Rocket Competition

My son is on a team in the "Team America Rocketry Challenge" which has its final competition today (weather permitting). Here's a link to the official website. Some 900 teams from around the country participated. The challenge is to get a rocket to fly to exactly 750 feet and come back down to earth in 48-50 seconds with an unbroken raw egg. If the egg breaks it's an automatic disqualification. Any variance outside the exact altitude and time earns you points and so like golf, the lowest score wins.

The top 100 teams from around the country are gathering here for the finals today. One shot for all the marbles. The cut off score to make the top 100 was 16.21 - my son's team scored a 15. So they don't expect to win, but who knows? Maybe everything will go right for them. They had a lot of fun figuring everything out over the year. I'll post an update tomorrow to let you know what happened.

UPDATE: My son's team finished 10th at the national competition! And the great news is that the top 10 all get an invitation to the next step up rocket competition next year sponsored by NASA and taking place in Huntsville, Alabama. Very cool. More information and results on the web site linked to above.

Exegetical Discovery

As I was working on my sermon for the Ascension of our Lord, I was thinking about the end of Luke's Gospel which says, "And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy . . ." Great joy. Why great joy? Well, did you know there is only one other time Luke uses that phrase? He speaks often of joy, but of great joy only one other time - when the angel announces Jesus' birth to the shepherds (Luke 2:10). So, great joy when the Son of God comes down from the Father and is born a man, and great joy when that God-man completes His work of redemption and returns to the Father. The "good tidings of great joy" has been fulfilled. Nice Luke! Nice.

People-phobia

I've noticed it on the train. When I come into school, I take a local commuter train into Union Station and then the Metro up a few stops to CUA. On the train, this is how it works. The first ones on go directly to the upper level of the train, where every seat is a single. Once that fills up, then the doubles seats on the main level begin to fill - but always only one person to a seat. (Unless, of course, they know each other.) Then once all the seats have at least one person, folks will sit with someone else.

That's all fine and well. Even makes some sense, I suppose. But here's what I've noticed in addition to that: if someone is sitting in a double with someone else and a single opens up, they will take the trouble to gather their bags and all their belonging and move to that single seat, so they do not have to sit next to another person - even if it is only for a single stop! (It happened to me three times on my trip in today! And yes, I showered!)

To me, that's strange, bordering on the phobic. Now, that's a word that's tossed around a lot these days - if you speak against anyone's lifestyle you're automatically "phobic." But here perhaps it fits better, for why? Why move? What's the problem with staying in that seat for another stop? Or perhaps it's just individualism run rampant. Are we not comfortable around other people anymore, to that extent?

And then I think of Jesus, who came to be with us - and not just sit next to us for a while, but to hang out with all the undesirables of the world. Folks like you and me. To talk with us, know us, take our burdens upon Himself, and die for us. The incarnation. Jesus in our flesh. And thank God that He did! That we might join that great multitude around the throne and the Lamb in heaven, from every people, tribe, nation, and language, and we won't care who's next to us! They are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Just something I was thinkin' about this morning . . .

A Scriptural Feast of Law and Gospel

There are verses in the Bible that sometimes seem to contradict each other. For example, verses that say we are saved by grace through faith alone, and then other verses which say that faith without works is dead. Of course, these are not really contradictions, though they may seem that way to us. I believe it was Normal Nagel who had some good advice about these, and why having both is helpful. He said that if you have a Christian who is in despair about his faith and Christian life, then send them to Paul and the assurance that we are saved by grace through faith alone. Jesus has done it! On the other hand, if you have a Christian who is secure in her sin, thinking that a life of faith is a life where we don’t do anything, send her to James to realize that faith is always working, living and active in good works.

I think there are other sets of verses like this. For example, we read in the Scriptures of those who once believed but have fallen away, yet also verses like in John 10 where Jesus says “no one can snatch them out of my hand.” So which is it? Well, following the above advice, for that Christian who is in despair and doubting whether they will make it to the end in faith, send them to Jesus and assure her of His promise there. On the other hand, if a Christian is secure in his faith and thinks he can sin as much as he wants, send him to those verses of warning to Christians, to beware lest we fall away in sin. Sin is dangerous.

I also think this same can be applied to the last day and the final judgment. That day, we read, all will give an account of what they have done, but it is also described as the Bridegroom coming for His Bride. So which is it? Should we be fearful of that day or look forward to it like our wedding day? Yes. For those Christians fearful because they just don’t measure up (and none of us do!), point them to the joy of the last day! Jesus is coming in great love for you! However, for those (again) who think but lightly of the life they live by faith here and now, perhaps they need to hear those words of Jesus that speak of giving an account.

All this is really nothing more than the proper application of Law and Gospel. Which often sounds easy, but as Luther knew is often very difficult. My point here is simply to point out the feast we have in the Scriptures, and that all of it is needful for us.

How True . . .

Things That Drive Me Crazy!

OK. So I'm at school working on the bibliographies for my comprehensive/candidacy exams, cleaning them up and getting them ready for signatures. So I look up the books in the online, electronic card catalog to make sure all the capitalization is correct. (The professors are sticklers on this kind of stuff!) Well, the title are listed twice for each book. The first entry, every word of the title is capitalized. Always. The second entry, only the first word of the title is capitalized. Always. ARGH! How come they just can't capitalize the title as it is in the book? So, I have to go and physically check all the books that I can to make sure of this. Why do they have to make it so hard? Then, why do they sometimes use ALL CAPITALS for the titles? [Growl] I'll be glad when this is over and I can just read the stuff!

Home

I am now home from the conference. Got in late last night so I am dragging a bit this morning. Home is good. Comfortable. Back in my environment and routine. It was good to be with my brothers if office. It is also good to be home.

The second half of my presentation went well. The whole thing was kind of rough since I had little time to prepare, but overall we had good discussion. Now I need to catch up on things put off for being away. Our Good Shepherd seminar is coming up fast. If you read this and are in the area, come! There is still room.