Baptized Into Christ

Yesterday Pastor Keith Gravesmill died. He was, I believe, only 50 years old. This is indeed a sad thing.  He was a faithful pastor and friend to many. Christine and I attended Our Savior, where he served, for most of our college years.  It was about a 20 minute drive and there were several other congregations that were closer, but Pastor Gravesmill's faithfulness and the warmth and welcome of the congregation was well worth the drive. I doubt that he would have remembered me.  Christine and I were just some of the many college kids who made their way through his congregation, being spiritually fed while away from our home congregations.  And yet he had a deep impact on me. He and his wife welcomed us (along with other college aged students) into his home, fed us, and talked about the things of God with us.  The joy with which he served was contagious. He was a good communicator from the pulpit, but it was his love for his people and for his Lord that ...

The Fourth Commandment Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. and from Luther's explanation to the third article of the Apostles' Creed... I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. There are two ditches I see when it comes to attending Sunday services (the Divine Service). "I don't have to go to church to be a Christian."  This is a very American and very postmodern attitude, but not a biblical one.  "Because I go to church I'm a Christian."  The response to...

The Second Commandment You shall not misuse the name of the Lord of the Lord your God.   What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. The First Petition of the Lord's Prayer Hallowed be Thy Name.   What does this mean?   God’s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also. How is God’s name kept holy?   God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it.   Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!   But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us.   Protect us from this, heavenly Father! The Second Commandment and the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer go hand in hand.   Both, ultimate...

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2:8) As Christine and I were planning our wedding, we were considering what hymns and Scripture readings we would like to include in the service (a Christian wedding after all is a worship service).  We read through many passages and talked about music that we liked.  I was the pre-seminary student, but she is the one who brought up this verse from 1 Thessalonians. At the time, the idea of sharing our lives with others meant, at least in my mind, that we were glad to have the opportunity in our wedding to have the Gospel of Jesus shared and to share our lives with those who came. Little did I know how true this verse would be for us and our marriage. In the years since we've been married we have been sharing our lives with others constantly.  At seminary, we shared our lives with my brother and hi...

You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.  The Romans perfected the use of the archway.  Without mortar or cement, these archways held together so well that some are still in existence today.  The key to the archway was the heavy, perfectly fitted, keystone that was at the center of the archway. The archway would hold together as long as the keystone was in place and held it's integrity.  However, remove the keystone or have it crumble, and the archway will quickly fall to the ground. In a very real way, the First Commandment is like the keystone of an archway.  When God is first in your life, when you truly do fear, love, and trust in God above all things, then the other things fall into place. When you honor God then you will... honor parents and others in authority, even if they don't deserve it, out of love for God. use God's name properly. desire to be in God's house t...

How long has it been for you since you reviewed the basics of the Christian faith?  How long since you seriously examined your life, your beliefs, where you are and what you are doing in light of God's Word? Well it's probably time for a review.  But it my hope to go beyond the basics too. Over the next several weeks (probably longer) part of what I'll be doing on this blog is taking a look at the basics of the Christian faith and how they apply to our lives. I'll use Luther's Small Catechism for an outline, since in the Six Chief Parts (Ten Commandments, Apostles' Creed, Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, The Office of the Keys and Confession, and the Lord's Supper) we are able to cover every aspect of the Christian life. Before I get into the actual Ten Commandments, if we are to rightly understand them and rightly understand God, then we must begin with the Word from God that precedes the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. And God spoke all t hese...