparently something the disciples were doing, they had some experience with it. It had happened successfully a number of times by now. And they pretty much thought they knew what they were doing. But when Jesus comes down the mountain he sees a crowd arguing with the disciples that were left at the bottom of the mountain. And a man explains that he brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples to heal him. But they were not able to do it. And Jesus has this kind of frustrated response, he says. 

“O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” (Mark 9:19) Not exactly the kind of response you want from your teacher…

Jesus takes the father and the boy aside and asks questions about what is happening and then the crowd follows them, and Jesus casts out the demon from the boy.

Later on Jesus is just with his disciples… and this is just before today’s reading… they ask Jesus, why they couldn't cast out the demon…  Jesus had given them that authority, they had done it successfully, but it wasn’t working! And so they ask the question: why didn’t it work!? And Jesus answers them. “This kind of unclean spirit can only be driven out by prayer.” (Mark 9:29)

And we get no further elaboration! But we’re all like …. Okay… what does that mean?! If Jesus said anymore, none of the Gospels tell us any more than that. And as I said this is where our Reading picks up… and although some time passes between these two conversations, now Jesus tells them for a second time about his suffering, death, and resurrection. And they did not understand… but they were not about to try and ask him another question… my guess, so that it didn’t seem like they weren’t understanding what Jesus was doing and saying. Trying to save face a little bit, I imagine. They were afraid to ask Him.

If you’ve ever had a toddler, you know how many questions they can ask… “why why why?!” They want to know the way the world works. But as we get older, we’re supposed to have it figured out, I guess? And we certainly do know more than when we were three years old, but we’re never too old to stop learning. That goes for many things in life, but it certainly is the case for our faith. We are never able to learn everything there is to know about God; He is infinite and eternal after all. If you could figure God out completely, He wouldn’t be much of a god, would He? We can never learn everything about the Bible… even if you read through it every year, you would always learn something new, see something from a different angle, consider something a new and different way.

There has been an attitude in American Christianity that is not helpful. It appears that many people have grown up in a church where you weren’t allowed to ask questions… like the pastor and the church I mentioned a few minutes ago. But that should not be the case. The sad situation I have seen are people, who are relatively well known Christians… perhaps musicians, or other influential people. And they have walked away from the faith… and when they take the time to talk about why, they list questions that they have… and then they couldn’t find an answer to those questions. Or at least they didn’t bother to ask. But then when they reveal what the questions were… they were questions that Christians have been asking for millennia. They were not new questions. They might have seemed novel to them… but they were questions that Christians have been thinking and writing about for centuries… but they were afraid to ask, or perhaps did not have someone to ask.

So this morning, I am going to give you an opportunity to ask questions. I’m not going to have to you shout them out at me; I’ll never remember them all. So instead, do this, grab the attendance pad in your pew (and if you already marked your attendance on a sheet, rip that off and leave that for the ushers at the end of the service.) but take a new sheet, you can share your sheet with someone… or each person can have their own, especially if you’re afraid that… you’re already supposed to know that by now… You can leave it anonymous, or you could write your name if you’d like.

But I’d like you to write down a question. Maybe you’ve always wondered something about the Bible, but never got around to asking… I’ve got a few topics on the screen that might jog your memory; that might help. Write down one, or a bunch that’s fine. If you don’t think of one until later, feel free to turn it in next week. And then when you leave church, put the paper in the question box.

And then, here’s my plan. I’ll take a look at the questions and get them arranged, maybe if there are duplicates, and we’ll see what questions we have. But here’s my disclaimer. I might not know the answer to your question. But I will try to find an answer. Or at least point you in the right direction. It very well could be we don’t know the answer to the question because God doesn’t tell us! So I’ll either write something up, or maybe include them in future sermons, whatever might be appropriate, depending on the question. So, I’ll give you 60 seconds, while I put the question box back by the offering plate.

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[For those listening or reading this post, feel free to send in a question too! Either leave a comment on this post or send me a message directly!]

… The disciples were afraid to ask Jesus. In one sense it’s understandable. But on the other hand… It's sad. They were afraid to ask their teacher. Maybe they were embarrassed, maybe they didn’t want to disappoint Jesus… who knows. But they didn’t ask what Jesus meant when he said he would suffer and die, and on the third day rise again. But thanks be to God they found out exactly what Jesus meant. Thanks be to God we know what Jesus meant. He was going to be “delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” (Mark 9:31).

Jesus was telling his disciples beforehand that he would die on the cross, but then rise again to new life. And why did he want to tell them ahead of time? So that when it happened, and then after it happened, they would realize that Jesus knew exactly what was coming; He knew exactly what the plan was. And he knew it, and went forward with it; He did not back away from the task the Father had given to him. In order that the sins of the world could be paid for. Jesus knew that He would suffer and die. But that is what He wanted to do, in order to save you from your sins, and give you the promise of eternal life.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we do not know the answers to many questions. But we do have answers for the most important questions.

The first question is, does God want us to ask questions? We get a great answer to that in Luther’s Small Catechism in the Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer:

The Introduction

Our Father who art in heaven.

What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.

God wants us to ask Him many questions! We can be just like those toddlers, asking why one hundred times a day.

And the most important things are not hidden from us. Who is Jesus, and what has He done for us? We find that in the Apostle’s Creed. Here is the Second Article with Luther’s explanation:

The Second Article: Redemption

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

This is most certainly true.

So feel free to ask questions. We might not always know the answer, but we know the answer to the most important questions about forgiveness, life and salvation, and those answers are found in Jesus!

Amen.

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Grace, Mercy, and Peace be yours from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Word of God that engages us this morning, comes to us from our Old Testament Reading in Isaiah 35 and it is loaded with Gospel Promises.

Isaiah 35:4–7a (ESV)

4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;

We just have a few verses of the chapter in our Reading today, but the whole chapter is loaded with images of the desert becoming a garden paradise… the dangerous animals being removed, the dry places filling with water, plants blooming and spreading, after our Reading, it famously mentions the Way of Holiness[v8]. This road in the wilderness is for God’s people to return home… and then the people themselves are remade: the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, and the verse I want to think especially about today: 

Isaiah 35:4 (ESV)

4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Those who have an anxious heart… anxious hearts. The word for anxious in Hebrew is used to describe something that is quick and hurried… so it’s like your heartbeat is getting more and more rapid. Describing what we’ve all felt when we’re nervous or even excited, but here it’s more of a panic attack… Isaiah is talking about anxiety… the anxious heart.

It’s becoming more and more apparent that we have anxious hearts in our society. People are more anxious than they ever have been. And you might think that adults with many responsibilities are the anxious ones; trying to keep everything going, taking care of your family, work, appointments, bills, etc. etc. And there is that, but people are becoming anxious at younger and younger ages. And so we are a people of anxious hearts with children of anxious hearts. And this is whom God is speaking to in Isaiah 35.

In Isaiah’s day the people had anxious hearts as well. Isaiah was primarily a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. After the nation split… Israel in the north and Judah in the south. And Isaiah was a prophet during the time when the nation of Israel was defeated. It was in 722 BC when the empire of Assyria came into their area and conquered the nation. And many of the people were killed or taken prisoner… and sent into Exile.

Their homes were destroyed. Most likely their livelihoods were destroyed as well. Many of them ended up in strange places filled with people from other nations who worshiped other gods. Those who remained were controlled by a foreign government with no certainty about their future. There were a lot of anxious hearts in Israel at this time.

It is into this anxiety that Isaiah speaks God’s comforting words. And notice how merciful it is. The people were experiencing this disaster because of their own unfaithfulness. The people had been warned time and time again to not wander into idolatry by Isaiah and the other prophets, but they refused to listen. And for centuries God was patient and waited for them to repent, and listen to the prophets’ warnings about destruction. But the people and especially the kings did not listen. They chased after false gods, they took advantage of the poor, they made alliances with other nations instead of trusting in God for their provision and protection.

And then God allowed the promised destruction to happen when Assyria came in 722 BC. And now the people were suffering, even though it was because of their own sinfulness. But even here and now, God shows his mercy to his people with these comforting words from Isaiah in chapter 35. There were many anxious hearts and God speaks into that worry and concern.

What about us? How are our hearts?

There’s a book by Jonathan Haidt called The Anxious Generation. Haidt is a professor and social psychologist who’s been studying, among other things, the effects of technology on children. And since the advent of smartphones and high speed internet [circa 2012], the level of anxiety and depression, and mental illnesses like that has skyrocketed. Kids today are more anxious than us adults have ever been in our lifetime.  Here’s a couple of his graphs that illustrate his point. [These are taken from this section of his website.]

The graph above illustrates the prevalence of anxiety in the different generations alive today. You can see the sharp increase in the youngest of us.

This graph above shows how the increase has happened over time and has disproportionally affected girls more than boys. Notice COVID only bumped the trend, it didn’t cause it. But keeping everyone home and using screens even more did takes its toll.

The graph above illustrates that anxiety and depression are on the rise much more so than other mental illnesses.

This graph above is one of the saddest. It show how all generations are spending less time with friends in person. But notice the sharp decline for the youngest generation.

Haidt comments that it used to be with a flip phone you could still be in contact with people… call… text… but use your phone to arrange a gathering, now phones have replaced gatherings. He calls them an experience blocker. We’re doing less and less in the real world.

One last graph shows which activities are on the rise and which are declining.

Screen time is way up, lot’s of other things are way down. For kids, Time with friends, time for playing and games, and not just kids, there’s been a decline in what we might consider risky activity by teenagers, and a decline in just about everything in person.

But even adults, there’s less in person and more and more online. And you would think that all of these ways to connect with people would be a good things, and that was the initial goal of social media… another way to bring people together, but people are reporting being more lonely than ever…. More disconnected than ever. More anxious than ever.

I am not advocating that we should throw all technology away and live like luddites. I love technology; I think it can be very helpful. But it is not without its downsides, and that includes the impact it makes on our lives, and our faith. When we look around and see that despite having so much technology… People, especially young people, are more anxious and more lonely now than ever. We need to be aware of that in our own lives, our families, and in our communities.

One of the very important purposes of the church is to create community. Congregations throughout time and history have brought people together, in many cases, from all walks of life, from very different backgrounds, and have united them around Jesus Christ. Because He is at the core of who we are and everything we do. And I think we realized during COVID that church from home, using a screen, was not the same as church here in person… with one another. Because we are not digital creatures, nor just spiritual creatures, we are human creatures: body and soul. We have a place; we are embodied; we are meant to be in community and that is exactly what Christ has created with his church.

And that is why the Incarnation of Jesus is so important. Jesus came to this earth bodily. Not spiritually, or digitally, or in some other way… Jesus came bodily, in person, in the flesh, as one of us. Human in every way. He was with people; He was present in Bethlehem, Galilee, Nazareth and Jerusalem. And in His body He hung on the cross for the sins of the world. In His body he took on the sins of the world and suffered for each and every one of them. And by faith we receive the benefits of His suffering and death: the forgiveness of our sins, and the promise of the resurrection of our bodies, and life everlasting. And that brings comfort to anxious hearts.

But I also want us to realize something. Here and now in this world we have anxiety (and many other troubles), and that will remain until the resurrection. Christians are not immune to anxiety or any other mental illness, just as they are not exempt from broken bones or cancer. We cannot tell people to simply come to the Lord’s Supper and your depression will be cured. We do not have a promise like that from God. God does promise forgiveness of sins, life and salvation in the Supper, but not a cure from physical or mental illness. Can Jesus heal those things miraculously? Certainly He can, as our Gospel Reading showed [Mark 7:24-37], but sin has fully corrupted our world, including our bodies and our minds, and all of those things can break down, and not everyone is given a miracle.

Towards the beginning of Isaiah’s book he is very anxious. And he is anxious over his sin. In chapter 6 he sees the throne room of God and he declares, “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips!” And the angel approaches him with a coal from the fire and it touches his lips… (the unclean part he just mentioned.) And hears these words:  “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

We are people with anxious hearts. That doesn’t mean we all have a mental illness; I don’t think Isaiah means that. But we have all experienced anxious hearts because of living in a sinful world and having sinful thoughts and doing sinful things. But of all of the things that we might be anxious about, here is one thing that God does promise. He loves you and He forgives you. You do NOT need to be anxious about your sin. You do NOT need to be anxious about whether or not God loves you. You do NOT need to be anxious about your eternal destination. We have that promise from God, and Jesus’ death and resurrection has made it certain: Your sin is forgiven. God does love you. And you have the promise of eternal life.

You do not need to be anxious about those things. Your anxious heart can rest in Christ. And while we wait for Him to return, He did not leave us alone. What remains is His body… the body of Christ, which is the Church… which is you… you are the body of Christ. In the flesh, in this place. And there are anxious hearts around you. So you need to be the hands and feet of Christ. There are lonely people around you. There are depressed people around you. There are people who need a friend. Expand your circle, make time for someone. 

And that should be our goal as a congregation as well. To embrace that we are a community of people here in this place, not a group of people online from all over there world, that has its place as well, but we are here in this place, together, for a purpose.

Be present, be embodied… show up for someone who needs a real life person, not just a call, not a text, in person, because Christ came for you, in person, in the flesh. And He will return again in person and raise your body from the grave, so that you might live forever in your new body in the New Creation where hearts will no longer be anxious or lonely, but instead we will be together in the community of Christ as His church, as we were meant to be.

Amen.

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This week in chapel, one of our students asked, “What was Jesus wearing on Easter?” And to be honest, I didn’t have an answer.

Usually during the last chapel before Easter I have the kids tell me the story of Holy Week and often we use those Resurrection Eggs.

And usually one of the eggs has a cloth that reminds us about the linen that Jesus was wrapped in after they took him down from the cross and bury him in the tomb. But this young student had been paying close attention, closer than me. Because in another egg, our set had dice, and they needed that linen because Jesus’ clothes had been taken away by the soldiers. And on Easter morning the early visitors to the tomb don’t see Jesus right away but they do see the burial clothes. So what was Jesus wearing?

Let’s back up, and try to keep track of what Jesus is wearing.

On Maundy Thursday we see Jesus and the disciples preparing to celebrate the Passover. And during the Last Supper we get the first mention of Jesus’ clothes.

John 13:3–5 (ESV)

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

And then after washing we read:

John 13:12 (ESV)

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place…

We learn that Jesus has multiple layers of clothing and that he sets them aside to do the work of a servant. Presumably these are his regular clothes and that is what he wears after supper and into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus is betrayed and handed over to Annas and Caiaphas and eventually to Pontius Pilate. This takes place late Thursday night and into early Friday morning.

Then we learn about another change of clothes. Pilate’s soldiers remove Jesus’ clothes in order to mock him. The dress him in a purple robe and adorn his head with a crown of thorns.

John 19:1–5 (ESV)

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

But this kingly clothing is only worn for a short time, and his usual clothes are returned to him.

Mark 15:16–20 (ESV)

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

Pilate finally gives in to the demands of the religious leaders and the crowd and hands Jesus over to be crucified. Jesus’ clothes go with him to the cross, where they are taken from him once for all.

The Gospel of John tells us what happens:

John 19:23–24 (ESV)

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things,

And so Jesus has everything taken away from him, an act we symbolically remember during the conclusion to Maundy Thursday worship with the Stripping the Altar.

Jesus was most likely naked on the cross, because it was more shameful and humiliating, which is the whole point of crucifixion. Usually we see Jesus on the cross with some article of clothing in artwork out of respect for Jesus.

After Jesus dies on the cross, the body is given by Pilate to Joseph of Arimathea. He and Nicodemus prepare Jesus’ body for burial with the help of the women who are there at the cross. They anoint his body with spices and wrap him in burial clothes - his final earthly clothing.

John 19:38–42 (ESV)

38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Jesus has gone from wearing his own clothes, to the towel of a servant, to the clothing of a king, to nothing at all, and now the tight wrapping of a burial shroud in about 24 hours’ time. But Jesus will not wear this wrapping for long.

On the morning of the third day, after the Sabbath was over, the women return to the tomb to finish the hasty burial. But they cannot find Jesus. But they do encounter an angel messenger or two. [Note: we’re told about their clothes: dazzlingly white.] And another of the things they do find are his burial clothes1. After Peter and John have their foot race to the tomb we read:

John 20:5–8 (ESV)

5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

The Gospel’s don’t tell us explicitly what Jesus was wearing on Easter morning. So we would have to speculate. Some reasonable guesses would be that:

• the angels brought him something,

• he created clothes for himself as he pleased,

• perhaps some but not all of the burial linen was folded and left behind, though I like this idea the least since it would have been bloody and dirty.

Most of the resurrection artwork has Christ coming from the tomb in a clean white or red garment loosely flowing, often to show the wounds. And I certainly think Jesus was wearing something, but we might just have to leave that question to ask Jesus when we meet him.

However, we do get one more mention of Christ’s clothing and that is during his Second Coming as told in Revelation.

Revelation 19:11–16 (ESV)

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

During his Second Coming, Christ is again clothed as a king, this time with a crown of jewels, not thorns. This time with his own royal robe, not a borrowed purple cloth filled with mockery. This time with shouts of glory and victory, not slurs and spit.

And because of of Christ’s death and resurrection we, too, are given new clothes.

Revelation 7:13–14 (ESV)

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

We might not know every detail about Christ’s resurrection, but we do know that it happened, and that is the most important part. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, dead, and buried, but on the third day, rose again!

As you consider what to wear to church on Easter, take a moment to consider all that Christ wore for you.

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Psalm 2:1–12 (ESV)

1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

I always thought this was a strange line: God laughing. And not just laughing at a joke, or something silly that happened. But God laughing because we humans think we could actually challenge Him.

It is a strange concept to consider, until I came across this sculpture. It shows Jesus laughing just like Psalm 2:4 describes. I find it fascinating. Take a look:

This sculpture was created by Douglas Merkey. I don’t know him personally but when I saw some of his friends (that I know) shared these pictures I wanted to share them as well.

Here is what he says about his piece:

ABOUT THE SCULPTURE

I created this sculpture, "He Laughs," many years ago to convey the utter trustworthiness of the God who laughs in the face of human pride and avarice (see Psalm 2). It uses enhanced musculature - something we Westerners typically associate with power - to convey Christ's might. The scars on His back and nail scars in His wrists speak to His crucifixion - how He endured the wrath of God for the sins of His people. The scepter speaks to His kingship. And His posture of eyes-closed, laid-back laughter speaks to His complete assurance, steadiness, power, and goodness in response to evil and chaos. Rest assured, Christ is in total, relaxed, control of His universe. This is meant to give those who know Him a posture of trust and fearlessness from the heart, outward. Hallelujah!

Douglas Merkey

Here is another description he wrote about it.

Pastor Doug Merkey here sharing a relevant post from my personal page as we prepare to hear from God this Sunday (3/14) from Psalm 2.

I created this sculpture called “He Laughs” back in 2004 in fired clay. It’s depicts Christ as inspired by Psalm 2:1-6 which reminds us that Christ is SO sovereign and SO righteous that the rebellion and wickedness of men in all their pomp is laughable to Him. He finds them “amusing” in a sense… kind of the way an infant having a self-righteous power-trip temper-tantrum is “amusing” to a parent. Here are those verses:

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

"Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us."

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,

"As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill."

Of course, it’s not as if Christ has the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I accentuated His muscularity to reflect the main point since most Westerners associate big muscles with strength. Christ’s head is tossed back because He’s totally relaxed in His supreme and holy self-confidence. Even more, His eyes are closed! So confident, poised, and powerful is Christ that there is not one ounce of fear, worry, anxiety, dread, or surprise in Him over the evil machinations of men.

He grips a royal scepter. This is a sign of His authority. In the context of Psalm 2, it reflects the total power Christ has to judge and condemn rebels – something He will surely do one Day. This will be a Day of “wrath” and “fury” which will “terrify” those who have vainly exalted themselves above Him in their wickedness.

The scars on Christ’s back remind us that this laughing King was once a bleeding King. They remind us that He submitted Himself to horrific Roman scourging, mockery, and abuse for those who trust in Him. “But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). For King Jesus to submit Himself to the unjust violence of a puny king (Pilate) in a backwater Roman province (Judea) for our sake is amazing. That He would bear the wrath of God we deserve for our sins on the cross is beyond amazing!

THIS is the God I need to “see” with my eyes of faith in these challenging days when men exalt themselves in unrighteousness. Spirit, please help me to continue to “see.”

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost

But now am found

Was blind, but NOW I SEE.

Amen!

The results say those who voted were pleased with the direction Thrivent is taking, but most members did not vote.

You can see the release here.

Here is there breakdown of votes:

The top three candidates are the incumbents, and easily won reelection. 539,348 total votes were cast. There are approximately 2.3 million members of Thrivent. If each voted once that would be about a quarter of the members participating, but each member was able to vote for 3 candidates, and if those that voted, voted three times, then that is closer to 8% participation.

In my Voter Guide, published when the voting began in October, I had recommended Michael Fiffik, Amy Ridenour Little, and Paul W. Otto. Thank you to those of you who read that guide and also voted. Daniel Ross, another LCMS pastor, also suggested Kathryn Marinello who did win re-election.

Incumbents are often reelected and that is the case for Thrivent as well:

2022 Election Results

2021 Election Results

2020 Election Results

2019 Election Results

What now?

Stay involved. Keep voting. There were regional elections along with the national election.

Here are the details on making nominations.

Make your board recommendations
Any Thrivent client with membership can suggest candidates for the national board of directors. If you know an active Thrivent client with membership who you think would be a strong board candidate, contact your local Thrivent Member Network board chair by May 31. Not sure who that is? Call 800-847-4836; say "fraternal" at the prompt. Or go to thrivent.com/tmn and scroll down to enter your ZIP Code. You'll be taken to your Thrivent Member Network page. Click on "Contact Us."

You also can make candidate suggestions for your local Thrivent Member Network Regional Board. Simply fill out the form at thrivent.com/about-us/member-networks/tmn-nominee.

Pray

Thrivent has great potential to do a lot of good. I know we’ve used Choice Dollars many times at our congregation. Make use of those resources for faithful causes. Keep praying that our institutions remain faithful to Scripture.

I am a C

I am a C-H

I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N

And I have C-H-R-I-S-T in my H-E-A-R-T

And I will L-I-V-E E-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y!

Here’s a fun lyric video version that I usually use:

Well, in December, I was having them pick Advent and Christmas songs, so they were disappointed because they couldn’t have their favorite. So I sat down wrote a modified version they could sing before Christmas!

Feel free to share and sing!

I went through Lutheran Service Book from CPH, and looked at which hymns had refrains in each of the 40 or so categories. I only counted hymns that actually said “refrain” in the hymn. And, I was right, Christmas hymns have the most refrains of any category of hymn with Easter a close second. So, if you want to write a Christmas Carol, get a memorable refrain!

Here’s more details and the full report for fellow hymn nerds:

Full Spreadsheet

I was able to be a guest on KFUO Radio a few times and this is just a roundup of links to those episodes.

November 11, 2023 - Concord Matters

Augsburg Confession - Article 27 - On Monastic Vows

Melancthon spoke of monasticism in his days as “wicked.” Everything one sees from the outside it looks good and holy: chastity, obedience, service of the neighbor, poverty, etc. However, if one is looking for justification or perfection by the law they will never be satisfied (Galatians 5:14). We believe that there is Christian perfection, that is righteousness that only comes from the Triune God. It is not found in an unbiblical vow, but only found in the faith that for Christ’s sake one has been reconciled to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). “Just as I am, without one plea-But that Thy blood was shed for me. And that Thou bidds’t me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” LSB #570, st. 1

Rev. Jonathan Buescher of Zion Lutheran Church, Mt. Pulaski, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Article 27 of the Augsburg Confession.

Link to AC 27

June 17, 2023 - Concord Matters

Augsburg Confession - Article 1 - Of God

What does Scripture tell us about our Triune God? What does Scripture not tell us about the Triune God? We believe in only one God, who is at the same time three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We do not separate the Trinity, but understand that this God is all powerful, omniscient, and all good. The heresies of those days are still alive and well: a denial of Christ’s divinity, God’s omnipotence, and confusing the personhood of the Trinity. “Triune God, be Thou our stay; Cleanse us from our sins, we pray, And grant us life forever. Keep us from the evil one; Uphold our faith most holy and let us trust Thee solely with humble hearts and lowly.” Triune God, Be Thou Our Stay – LSB, #505 st. 1

Rev. Jonathan Buescher, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church & School in Mt. Pulaski, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study the First Article of the Augsburg Confession.

Link to AC 1

May 21, 2022 - Thy Strong Word

Genesis 7

Rev. Jonathan Buescher, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Mount Pulaski, IL, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 7.

In faith, Noah built the ark and now it was getting real. The door was shut, the rain came, and all flesh on the earth died. Noah knew all of the destruction to come, but by God’s grace still did all that the LORD had commanded him. As the LORD saved Noah and his family through the ark, we are reminded that He has saved us by Christ through Baptism (I Peter 3:21). The wrath placed on the world has now been placed on Christ. “Lord Jesus Christ, as the Father’s wrath was placed on Your shoulders, we give You thanks for the freedom from sin and help us to live like Noah in doing Your will. In Your name, Amen”

Link to Genesis 7