Good Shepherd

Yesterday was the Fourth Sunday of Easter. That means it was also Good Shepherd Sunday, so named because the Gospel reading is from the 10th chapter of John where we hear Jesus proclaim: I am the good Shepherd. I always look forward to this Sunday in the church year because Shepherd is one of my favorite images of Jesus.

In the introit we confess “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” I would guess that the 23rd is the best known Psalm. It’s commonly used at funerals–for myself, I can’t read it without remembering the year that my grandfather and both great-grandparents died. But it’s also a vivid depiction of a loving God who supplies all our needs.

The hymns are often ones I have sung to my little ones at bedtime. The favorite here is “I am Jesus’ little lamb,” but also sometimes “The King of love my shepherd is” or “Have no fear, little flock.” I love to see their faces when they realize everyone is singing their hymn. It’s also a good reminder to me that as much as I love my babies, God loves them (and me) so very much more.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” –John 10:11 (ESV)

A poor, miserable sinner

It’s nearly impossible to forget that my children are sinful human beings. Their sins are daily in my face. Often their apologies are followed immediately by the word but. They are stubbornly unrepentant, insistent that they were wronged rather than wrong. They continue to sin in the same ways, again and again. And again.

But when I’m being honest with myself, I know they learned it from me. I use up my best behavior with others and give my family the leftovers. I’m sorry I lost my temper but you. . . I am lazy rather than diligent in my vocation as wife and mother. Every week; no, every day, many times over.

I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.        –LSB p. 184

There is, of course, much to be said for the forgiveness that is daily offered and received at home. But there is also a sweet comfort in the weekly corporate confession and absolution within the Divine Service. Thanks be to God that His love and compassion as a heavenly Father far exceed my own as a poor sinful mother!

Ash Wednesday

Savior, when in dust to Thee low we bow the adoring knee;
When, repentant, to the skies scarce we lift our weeping eyes;
O, by all Thy pains and woe suffered once for us below,
Bending from Thy throne on high, hear our penitential cry!

-Lutheran Service Book #419

The joy of family

After posting yesterday about my current reads, I then read chapter 9 in Matthew Harrison’s A Little Book on Joy and found this quote I wanted to share with you:

The Gospel of free forgiveness in Christ frees us to expect mistakes, forgive them, and to find the humor in them after the fact.    (p. 69)

Put that way, it sounds so simple: why didn’t I already know this? I knew about forgiveness, of course, and how much often it is needed in the context of family. But to expect mistakes? That goes against the perfectionist grain! Yet–if I am honest–forgiveness is easier to give when I am able to see mistakes (mine and others) as an inevitable part of human life. And I think, if I can work towards expecting mistakes, it’s going to be a whole lot easier to see the humor in them later. . .

Maundy Thursday

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.

Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

–Psalm 22

Light

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world,
the light no darkness can overcome.

Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,
and the day is almost over.

Let Your light scatter the darkness
and illumine Your Church.

–from Evening Prayer, LSB

Today is the first Sunday in Advent and of a new church year. At the same time we are entering some of the darkest days of the calendar year as the days grow shorter. I’ve blogged before about Advent: how it is a season unto itself and not a pre-Christmas, as well as how we mark the season here in Neverland.

Anyhow, today I realized that the main “decorations” I have unpacked at this point are light. The Advent wreath was placed on the table last night and the Advent banner was hung, with a Star of David among its symbols reminding us of Jesus’ First Coming. Then this afternoon, I put the electric candles in the windows.

If I didn’t have my candles our first Christmas (and I’m fairly sure I nursed a brand new Drama Boy by their light), I most certainly had them by the next year and every year since. Except last year. I never got them out last year–it is a bit of a pain to put them up, keep them up, turn them on, turn them off. . .in Illinois I had two sets of three windows each that faced the street and I made use of timers. Here, as well as in Iowa, my main floor has eleven single windows and I am too cheap to buy eleven timers. But the candles are up this year and shall not be skipped again. Oh, what a difference it makes to turn them on when the sun sets before dinner time! Their light makes the house feel warmer, and gives me courage to face the rest of my day.

Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening. . .

Ten is. . .enough

Ten school reports, that is. I’m tired of trying to write reports that you won’t get tired of reading, so this will be my last weekly report. And it isn’t going to be much of a report. There were only two days last week that all of my students were home all day, and my thoughts were stuck in Omaha with our godson John and his parents. I think we did some math and reading lessons; perhaps a bit of history or grammar; otherwise, we prayed a lot, made a card for Mark and Gina, and then the kids watched some educational (or not) television while I tried to remember how to fix lunch. It’s just the way it was. You can raise your eyebrows if you think I’m a slacker, or you can nod your head if you feel that life trumps schoolwork. . .you won’t hurt my feelings because my own opinion is somewhere in the middle.

Anyhow. The reason this week’s report is on Sunday rather than Friday is that I went away for the weekend and left my laptop at home. Drama Boy and I attended the Wyoming District‘s Youth Breakaway Weekend, held at St. Andrew’s in Laramie. I think he enjoyed it since he said he’d like to go again–as talkative as he can be, he tends to clam up (or be goofy) when I ask questions. sigh. . . Well, anyhow, I enjoyed myself! The sessions were good, but I most enjoyed–or rather most needed–the daily services: Matins, Evening Prayer, Compline, and of course Divine Service this morning. After a week of worries and tears, that was exactly what I needed to help me leave my worries at the cross, to get my head on straight again. And, as the icing on the cake, I stayed with my good friend Cheryl. While the kids attended the UW football game Saturday afternoon, she and I went back to her home to watch Persuasion while enjoying a pot of tea and freshly baked scones. Yum!

After this out of the ordinary weekend, am I ready to jump back into my regular routine? Well. . .in the interest of honesty. . .yes and no. I look forward to being in charge of what I eat again, and cooking up those CSA veggies that were ignored while I was preoccupied (or altogether gone). I’m not so sure about jumping back into the school books–figuring out who did what last week, and what to do next–and I think tomorrow’s school may be a little less textbook and a little more. . .something. Whatever it turns out to be, if it goes well I’ll blog about it; and if not, well, I’ll blog about something else.

Kyrie eleison

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord have mercy.

I ask that you please keep our godson, John, as well as his parents Mark and Gina in your prayers. As I write this, the family is on their way to Omaha. Tomorrow morning John will have surgery to receive a new-to-him liver/pancreas/small bowel. We pray that God guide the hands of the doctors and nurses who care for him. We pray for good health for John through surgery and recovery. We pray for Mark and Gina as they wait and watch and wait some more. And we pray that God’s peace be with the family that is now mourning the death of a child, and give thanks that in spite of their loss they are willing to give another child an opportunity for improved health.

Some of you may already be familiar with John’s story; for those who are not, here is a recent blog post by Gina about his need for a transplant.

Blessed Reformation Day

By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless; my soul, believe and doubt it not.
Why stagger at this word of promise? Has Scripture ever falsehood taught?
No! Then this word must true remain: by grace you too will life obtain.

By grace! None dare lay claim to merit; our works and conduct have no worth.
God in His love sent our Redeemer, Christ Jesus, to this sinful earth;
His death did for our sins atone, and we are saved by grace alone.

By grace God’s Son, our only Savior, came down to earth to bear our sin.
Was it because of your own merit that Jesus died your soul to win?
No, it was grace, and grace alone, that brought Him from His heavenly throne.

By grace! This ground of faith is certain; as long as God is true, it stands.
What saints have penned by inspiration, what in His Word our God commands,
Our faith in what our God has done depends on grace–grace through His Son.

By grace to timid hearts that tremble, in tribulation’s furnace tried,
By grace, in spite of fear and trouble, the Father’s heart is open wide.
Where could I help and strength secure if grace were not my anchor sure?

By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying; in Jesus’ promise I rejoice;
For though I know my heart’s condition, I also know my Savior’s voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown since I am saved by grace alone.

–LSB #566

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. –Ephesians 2:8-10

(And. . .happy 16th confirmation anniversary to Gina; we share our day now with Drama Boy who celebrates the first anniversary of his confirmation! )

The catholic faith

No, it should not be capitalized; catholic means universal. Today the church celebrates the festival of the Holy Trinity, although many Christians may think of it as simply the Sunday with that really long creed. While the Athanasian creed is, in fact, really long, it also does a really good job of explaining what Christians worldwide believe the Trinity is and is not. If you’ve never read it (or just never really paid attention to it), here it is for you to read now.

Whoever will be saved shall, above all else,
hold the catholic faith.
Which faith, except everyone keeps whole and undefiled,
without doubt he will perish eternally.
And the catholic faith is this,
that we worship one God in three persons
and three persons in one God,
neither confusing the persons
nor dividing the substance.
For there is one person of the Father,
another of the Son,
and another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one:
the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
The Father uncreated,
the Son uncreated,
and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
The Father incomprehensible,
the Son incomprehensible,
and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
The Father eternal,
the Son eternal,
and the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet there are not three eternals
but one eternal.
As there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensibles
but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is almighty,
the Son almighty,
and the Holy Spirit almighty.
And yet they are not three almighties
but one almighty.
So the Father is God,
the Son is God,
and the Holy Spirit is God.
And yet there are not three gods;
but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord,
the Son Lord,
and the Holy Spirit Lord.
And yet they are not three lords
but one Lord.
For as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge every person by himself
to be both God and Lord,
So we cannot by the catholic faith
say that there are three Gods or three Lords.
The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created;
but begotten.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten
but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers;
one Son, not three Sons;
one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
And in this trinity none is before or after another;
none is greater or less than another;
But the whole three persons
are coeternal together and coequal,
so that in all things, as is aforesaid,
the Unity in Trinity
and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped..
He, therefore, that will be saved is compelled thus to think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation
that he also believe faithfully the incarnation
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the right faith is
that we believe and confess
that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
is God and man;
God of the substance of the Father,
begotten before the worlds;
and man of the substance of his mother,
born in the world;
Perfect God and perfect man,
of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touching his Godhead,
and inferior to the Father as touching his manhood;
Who, although he is God and man,
yet he is not two but one Christ.
One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh,
but by taking the manhood into God;.
One altogether,
not by confusion of substance,
but by unity of person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man,
so God and man is one Christ;
Who suffered for our salvation;
descended into hell;
rose again the third day from the dead.
He ascended into heaven;
he sits at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty,
from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead.
At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies
and will give an account of their own works.
And they that have done good will go into life everlasting;
and they that have done evil,
into everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith which
except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.