Dear brothers and sisters in Christ —

Jesus is born! Let us rejoice! It is truly a blessing for us to be able to come together and worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with one another.  We’re coming to the end of our Christmas and New Year celebrations and looking ahead to a new year. Whether 2022 was one of your best years ever or one of the hardest years you’ve had to face so far, the New Year comes with a sense of new beginnings. One where we can look back at the previous year and see where we succeeded and where we failed. Then we look forward to the next year which will come with its own challenges and joys. As the years change one thing we can hold on to as God’s children is that he is unchanging.  Human kingdoms may come and go but the kingdom of Jesus is forever. As Daniel saw in his vision;

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7: 13-14)

Our savior was born in a manger in Bethlehem. The savior who is truly Lord of lords, King of kings, and the light of lights brings hope to his creation; no matter how good or bad last year was; no matter how much sorrow or joy you faced. The solemn promise of our Savior Jesus Christ is with you. You are guaranteed the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and life everlasting. Furthermore, just as the Lord your God came in the form of a baby in Bethlehem, He will come again in glory to make all things new. We, as Christians, get to hold on to this wonderful hope no matter what we’re facing. So, as we head into a new year with our resolutions, our hopes, and our prayers, let us continue to pray for the strengthening of our faith and for loving one another. Let us continue to sing praises to our God no matter what sin and this world put in our path.

Blessings in Christ,
Vicar Garrett

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Advent is a season of preparation, and the Scriptures emphasize our need to prepare for the Lord’s coming. “Be watchful! Be Alert!”  You do not know when the time will come (Mark 13:33).

Today we are consoled, as were the people of Israel during a time of great duress by the prophet Isaiah. “Comfort, comfort, my people.” (Isaiah 40:1). Further, St. Peter reminds us that the Lord does not delay in keeping His promises, and someday, be it a year, a millennium, or a “million” years, He will come. So be ready!

How, then, do we make ourselves ready for Him?

The herald of the Lord, John the Baptist, calls us, beyond the centuries, to repent. We must seek forgiveness from the Lord and, if need be, from one another. Our merciful Savior has assured us how we can be forgiven – Confession and Absolution.

What, after all, is more important? Decking the halls with boughs of holly or offering the Lord a purified soul cleansed by absolution? Be in the Divine Service to hear the absolution, and if you are troubled by a particular sin, meet with me for private Confession and Absolution.

There are so many meaningful plans and traditions of this season. And many of them are rooted in the valid message of this season. I pray that as you prepare your hearts and minds for Christmas, you hear the Advent message. Jesus is coming. Again!

“Be watchful! Be Alert!”

Happy Advent!
Pastor Hartwig

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ —

It is truly a blessing that we get to come together in worship to receive the wonderful gifts of God. We receive forgiveness, salvation, and life everlasting through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. As we move into November the leaves finish turning color and we move into the season of thanksgiving. As God’s beloved children we truly have so much to be thankful for during this time. As the Psalmist writes;

¹ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
² Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble
³ and gathered in from the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north
and from the south. (Psalm 107: 1-3)

As redeemed children of God, we remember in this season that all we give thanks for is through Him who has saved us from our sins.  All our blessings are through Him and what wonderful news this is.

Something more that is coming up here at Our Redeemer is the anniversary of the Reformation. We give thanks for that day when Martin Luther brought to attention the grievances of the Church in his fervor for the Gospel. It is because of his work that we were brought together at Our Redeemer and that our church is a place where we hear the Gospel loud and true. It is important to remember that all of our thanks for the blessings and for the reformation should ultimately point us to Jesus. May we be thankful together as we move through the coming month.

Blessings in Christ,
Vicar Garrett

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ —

What a blessing it is that we can gather together each week for worship, for the Divine Service, where God comes to us, to offer to us His precious gifts of grace and mercy and peace. During the Divine Service, either before or after the offering and offertory, we join together for prayer, specifically the Prayer of the Church. Notice this is called the prayer not the prayers. This is because during this time of worship we offer one prayer as one body of Christ. One prayer with several petitions. To some, this can seem like it is just a long time of the pastor talking, but there is a specific reason for why we pray for everything and everyone that we pray for in this prayer.

God commands in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” And this is indeed what we do in the Prayer of the Church. We offer prayers for all of these people.

As you listen to these prayers, pay attention to what we are praying. We pray on behalf of our congregation and the church at large. We pray for pastors and that God would raise up new pastors. We pray for the government (regardless of whether or not we like those who are in office). We pray on behalf of the sick and injured. We give thanks for those who have departed in the faith and pray for peace to their families. All of these prayers are not just the pastor talking, but indeed the pastor offering up all of your prayers collectively together to God.

And this leads to your response to the prayers. There are five general forms of liturgical prayers that are used in the Divine Service.

The first, which was used in The Lutheran Hymnal, was one continuous prayer that the pastor prays and to which the congregation adds their Amen at the end.

The second, known as the Responsive form, has the pastor offering up to God a petition of the prayer, ending it with “Lord in your mercy” to which the congregation responds, “Hear our prayer”. This is the format that his been used the most over the last fourteen years that I have been here at Our Redeemer.

The third, known as the Ektene (pronounce ek-teen) format, has the pastor offering saying what we will be praying (“That the Lord would grant healing”, “For all those who have departed”, etc.) ending with “Let us pray to the Lord” and the true prayer part is the congregations responds “Lord, Have Mercy.” This is the format we have chosen to use for this academic year as we focus on our theme of “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!”

The fourth, which we rarely use, is the Bidding Prayer, which combines the Ektene and the Responsive form. In this format, an assistant offers up a bid in the Ektene format “That…”, to which the pastor then puts in the full petition, and then the congregation responds with “Hear our prayer.”

The fifth, which we use primarily on Ash Wednesday, is the Litany. Litanies are prayers to our Lord consisting of a series of petitions and responses. The word “litany” itself comes from the Greek word “lite,” as the responsive prayer consists of short pithy phrases. In public worship, one person recites the first part of the prayer, which is followed by a response from the congregation (such as “pray for us,” “have mercy,” or “We implore You to hear us, good Lord”).

So as you listen to Prayer of the Church, I encourage to not only listen for the key words that prompts your response but listen to the entire prayer. Afterall, it is your prayer that is being prayed.

Blessings,
Pastor Hartwig

On Day 4 of the LCMS Youth Gathering we visited the “Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum” and learned about the Gulf Coast oil industry.

On Day 87 of the Gulf oil spill, tar balls, tar mats and a light sheen continue to be reported washing ashore on once pristine beaches. Approximately 572 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline was oiled: 69 miles in Florida, 328 miles in Louisiana, 108 miles in Mississippi, and 67 miles in Alabama. About 1.82 million gallons of total dispersant were applied: 1.07 million on the surface and 749,000 subsea. More than 31.8 million gallons of an oil-water mix were recovered.

It was arguably the worst oil catastrophe in modern history, and on day 87 we heard the news that the spill had been plugged. The spill stems from a sea floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. Tactic after tactic failed making BP and the Gulf oil spill the target of comedians and satirists.

As I understand it, one of the difficulties was the depth of the sea floor. For a poor, miserable oil spill, this was a bad thing. A very bad thing for our environment, our economy, and our energy future! For us poor, miserable sinners, however, the incredible depth of the sea floor is a good thing, a very good thing.

The prophet Micah says:
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of
his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all
our sins into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:18-19 ESV

As forgiven children of God, our sins are washed away, even drowned to the depths of the sea.

Today, the world has all but forget about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, relinquishing the whole event to a trivia question, but God has already forgotten – forgotten all of your sins and mine.  They’re on the bottom of the ocean floor.

Thanks be to God!  Pastor Hartwig

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I write this as packing the house begins to subtly turn from top-priority to impending emergency. My wife has expressed that maybe we could just throw all of our stuff away instead and buy everything anew when we get back down to the seminary. We’ve forgotten all the things that we’ve accumulated over just the past year, notably a lot of baby things like a crib, toys, and clothes. But it’s a time to consider what is important and what can be thrown away.

I’d consider Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man. The man, seeking eternal life, tells Jesus that he’s kept the commandments from his youth. And Jesus, out of love, tells him that he’s lacking one thing. Maybe more accurately, it’s not a matter of lack but of abundance. Jesus tells him to sell all that he has and give it to the poor, then he will have treasure in heaven.

Now, wealth isn’t necessarily evil. It can be a blessing from God, or it can be a curse. But the point is that the rich young man held his wealth in his heart. It was the object of his desire more so than God, and if anything, eternal life would just be another jewel added to his treasury. Life in Christ and the blessings of heaven though are the only true and lasting treasure. And when other things impede that, they need to get tossed out.

Holly and I are holding onto a lot of stuff, but some things we’ve had to make the hard decision to part ways with. Often times going back and forth over items. Wondering where it might go in our next home, which box it will fit in, or maybe it would look best in the dumpster. But it isn’t a simple box to check. It’s a process.

And our life in Christ is a process. Not a simple box that is checked. Not a quick dunk in the baptismal font. But a process. As long and drawn out as God gives us days to live. And we have many things before us. Riches, like those of the rich young man, that impede us on our way to the heavenly Jerusalem as well as blessings that enrich us on our journey.

It’s more than just a matter of material things too. Habits that we cultivate, relationships that we have with others, and attitudes that we carry with us. As Holly and I, at the time of writing this, are physically packing things to keep and deciding what to toss, I’d encourage you to do so spiritually. Consider what you should keep that enriches you on your heavenward journey and what is left to be swallowed up with the rest of the earth.

Things such as spending too much time on your phone can be a habit that is tossed. While waking up early to pray and do a devotion is something to start, keep, or enrich further. The negative attitude that you hold towards that person that annoys you at work is something that you can start trying to toss out. These are a few examples, but the call of Christ is comprehensive and challenges us to examine our lives as a whole. To challenge us to live in such a way that draws us nearer to him, and farther from the world. To challenge us to look forward more to the new heavens and the new earth than the next new hit film.

And as we part ways, I thank you for your prayers and kindness this past year. It has been a blessing to be here with you and I hope that I have been able to be a blessing to you as well. And I look forward to seeing you again, yes here on earth, but more importantly in our heavenly home where our Lord Jesus has called us.

God’s Blessings,
Vicar Lewis

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I’m reminded of all the journeying to and fro that comes with summertime. People going on vacation, college students coming and leaving, teachers emptying their classrooms. Even the upcoming change for my family as we return to the Seminary. This summer I am reminded of impermanence and how the world continually changes.

Whether you’re heading off somewhere this summer or having new experiences with this change of season, things don’t remain the same as they once were. Time marches on, and life shifts and churns. Sometimes these shifts bring about blessings and reprieve from challenges of the past. At other times, they bring difficulties and even suffering. Births, deaths, baptisms, new opportunities, job changes, moving states, disease, marriages, these are just a small sample of life’s changes that come at you. And they come ceaselessly, both as blessing and as affliction.

Solomon sums this up in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes (v. 1-8):

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.”

And in what appears to be an ever-shifting and changing world, how do we stay centered, at peace, and content? Solomon continues in verse fourteen:

“I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it.”

The work of God lasts forever and does not fail. It does not shift or change or churn. Mountaintops can make way to valleys and lakes and oceans become empty craters, the whole face of the earth could change, and God and his work would remain. Every last nation could be overturned but God and His kingdom persist eternally.

Very much unlike our own lives that twist and turn in every direction. Yet, God is our constant. Even as we go through our twists that afflict us and the turns that bless us, God and His work remains the same. And the greatest work, the saving death of Jesus Christ for our salvation, can never be shifted, moved, or taken away. But what God has done in Jesus lasts forever. We live with our feet planted firmly on the rock, Jesus, who doesn’t crumble like sand. And by His strength and His Holy Spirit, we continue into summertime and all of life’s many changes in His saving grace.

In Christ,
Vicar Lewis

Grace, mercy, and peace unto you –

WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING?

Imagine the faithful women going to the tomb after that saddest of all days when Jesus was crucified. It’s very early in the morning, the Gospel writer Mark tells us, when they begin their walk with their spices to anoint their Savior’s body.

They’re still grief-stricken, of course, but they have another problem: How will they move the huge stone that blocks the passageway to Jesus’ burial place? They arrive to find it’s already been moved. Well, that’s curious.

They enter the tomb, but there’s no body!

While they were “perplexed about this,” the Gospel writer Luke understates, “behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:3-5).

Why did they look for Christ to be in His tomb?
Why were they looking in the wrong place?

Because they hadn’t understood the things Jesus had told them before His crucifixion.
Because they were operating according to human logic.
Once someone has died, He’s dead.
Of course, they would look for the dead among the dead.

This is a story that cannot be comprehended by human logic.
This is a story to be believed and shared with others.

It’s the good news the women heard:
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24:5-6)
We don’t look for Christ among the dead for we know He is living!

Many around us are looking.
They read self-help books and follow the advice of the newest guru on TV.
They start reading “spiritual” books.
They’re looking for the Living among the dead.

The angel brought God’s Word to the women; it is our privilege to bring His Word to those around us who are looking.

There is nothing DEAD about our JESUS!  He is Risen!

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, Who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56).

Easter Blessings, Pastor Hartwig

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It’s the End of the World as We Know it

I wouldn’t classify myself as a fan of music from the 1980’s but this song by R.E.M. came to mind. The continual refrain goes “It’s the end of the world as we know it” and repeats until the last line of the chorus where it changes and adds the words “and I feel fine” to the phrase. And while I don’t know the band’s viewpoint about the end times, I think that this song can prove to be a helpful teacher when viewed from a Christian perspective.

The song is driven forward by a constant drum beat and snappy vocals with lyrics that can seem disjointed. Moving from topic to topic and idea to idea. Likewise, when we’re tugged to and fro with news headlines, barraged by the broadcast of the most recent violent attack, informed of the most recent natural disaster that kills tens and hundreds, it really can feel like the end of the world as we know it. From the rising tension and deaths between Russia and Ukraine to hearing about students killing their Spanish teacher only an hour away from here, it really can feel like the end of the world as we know it. All we have to do is put our finger on the pulse of the world going on around us, even the pulse within our own home, even the pulse within our own mind and it really can feel like the end of the world as we know it. And oftentimes, we don’t feel fine.

This isn’t the first time that people have felt this way. I can only imagine how the disciples of Jesus felt when He told them that e must go to Jerusalem, be rejected, beaten, and killed. Their Messiah and savior was to die. For them it probably felt like the end of the world as they knew it. Or consider the many Christians in the early church who were persecuted by the Roman empire, forced either to reject Christ or to be killed as dissenters. For them it probably felt like the end of the world as they knew it too. And in many ways, it wasn’t fine for them either.

And I Feel Fine

I tell you that it actually is the end of the world as we know it. All of creation is waiting in eager anticipation to be set free from its bondage to the corruption of sin (Romans 8:19-21). We are living in the last days between the ascension of Jesus into heaven and His imminent return. Jesus warns in Mark’s Gospel about wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, earthquakes and famines (Mark 13:7-8). We’re to expect atrocities and be prepared for things to look dreary by earthly appearances as the end of days approaches.

The book of Revelation cuts through these earthly appearances and illustrates the heavenly realities that go on behind the scenes. The depictions of how Jesus has overcome the terrible spiritual forces of evil and the devil to save His people. One depiction is the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with His redeemed people who have His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads (Revelation 14:1-3). Even though evil and the devil appear to have overtaken the world, Jesus and His people are on Mount Zion, high and untouched, safe. The people have been marked as His so that they cannot be lost or forgotten, but they are promised and guaranteed salvation and eternal life.

Even in the midst of tragedy, we have been placed beside Jesus, the Lamb of God. Jesus gives us heavenly peace, because He rules from on high with us by His side and evil cannot overtake us. Though Satan is still causing mayhem, He is in his death throes and is a defeated enemy. Even though it’s the end of the world as we know it, we are fine in Christ. Amen.

In Christ,
Vicar Lewis

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ –

Things are not always what they seem!

This was a lesson that I learned in a management training course at Disney University. Going through the management training program, this lesson stands out in my mind still today.

The instructor pointed over to the Bunn coffee maker and on the hot plate, there it sat. It had an orange plastic handle and ring around the top with a pouring spout. The clear glass was imprinted with the Bunn company logo and revealed the dark colored coffee contained inside. Pointing, the instructor asked, what is that. Well, even the most casual observer responded, “A pot of coffee.” We have seen that in every break room and every roadside café. Can’t you just see Alice, better yet, Flo from the TV show “Alice” wondering around the restaurant swinging her decanter of coffee. Regular? Or Decaf?

Things are not always what they seem!

Then the instructor walked over to the coffee pot, picked it up, and asked, “Who needs a refill?” To the left side of the room someone shouted, “Me!” The instructor walked over and tipped the decanter and nothing poured out. It was still black on the inside. Then the instructor said, “Things are not always what they seem!”

Most of the people at the Chicago Children’s Hospital did not know her name. They just knew her as the sweet, elderly lady in the vivid red suit who wanted to make sure that every sick child had a teddy bear to hug and caress. She kept bringing the stuffed animals, purchased with her own money. That is why she was simply called “The Teddy Bear Lady.”

Her name was Gladys Holm, a retired secretary for an insurance company, who lived alone in a tiny apartment. She lived modestly and frugally, and loved to save and invest – for the purpose of giving and helping people, especially sick children. When she died at age 86, her will simply directed that the bulk of her estate be given to the Children’s Memorial Hospital in the amount of $18 million!

Things are not always what they seem!

No one had the slightest idea that the tall, happy woman delivering teddy bears to ailing children had such wealth. It was then, they also learned that the gifts of teddy bears were really a ruse. She gave away teddy bears to learn more about the financial resources of families of the children. When she learned that the parents did not have enough to cover medical expenses, she very quietly paid their bills.

Things are not always what they seem! 

The coffee pot was not filled with coffee, but was coated with black paint on the inside of the glass decanter. The reality is that the teddy bears were only a ruse. Her real purpose was to find financially needy families.

Things are not always what they seem! 

The same can be said about Jesus and the cross. Locked in the upper room because they feared for their lives, the disciples could not see the reality that Jesus’ death was God’s plan, was the fulfillment of all the prophetic prophecies, was the payment by

Jesus, Our Redeemer. His death actually happened, but death could not hold Jesus.

Things are not always what they seem! 

Jesus rose from the dead! Easter’s morning had come, and one day Easter’s morning will come for each Christian. I believe in the resurrection of the body. When death comes, things are not always what they seem, for this dead body shall rise!

Things are not always what they seem! 

Remember this throughout the season of Lent which begins with Ash Wednesday on March 2^nd.

Lenten blessings,
Pastor Hartwig