Ruled by Rules

Going to grad school at THE Catholic University of America, I have begun reading a Catholic blog or two to keep up on what's going on among the Catholics. One of the blogs, written by a parish priest, gets a lot of questions mailed in, and they often go something like this latest one I recent read:

(Paraphrase) Father, our priest used the wrong readings at Mass on Sunday, using the readings for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost instead of the Fifth Sunday. Was the Mass valid?

When I read questions like this, I am so greatly saddened by the burden this person has been placed under - the tyranny of being ruled by rules. That receiving the grace of God is not dependent on the promises of God made to us and attached to His Word and Sacraments, but dependent upon the priest doing everything "right," thus making the Mass "valid" or not. And as I said, this person is not alone - there are many questions asked in such a manner, and with such concern and fear.

How grateful I am for the certainty and confidence of the Gospel! That God's forgiveness is not dependent upon me saying exactly the right words in exactly the right way at exactly the right time, but upon Him and His promises, which are sure and true. Luther called such fear the "monster of uncertainty" - how true. But the death and resurrection of Christ leaves no monster or uncertainty. Christ is arisen! Christ is the victor! And so His forgiveness and salvation, given to us in His Word and Sacraments, are true and sure.

Your pastor will make mistakes - count on it! But your Saviour never does. And His gifts are here for you - you can count on it.

VBS Day 1

Well, our first day of VBS is in the books. Not a bad day. In addition to our own children, we have some from the neighborhood coming back again from last year, as well as some new ones. I get to teach the "little ones class" this year - ages from 3 to 5. It was fun, and the kids really paid attention to the story, and liked re-enacting it with finger puppets a second and third time. We don't have as much help this year, so things are a bit busier than usual.

We decided not to use the CPH material this year (I'm sorry Paul, buzzing bees just looked a bit too goofy this year) - instead we pulled "Follow the Lamb" off the shelf (a program that we had done a number of years ago) and are re-using that. My daughter and I made some video clips about a man from the early church avoiding the Romans and talking about what it was like to be a Christian back then - the kids seemed to like the first one.

During VBS week, I usually try to back off my other responsibilities a bit since it is a busy week. But this year, with my vacation starting next week, I couldn't do that. So I've got a full load and then some this week. That's gonna make vacation taste that much sweeter!

Comment Moderation ON

I am sorry to have to do it, but I have turned comment moderation on for this blog. For a while now, I have been having trouble with spam comments that I have to go in and delete (bunches of chinese characters). That's why if you look back at some posts, you'll keep seeing comments that have been deleted. I would like to contact Google/Blogger about this, but they do not provide for feedback - at least, that I could find. So, until they stop, I'll moderate.

This 'n That

T - i - r - e - d!

Helped a parishioner paint and clean their house yesterday after church in preparation for their move today. (A military family) Made for a long day. But it was not only me, but my kids and a bunch of folks from church came to help. We'll miss this family, but know they have already found a good church in Colorado and will be well cared for there.

A couple of links for you today:

(1.) This one is a good quote from the 4th century that should apply to our synodical conventions today - which seem to have become (in recent years) mired messes of political putridity. (And yes, I made that word up!)

(2.) This one is a spoof on BP and the oil spill. Pretty funny!

Have a great day.

iTreasury

I just found out that CPH has made available an iPhone/iPod Touch app for the Treasury of Daily Prayer. If you go to the iTunes store and search for "Pray Now" you will see it. It costs only $8.99 and is quite easy to use. This is great for me for now, I do not have to haul my giant Treasury of Daily Prayer around on vacation - I need only my iPod! What a great thing. Thanks CPH!

LCMS President Candidate Questions

Here is a link to how the candidates for LCMS President answered questions put to them. Although there are five candidates listed, the contest is really between the top two - Harrison and Kieschnick. Once you read the answers, it will be clear to you which man should be our next president and lead our church body forward.

Memorial Day

Thank you.