Why God?

A cry of distress. A mournful lament. An angry, lashing roar. A burning whisper.

The question, “Why God?” expresses itself in many different ways and in our increasingly active world it is asked for a variety of reasons. From stubbing your toe on the coffee table to the increase of troubles in Afghanistan. From the death of a loved one to your favorite ride at Disney World being closed for sudden maintenance. Some troubles appear more worthy of questioning God than others. However these troubles may appear, they have one thing in common. They break apart the way we believe the world ought to be.

“I believe in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth.”

Who else to bring our broken world to but the one who made it? Our heavenly Father. However, in moments like these He doesn’t always appear so heavenly and feels more distant than a father should be. The pithy phrase “God works in mysterious ways” doesn’t seem comforting when your world has been shaken. As a matter of fact, in these situations God working mysteriously is perhaps the most frustrating thing. To not know God’s intentions makes life scary and uncertain rather than comforting.

Our Heavenly Father knows our fear and uncertainty, He knows when our world that we have made breaks apart. He knows because he laid the world’s foundation, He measured his line upon the earth, He shut in the seas and prescribed their limits. (Job 38:4-10) He is the one who sent Jesus at “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) to bring an end to sin and death. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t forget about us but sends relief at the right time and points us to His dear Son.

Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, came and made His intentions clear. His earthly mission culminated with His death on a cross on Good Friday by which He saved us from our sins and in His rising from the dead. By this He restores the world and holds it together. At the right time the world will be more than just held together, but fully redeemed. No longer distressed but rejoicing.

In this we turn the question from “Why?” to “Who?”. No longer “Why am I suffering?” but “Who can save me from this suffering?” and it is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Blessings,
Vicar Lewis

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have spent some time these past few days pondering The End. My vicarage is drawing to a close. By the time many of you sit down to read this, I will already have moved back to St. Louis for my final year of studies. God willing, a year from now I will receive a call and ordination into the Office of Holy Ministry. After four long years, The End is in sight!

The End brings unknowns. What will it be like? Will it come quickly? Will it be scary? A group of early Christians living in Thessalonica pondered The End of a different sort. They knew Jesus would return at The End, but that brought unknowns. What would it be like? Would it come quickly? Would it be scary? So St. Paul wrote to comfort them:

“We gave thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in
our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and
labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we
know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you…”
– 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4

In response to anxiousness about The End, St. Paul took time to… thank them! And to thank God for them. So I say the same thing to you: Thank you! Thank you to each and every one of you here at Our Redeemer for your hospitality, your kindness, your willingness to let me be a part of your spiritual life for an entire year. I am better equipped for pastoral ministry now than I was at the beginning of the year, because of you.

And I do not only thank you; I thank God for you. He uses each of us to accomplish His good on earth—and He has chosen you to do much good! Even in a pandemic, even over Zoom calls, even in livestreamed worship services, even when many of you were quarantined for weeks on end, even in all these trials, you continued to do the necessary work of “equipping disciples to make disciples for Jesus.” You have been a blessing to me. I give thanks to God for your witness to His goodness and mercy!

I hope to see you all again next year, and God-willing again after that. But if we should not meet again in this world, I pray you will continue to faithfully trust in God and do His work in the world, that we may all give thanks together at The End.

God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you. Bless your next vicar as you have blessed me!

Your brother in Christ,
Vicar Don Stein

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ –

Just as Jesus came not to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28), we are called to serve Jesus by serving others.

Christ is our example of servanthood.

He is our reason for serving.
He is the One who calls us to serve, equips us to do His will.
He is the One who forgives our failures to live as servants should.

Our service, when done out of a sense of duty, is a burden.  However, as redeemed children of God, we
joyfully serve out of gratitude.  We serve, not as the slave who serves out of fear of punishment, but out of love for our Savior and others. Service like any other spiritual practice must be practiced!  Sanctification is active righteousness, meaning we must do something.  Servanthood must be practiced.

Most definitely, we practice this in our daily lives as we serve our family and friends.
Most definitely, we practice this in our careers as we serve our employer, customers, and co-workers.
Most definitely, we practice this when we as a community serve this community at our annual Christ Cares Community Service Sunday.

If you haven’t made plans, plan to join us for UKANDU@Home on Saturday, June 26^th.

Hebrews 10:24 reads, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”  As we do so, we will experience the joy of living lives of service.

In the love of Christ,
Pastor Hartwig

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you!

Last night was the last confirmation class for the 8^th graders.
In one of the last lectures, I remind the students that confirmation does not mean graduation. Instead, confirmation means you need to live as the bride of Christ.

There are five aspects of congregational life, and I remember it by the acronym WIFE’S.
What are the WIFE’S responsibilities?

Worship (receiving forgiveness of sins and, in response, singing praises)
Instruction (studying the Word from God privately and with others in small and large groups)
Fellowship (sharing time and your faith with one another)
Evangelism (serving others in love and telling other the good news of salvation)
Stewardship (understanding that all you have is owned by God to be used in God pleasing ways)

It was important that the confirmands, and quite frankly you, know what everything we do here at Our Redeemer fits the WIFE’S responsibilities. Otherwise, we should not be doing it. We mean it when we say it – we are about EQUIPPING DISCIPLES TO MAKE DISCIPLES FOR JESUS. Everything we do here at Our Redeemer is about equipping you, so that you can say, “Here I am!”

I pray that you continue to grow in your faith and understanding of a WIFE’S responsibilities. Examine your life and find the area of WIFE’S where you are lacking. Then build it up. Get involved.

God be with you!
Pastor Hartwig

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

This weekend is Confirmation, and last night we had the Spiritual Growth Event. At that event, the students are publicly examined and they shared their confirmation verse. My confirmation verse is Philippians 4:4. It says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, ‘Rejoice.’”

Even though we live in a sinful world which causes us to face challenges, struggles, and heartaches, we, who have been redeemed by Christ, are joyful people. As recipients of God’s love, grace, and mercy, we can in the most difficult times find God’s strength, peace, comfort, and even joy. God does not want us to stay in a state of despair or gloom. As the Apostle Paul learned to be content in all circumstances, we can find that same contentment and even joy in the circumstances that we encounter (Philippians 4:10-13).

St. Augustine, one of the great theologians in church history, wrote, “Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy.” Where do we look for happiness? There are two paths.

Perhaps the most popular path for seeking happiness is through the accumulation of things, which can lead to temporary happiness but ultimately ends in despair and death. The path on accumulating things of the world is a very appealing path. It is a path that focuses on getting more and more. It’s a path that seeks power and prestige, which people mistakenly assume leads to ultimate happiness and security. The way of the world is centered on ourselves. It is about immediate gratification. It is about getting, taking, and hoarding. It is about an appetite for things that is never satisfied. It is about what you want now, such as a job, house, vacation, promotion, and money. This path won’t bring long-term happiness.

The other path is God’s path, which leads to sustainable happiness and life (1 Timothy 6:19). God’s path is a radically different way. It is filled with love and compassion. The focus is not on getting more and better things but on the Creator of these things. It is about faith that enables us to understand that God is the provider of all our good gifts and then expressing our thanks to Him through our words and deeds. We seek God’s guidance and direction for our lives. Through faith, we live our lives to please and serve Him by serving others. In contrast to the world’s path of getting, God’s path is centered on serving and giving. It is in our serving and giving that we find true joy.

Our happiness does not come from what we have,
but our happiness come from who we are in Jesus.

Lou Holtz, the famous football coach, said to a graduating class,
if you want an hour of happiness, eat a steak;
if you want a day of happiness, golf;
if you want a week of happiness, go on a cruise;
if you want a month of happiness, buy a new car;
if you want a lifetime of happiness, put your faith in Jesus!
Our happiness comes from who we are in Jesus. Amen!

Blessings,
Pastor Hartwig

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We’re almost there! We’re almost to the greatest celebration in the Christian life: Easter!

It might not feel like it at the moment. This year, the entire month of March is covered in the penitential purple of Lent! And —oh, yes— there’s still that pandemic thing going on. Yet off in the distance, there’s a bright glimmer of what’s to come.

“I’m almost there!” My girls love that phrase. It’s sung in one of their favorite Disney movies, The Princess and the Frog. The ‘not-yet-princess’ Tiana sings that phrase as she slogs through one of life’s little ‘Lents,’ conditioning herself to work hard and achieve her dreams:

I don’t have time for dancing!
That’s just gonna have to wait a while.
Ain’t got time for messing around,
And it’s not my style.

 This old town can slow you down,
People taking the easy way.
But I know exactly where I’m going;
I’m getting closer and closer every day!

And I’m almost there!
I’m almost there.
People down here think I’m crazy,
But I don’t care.

Trials and tribulations,
I’ve had my share.
There ain’t nothing gonna stop me now
I’ve climbed the mountain
I’ve crossed the river
And I’m almost there
I’m almost there!

Yes, this world can get us down— I don’t have to list examples for you! “People down here” might even think Christians are crazy for holding onto hope in such a dark world. In the face of trials and tribulations, we might be tempted to retreat into despair—but we mustn’t! Instead, let life’s trials and tribulations become a time to discipline your bodies and souls for the great celebrations to come.

Lent is a great tool for this. Many Christians joyfully fast or abstain to remind their bodies “you are not the boss of me!” When we fast, we deny our body what it craves—whether it’s an extra hour of TV, video games, or that cookie staring at us from behind the cupboard. Fasting reminds us that sin still clings to us as we await the day when our bodies and souls will be fully free from bondage to sin.

Other Christians joyfully add an extra devotion to their schedule, to remain mindful of how they ought to respond to God’s callings: “Here I am!” These are all good practices. I encourage you to consider doing the same this Lent! Please feel free to reach out to Pastor or me if you have questions about Lenten practices.

Above all, keep in mind the truth: Jesus has already won the victory. No matter what happens in this world, we are assured of eternal life with Him because of His once-and-for-all victory over the grave. We’re almost there!

In Christ,
Vicar Stein

Dear brothers and sister in Christ –

Tonight, I sit in the state of Florida. Earlier this week, the temperatures were in the 80s, and the sun was shining brightly. Back home, you were getting eight inches of snow. At almost the same time, my brother in Reno, Nevada, received seventeen inches of snow and was expecting another foot before the end of the day.

As I pondered this, I had an epiphany. It became abundantly clear that our surroundings have a significant impact upon us. This revelation is not startling. We all know it, yet it struck me how easily and how quickly our environment changes us.

Out-of-sight and out-of-mind. It is easy to forget how cold it was at home. Out-of-sight and out-of-mind. It is easy to feel like the Florida winters are cold and uncomfortable when it reaches the lows of 40s and highs of 60s. Out-of-sight and out of mind. It is easy to focus on OUR reality and forget THE reality.

This is the reason why the Bible tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:2). Because there are so many other things upon which we can fix our eyes, the Bible calls us to fix our eyes on Jesus. If we do not fix on eyes upon Him, we will fix them upon something.

So how do we fix our eyes upon Jesus?

• We attend church (online or in-person).
• We attend Bible studies.
• We faithfully pray to God (when we wake up, before meals, and go to bed)
• We meditate upon His Word, day and night.
• We participate in the life of the church by giving some of our life to the church.

As we focus on going to all the world to preach the Gospel, I pray that you keep your eyes focused on Jesus. As you respond, “Here I am,” I pray that you will be looking at Jesus. For when we take our eyes off of Jesus, we will be influenced to believe something else. It is too easy in our lives of business to have Jesus be out-of-sight and out-of-mind.

Blessings,
Pastor Hartwig

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy New Year and blessings in the certain hope of Jesus Christ our Lord!

New Year celebrations are always filled with hope. There is hope this would be the year to keep the resolutions that are so easily forgotten! Hope this would be the year to learn a new skill. Hope this would be the year to save a few extra

dollars. Hope this would be the year to travel a little. Hope this would be the year to lose those pesky extra pounds. This year, there is the added hope that the virus will subside, and vaccines will be effective. God willing, it will be so!

In short, there is an uncertain hope the new year will be better than the old.

We may keep some of those resolutions, others not. The virus may subside, or not. There will always be new resolutions to keep, new diseases to overcome. Something as simple as a New Year’s resolution or as difficult as overcoming a

disease can be beyond our ability—how much more difficult it is for us to keep God’s command to love others! If our hope is in ourselves or other worldly things, it is only a matter of time before that hope leaves us disappointed and put to shame.

Yet God has given us a certain hope that each new day will be better than the old.

God makes us new each day, with the promise that his love is always with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have a hope that does not put us to shame! As St. Paul writes in Romans 5:5-6:

“Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Christ came to forgive sinners like us! The people who struggle just to keep even a simple New Year’s resolution! And this, as the old hymn goes, gives us “hope for years to come.”

1 O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home:

2 Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

3 Before the hills in order stood
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

4 A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

5 Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Soon bears us all away;
We fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

6 O god, our help in ages past,
Out hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last
And our eternal home!

LSB 733 “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”

In Christ,
Vicar Stein

Dear Christian friends:

Peace.  Peace on Earth.

The hymn Silent Night speaks of Christ sleeping in heavenly peace.  Bing Crosby and David Bowie sing their popular duet Peace on Earth / The Little Drummer Boy.  The poem turned carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day speaks of peace.  Most Christmas cards in the mail focus on peace.  Simply put, especially at this time of year, peace is popular!

And let us not forget the angel who sang of peace to the shepherds.

What did they say? “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”  [Luke 2:14]

The peace in the New Testament is not international. There is no promise of harmony between nations. We learn in Romans 16:20 that the world will not know final rest from war until the God of peace crushes Satan.

The world in which we live, the nation in which we live, is anything but peaceful. Look around. It’s not simply the pandemic or civil injustice causing anguish in our country. There is little peace in the lives of men and women everywhere.

The peace of Christmas is about peace with God. Jesus Christ was born so that we can be reconciled through Him.  Jesus is Our Redeemer! There can be no peace without God. His intervention is essential, for sin has so marred individuals and society that strife is our constant companion.

The peace of Christmas is not a mere absence of strife, but the active experience of a harmony with God that promotes total well-being regardless of circumstance.

This same peace is the Peace of Christ.  Forgiven we forgive.  At peace with God, we offer peace.  This is what is happening at the end of our worship service.  We have just been reminded of our peace with God through the invocation, confession and absolution, law and gospel of the sermon, the Lord’s Supper, and the benediction.  We are at peace and we offer the peace of Christ to those in our sanctuary and all we encounter throughout the week.  Let us always be sharing the peace of Christ!

I wish each and every one of you peace and joy this Christmas – the peace that only comes from following

Jesus, the peace that is beyond all human understanding.

Merry Christmas!  Pastor Hartwig

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Welcome to November—and Happy New Year! The church calendar resets November 29 with the First Sunday in Advent. Advent is a penitential time when we reflect on the previous year and our sin. But it is also a joyful time, when we eagerly await the celebration of Christmas. Emmanuel (literally meaning “God with us”) came to earth to forgive all our sins!

I am so ready for Advent. The year 2020 has been a long one. I know each of us has grown frustrated with the challenging situations we’ve had to deal with, with how others have responded to them, and—if we are truly honest—with how we ourselves have responded, too. We may look around at the world and wonder, “Where is God?”

God is with us.

About 520 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Haggai wrote how God’s people felt like the world was crumbling all around them. (The whole book is only two pages—read it sometime!) God’s people were ruled by the Persians, they no longer had their own kings, and the Temple lay in ruins. There was no silver or gold or other precious material left in God’s house. There was not even worldly peace in the land—God’s people were bitterly divided! Where was God?

Haggai wrote:
Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord… For I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts… My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the Desire of all Nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

 God’s people got the message. They started rebuilding the Temple, and gathering the “Desire of all Nations” into it—gold, silver, other precious things. The Temple became again a place for worldly peace.

Yet the true Desire of Nations was not silver or gold, or even worldly peace. The Desire of Nations would come more than 500 years later, in the flesh, making real the promise that ‘God is with us.’ Emmanuel—God with us—was born on that first Christmas. He gives us Christians an everlasting peace.

5. O come Desire of Nations, bind
   in one the hearts of all mankind.
   bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
   And be Thyself our King of Peace
   Rejoice, rejoice!
   Emanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

         LSB 357 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

In Christ,
Vicar Stein