The Lasting Solution
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For Christians around the world, it’s Good Friday today. I know that it sounds strange to say that the day when Jesus died on the cross is “good,” but it is. The real, lasting solution to the problems in every human heart, even the very problems of the whole world, is the sinless son of God, Jesus, exchanging His perfect life and His innocent death as a substitute for our sinful life. In His death and resurrection, eternal justice is served, enduring mercy is offered, and real, eternal life is possible again for us, for all. The God who created us is the only one who can also redeem us.
On that all-encompassing first Good Friday, isn’t it ironic then to hear one of the political power brokers of that day, Pontus Pilate, snarl at Jesus, “Don’t you know that your life is in my hands?” It always amazes me, the bravado of political leaders who claim such “god-like” authority and power, failing to realize their massive limitations to the contrary. Good Friday reminds us that all human efforts, even the best government programs then or now, can’t change hearts, forgive sins, or grant lasting, abundant life. “Politics,” even at its best, won’t save us. Technology won’t save us. Economics won’t save us. Science won’t save us. The God-Man Jesus, on the cross, did.
So, in the shadow of the cross where the Son of God gives up His life so that we might live, let this be a day where you and I seek to get right with God above all things. Let this day of repentance and reflection break and direct our hearts back towards God, yearning and pleading for His mercy. We do that for ourselves and for our nation too. In fact, while today is a day of personal repentance, remember, too, that it is a day of proclamation to the culture in which we live. Let us know ourselves, yes, but let us also be known as the people of Christ’s cross. And let us be known for Christ’s cross and resurrection no matter the consequence.
Unfortunately, the bravado of politicians continues. Remember the grilling of Amy Coney Barrett in her confirmation hearings for her seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit1 and later the disparaging notion that her faith disqualifies her for the Supreme Court? One senator, among others, implied that a serious Christian could not be a good public servant because the message of Jesus as the world’s Savior is too controversial, too limiting. You can almost hear Pilate anew, right? But, as always, fear not, whether our First Amendment freedoms to share the message of the cross are sure or whether those freedoms will be undermined or even lost, God, through His people, will find a way to get His saving message out for all to hear. In spite of political arrogance then or now, in spite of humanity’s unfaithfulness, God accomplished His saving work for all on the cross. Remember the good news, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
Today, as we reflect on the events of Good Friday, let’s be thankful for the gift of faith in Jesus our Savior, which trusts in Him alone for all things. And as we engage our culture, as we serve our nation, let us always be mindful of the reason that we do all that we do. If we fight for our religious liberty, it is for the freedom to serve others in Christ’s name and to share His message of grace on His Law/Gospel terms alone. If those First Amendment battles are lost in the days to come, we pray for even greater courage to boldly share God’s good news so that people might know of Jesus. Good Friday will always be Good Friday because it’s God’s work for all. Religious liberty or bear the cross? It’s always to share the message of the cross for all. A blessed Good Friday to you always.
The Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz is the executive director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty.
Be Informed
What should Christians do when it comes to attend same-sex wedding ceremonies? The Rev. Brian Barlow of Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, Quartz Hill, Calif., explains.
Be Equipped
In the beginning, God created the family. And it was good. Listen about the importance of upholding the family as an institution created by God and why the family still matters.
Be Encouraged
“As Christians, each one of us should be deeply steeped in God’s Word. That is where the truth lies. We don’t want to be ‘right’ for our own sake so we can boast in our ‘right-ness.’ We should want to be ‘right’ because God is revealing His truth to us, and we have been aligned with His truth. As we labor together in the life arena, let each one of us be so grounded in God’s Word that we recognize God’s truth and speak it in love.” –Barbara Lane Geistfeld
1See the Washington Post OpEd, 2017 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/senate-democrats-show-off-their-anti-religious-bigotry/2017/09/14/30f11e5e-9970-11e7-82e4-f1076f6d6152_story.html?utm_term=.ea082d116997
In his younger days, Bob Barker, former host of the television show, “The Price is Right,” hosted another show called “Truth or Consequences.” On this program contestants were asked questions and if they gave incorrect answers, there were consequences. There was a penalty for getting things “wrong.” Now the consequences weren’t life threatening. They involved comical stunts which may have been a bit embarrassing, but were endured as good-natured fun. At the close of every program, Barker signed off saying, “Good night, hoping all your consequences are happy ones.” It was an instant and enduring hit from the 1940s through Barker’s time with the show in the 1960s.
"What is the leading indicator of just about everything bad? The lack of a father, that is to say a Joseph, in the home." Learn why the Rev. Dr. Peter Scaer says the world needs more Josephs!
Thanks be to God, "There is only One who truly loves us 'no matter what' — only one family that will never fail us." Read more from Cheryl Magness.
Was the nuclear family a mistake? Cheryl Magness--in this two-part series--explains why it's the exact opposite.
Jesus is risen; He is risen indeed! But there’s more good news for those who believe in Him. He clearly says, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Wow! What a statement. It calls believers to a confident hope that comes from knowing that even death itself has been conquered by the one who created and redeemed us.
For Christians around the world, it’s Good Friday today. I know that it sounds strange to say that the day when Jesus died on the cross is “good,” but it is. The real, lasting solution to the problems in every human heart, even the very problems of the whole world, is the sinless son of God, Jesus, exchanging His perfect life and His innocent death as a substitute for our sinful life. In His death and resurrection, eternal justice is served, enduring mercy is offered, and real, eternal life is possible again for us, for all. The God who created us is the only one who can also redeem us.
After reviewing what was said at their Baptisms, LCMS confirmands affirm their intention “to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it” (LSB p. 273). Nevertheless, confirmation is often the last time we see some of these young people in church. When they become adults, some children return, but many do not.
After reviewing what was said at their Baptisms, LCMS confirmands affirm their intention “to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it” (LSB p. 273). Nevertheless, confirmation is often the last time we see some of these young people in church. When they become adults, some children return, but many do not.
As a new mother, I once had a friend and her daughter over for a playdate. After we set our babies down on a bright red and blue blanket I had spread on the floor, she commented, “I love this quilt. It’s so stimulating!” The comment arrested me. I suddenly felt as though my child were one of the microscopic crustaceans from my college physiology lab to be plied with caffeine so we could observe its heart rate.
Teach them how to think, not what to think. That's what Senator Braun's commercial says we need. And in that, he's typical of much of the conservative movement. But scratch the surface of that phrase, and you end up in a world of hurt. Our kids need to be taught goodness, must be inculcated in the natural law, must be formed in an education that is value laden. Education always includes moral formation.
What is your responsibility to the government—the state? What do you owe the state? While you are contemplating that question, ask yourself this: What is your responsibility to God—the church? What do you owe the church?
When we look at our nation, it is easy to get quite discouraged. For example, we are up to 33 trillion dollars in debt as a nation. House prices are through the roof, eating up over a 1/3 of people’s monthly income. Real inflation with some goods and services is upwards of 10 percent. Socially, things are also chaotic; you can’t turn the television on without getting blindsided by woke ideology. And to make things worse, we indirectly have our fingers in the war in Ukraine and have political connections to a war in Israel.
In his book, The Death of Character, James Davison Hunter says,
When Newsweek poses the question, “How Do We Restore a Sense of Right and Wrong” on its cover, it tacitly acknowledges that our “sense of right and wrong” is less and less present to the living memory of our entire culture . . .
When we look at our nation, it is easy to get quite discouraged. For example, we are up to 33 trillion dollars in debt as a nation. House prices are through the roof, eating up over a 1/3 of people’s monthly income. Real inflation with some goods and services is upwards of 10 percent. Socially, things are also chaotic; you can’t turn the television on without getting blindsided by woke ideology. And to make things worse, we indirectly have our fingers in the war in Ukraine and have political connections to a war in Israel.
We live in a very strange world. It is world that says men and women are the same. In fact, they are so much the same, that a man can decide he is a woman, or a woman can decide she is a man, and everyone around that individual is supposed to act like this is just the way things are. It is asserted that men and women are completely interchangeable, and so marriage can occur between a man and a woman or between two men or between two women.
So, God brought all the animals to him. He named them all one by one. While they were good, something just was not right. Dogs and cats just didn’t do it. So, God made woman from his own bones. Now at last man was just like God—two persons in one flesh. Adam So God brought all the animals to him. He named them all one by one. While they were good, something just was not right. Dogs and cats just didn’t do it. So, God made woman from his own bones. Now at last man was just like God—two persons in one flesh. Adam called her woman—she-man and named her Eve (“life”), because she would be the mother of all people. God’s creation was finally complete. He had made marriage and the family. This was very good..
Most of us never tire of flipping to a new calendar and the new opportunity to begin fresh. There is something about it that feels good. It signals an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, to start anew, and maybe, just maybe, this next year will end better than the one we just put behind us.
And so, it happened among us. Everyone knew, not all that long ago, that marriage was between one man and one woman. Obama said so, and even mentioned God. Hillary Clinton made a speech on the senator floor, invoking time and tradition.
New Year’s Eve is a time when Americans gather to ceremonially put the past behind them and cast their hopes forward for a blessed New Year.
A blessed Christmas day this weekend as you all hear again that “In the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, the Lord” (Luke 2:1112).
It’s Advent! And those who engage the culture from a two-kingdom perspective are fully aware that human efforts, whether political, economic, philosophic, or even religious, are incapable of bringing the fulfillment in life that humans crave and even strive for. Former Senator turned University of Florida President Ben Sasse wrote a persuasive opinion article several years ago in the Wall Street Journal that described the issue in even more stark terms. It was entitled, “Politics Can’t Solve Our Political Problems.”
“I won't indoctrinate my children but will let them decide for themselves.” Non-believers boast that their children are free and critical thinkers, taught to be kind and non-judgmental. Remarkably, though, these free-thinking children end up just like their supposedly free-thinking parents.
Abortion is tragic, a deadly and heartbreaking deceit. No bond is more sacred, more profound, than that of a mother and child. Life’s journey begins in the womb, given by God as a safe space, a place for shelter, warmth and nurture.
Blessed Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving if you still allow the practice of giving thanks in your home. Each year in November there seems to be more and more Americans advocating for the eradication of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Since the twentieth century, Lutherans have spoken about a “two-kingdoms” doctrine to work out the relationship between church and state
Since the twentieth century, Lutherans have spoken about a “two-kingdoms” doctrine to work out the relationship between church and state
We have a right, not a privilege, to life. Life is a gift from God, and it may not be unjustly taken from us.
Years ago, when my sons were small, we had a delightful friend at church who also had young boys. He often repeated to his sons his own father’s refrain to him: “Be a man!”
We are familiar with the idea of daycare, but perhaps we may be led to adjust our thinking and our language. We call it daycare, because the kids are still our children. But government schools don't see it that way.
Abigail Favale's The Genesis of Gender is essential reading for moms and dads, definitely for high school and college students, teachers and pastors for sure, and really for anyone who is trying to understand what's going on in the gender revolution,