Pastor John M. Taggatz, Jenna Otten, Secretary
August, 2012 Lela Rehmer, Custodian Kevin Kahle, Groundskeeper
Church E-mail: stjohnch@egyptian.net;
jtaggatz@yahoo.com
Church
Web Site: www.stjohnbaldwin.ctsmemberconnect.net
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Serving
on the Altar Guild for August are:
Renee
& Melba Luthy
Ushers for the Month of August are: Connie Buch, Richard Buch, Dan Hartmann, Charlotte Liefer, Dale Luthy,
Dave Piel, and Susan Piel
CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE…
(618) 785-2344 (or)
(618) 785-2602
-When a member of your family is
admitted to the hospital, so a visit can be made by Pastor Taggatz.
- When your group plans to hold a meeting, so it can be cleared
and placed on the church calendar.
-When your home or business phone number or address is changed, so
church records can be corrected.
- When you are planning to move either out of town or locally.
- When you know you are pregnant
so that we will be able to assist you in any way we can with prayers,
encouragement and support.
- When a new baby arrives in your
family or in the family of another church member.
- When you are planning a wedding or baptism.
Church Information—
Pastor’s E-mail: jtaggatz@yahoo.com
Pastor Taggatz on
Twitter: @jtaggatz
Pastor Taggatz’s
Blog: www.thewordendures.blogspot.com
“Pastor’s DOXOLOGY Training”
As most of you are aware, I attended a pastoral
training event in Donaldson, Indiana July 15th through the 18th. I wanted to fill you in on what this training
entails for our congregation here at St. John and how it can help not only
myself as your pastor to care for you in a better way spiritually with God’s
Word and Sacraments, but also help our congregation’s lay leadership as
well. In my Pastor’s Page for this month
I want to lay out what this DOXOLOGY program is all about. I will let you know what I learned in my
training session in July as well as let you know what the upcoming training
session will entail Nov. 16-18th, 2012 in Donaldson, Indiana and
what the third and final training program will entail. Before I begin describing what DOXOLOGY is
about I want to thank our congregation for your prayers and support for me as I
go through this program and I also pray that this program will help our lay
leaders and our congregation as a whole to be more effective in our ministry in
caring for the souls of God’s people through Word and Sacrament. I feel that it
will greatly help me be a more effective Minister of the Gospel for this
congregation and that it will help our lay leadership as well.
To begin with the theme of DOXOLOGY can be taken from
a hymn penned by a well known Lutheran Professor of Theology Martin Franzmann
(1907-1976) who wrote, “That in these
gray and latter days, there may be those who song is praise, each life a high
doxology unto the Holy Trinity.” DOXOLOGY
seeks to restore and recover the classic Christian legacy of the cure of souls
for contemporary times. It provides training, mentoring, and consultation
services for pastors seeking to improve their ability to provide spiritual care
and counseling. DOXOLOGY’S primary
purpose is to provide training in advanced pastoral skills while offering
ongoing spiritual care opportunities for Lutheran pastors. The Center
provides an excellent setting for clergy to reflect on their own spiritual
health and offers a program carefully crafted to help them review and enhance
their professional competencies and skills. DOXOLOGY strengthens pastors
so they can more faithfully pastor others.
DOXOLOGY provides resources, insights, teaching, admonition,
encouragement, new tools and strategies needed to move beyond “survival functioning in pastoral ministry”
to joyful service in the pastoral life and calling. It provides opportunities for immediate and
ongoing care to nurture and encourage pastors whose personal lives may have
been burdened by stress and isolation or wounded by sin, depression, conflict,
fear, or hopelessness. It also yields
critical insights to enhance the practice of spiritual care and counsel.
Through my participation in DOXOLOGY I, as your
pastor, will learn to prize and embrace my identity as a called and ordained
servant of God. I will also learn to explore
the art of spiritual care and enhance my skills as a physician of the soul so
as to help those entrusted to my care to find health and healing in God through
His gracious Word and Sacraments. I will
also have an opportunity to benefit from receiving individual spiritual
care and personal counsel. I will establish
and maintain meaningful professional relationships with peers through personal
interaction and return to St. John Baldwin renewed, strengthened, and equipped
in my vocation to preach, teach, and administer God’s Holy sacraments
faithfully. DOXOLOGY is an intensive
clergy renewal program involving three distinct meeting events that take
place over a twelve month interval.
The first event in the series called, “The
Gathering,” I attended this past July in Indiana. At this event there was an immersion in a
worshipping community as the heart of the program’s experience through the
praying of the Daily Offices found in the Lutheran Service Book. There was an affirmation of pastoral
vocation, reflection and refreshment for ongoing pastoral work by exploring the
essential habits and practice of the classic care of souls and the application
of Christian counseling concepts. I also
learned to enhance my personal skills through teaching and discussion models to
sharpen my professional competencies essential to the art of counsel and care. I gained a deeper perspective in cultivating
essential tools and strategies for responding to the burgeoning personal needs
of today's parishioners. I had the
opportunity to work with other pastors to address matters of congregational
casuistry from the perspective of shepherd of souls. I also had the opportunity to renew my
personal pastoral habits in prayer, meditation and ongoing pastoral growth. I had some consultation, help and healing for
emotional and/or spiritual concerns (care of psyche and care of soul).
Nov. 16-18th, 2012 is the second part of
the program experience. “The Encore” invites pastors to bring with them at
least one lay leader from their parish, although pastors may bring as many lay
leaders as they choose. This lay leader
will be voted on at one of our upcoming Church Council meetings to go with me.
"The Encore," meeting Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, will
address the following goals: Pastor and
laity are immersed into a community where worship punctuates the day and night;
the Word is preached, prayers are prayed and hymns are sung. The rhythm of
worship provides laity with a renewed appreciation for the riches of the
church’s sacred music and liturgical heritage.
Pastors and lay leaders will review new servanthood models and people
skills to equip them to respond with confidence to very real parish challenges. Pastoral review of progress made towards
honoring the personal and pastoral goals established at The Gathering. There will be structured conversation and
unstructured time together to enhance relationships between pastor and
parishioners. Lay leaders will grow in
their appreciation for God’s gifts in His Gospel and Sacrament and their
pastor’s ministry for the cure of souls. Teaching and interactive modules will
assist parish leaders to serve their pastor and congregation with new insight
and dedication. Work groups, comprising
pastors and laity from different congregations will be created to think
Biblically and imaginatively about the church’s evangelistic outreach locally
and globally. Peer and mentoring
relationships among pastors who have already attended “The Gathering” will be
renewed.
The last part of the DOXOLOGY program is the Grand Reunion, which I will attend next
year in 2013. The Reunion weekend is the
special opportunity for the pastor to invite his spouse to the training
program. Wives in attendance network with other women who share the
unique blessings and challenges of living out their marriages in the
context of parsonage life. This event
allows clergy to hear presentations on pastoral work from some of the finest
theologians and practitioners in the area of spiritual care and will allow for
a fast-paced and intensive review of their training in the earlier
portions of the program. Dr. John W. Kleinig, renowned Australian
Lutheran scholar and pastoral theologian, has served as the featured presenter
for the initial Grand Reunions. Like
each of DOXOLOGY’s events, The Reunion is an occasion replete with worship and
ongoing opportunities for personal reflection and mutual encouragement in a
variety of formal and informal settings. The Reunion builds ongoing peer and
mentoring relationships, providing pastors with additional instruction and
additional opportunities for mutual encouragement and meaningful professional interaction. You can check out DOXOLOGY’S website and
receive more information on what they’re about here at: http://www.doxology.us/
See You in Church!
<+><
Pastor Taggatz
LYF NEWS-- Youth and Parents will be working at the Shooting
Complex during the ATA Grand America and will be selling ice cream on Saturday,
August 4th and Sunday, August 5th from 9:00 am to 6:00
pm. The youth would welcome any
additional help from congregational members.
A signup sheet will be posted in the back of church. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go
towards the 2013 LCMS National Youth Gathering that our LYF group will be going
to. Thanks for your support!
Confirmation &
Pre-confirmation Instruction Planning Meeting: There will be a Parent’s
meeting to discuss the schedule for confirmation class, as well as the
2012-2013 acolyting schedule on Wednesday, August 29th at
6:30pm. Children in 6th
grade who are not currently going to a Lutheran Elementary School are to be
enrolled in pre-confirmation instruction and children in 7th-8th
grade are enrolled in confirmation class.
Classes will begin on Wednesday, September 5th. Pre-confirmation students (6th
grade) will meet at 6:00 pm and confirmation students (7-8 grade) at 7:00 pm.
SPECIAL FAMILY
NIGHT! Beginning in August we
will be having a special family night at our church on the fourth Friday of the
month (Aug. 24) from 6-8:30pm. These
family nights will be informal with opportunities for the children to play and
for families to fellowship with one another while doing a variety of
activities. Watch your bulletin for
further details.
Have you Changed your Phone Number or Address?-With
the popularity of cell phones, we are finding an increasing number of people
are dropping their local lines and switching to using only their cell phones.
If your phone number has changed, or you have a new address, please be sure to
let the church/school office know so we can change our records. Thank you.
Pastor’s Visits--Pastor makes visits to homebound
and nursing home members on a regular basis. If you or someone you know would
like to be added to his visitation list, let him know. Any member who would
like to talk with him at the Church is welcome to call the office (785-2344)
for an appointment.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU—To all who participated and helped
out with Vacation Bible School here at St. John this past week. Thanks especially to Traci Liefer for all of
her help in coordinating with the teachers and the volunteers to make this
year’s Vacation Bible School fun and exciting for both the volunteers and the
children. We had 54 kids this year who
were able to hear the Good News about Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Praise God!
Thanks also for all of the donations that were given for this year’s VBS
and to the VBS children for singing the songs they learned in worship for us
TODAY! THE VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
OFFERINGS THIS YEAR WILL GO TO REV. TIM & LISA BECKENDORF OF LUTHERAN
BIBLE TRANSLATORS FOR THEIR BIBLE TRANSLATION WORK IN BOTSWANA, AFRICA & TO
RELIEF WORK THAT IS BEING DONE IN AFRICA WITH CHILDREN WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THE
DISEASE OF MALARIA. Our VBS raised
over $400 for these mission opportunities.
“I Declare!
As
a young shepherd boy, David had a lot of time to ponder the beauty of God’s
creation. As we read the psalms, we get
a glimpse of what he thought about as he kept his solitary watch over his sheep
day after day. What feelings do you
think prompted him to write Psalm 19? “The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His
handiwork. Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge” (verses 1-2). The entire psalm gives the impression that
David, surveying the wonders of God’s earth and sky, couldn’t help himself as
the words poured out in praise to God.
August
is often vacation time. We want to
squeeze in a few days of recreation before we get back to the routine the fall
months bring. These moments of leisure
often afford us the opportunity to look around ourselves, as David did, and
acknowledge the beauty of God’s creation, the wonder of what He has enabled man
to achieve, and the joy of using His gifts for His glory.
Stewardship
involves the careful use of our time.
Some of our time is well spent in praising God for His goodness to
us. Don’t let the heavens be alone in
declaring the glory of God! Declare it
to Him and others. Proclaim to all the
works of His hands!
“If you haven’t any charity in
your heart, you have
the worst kind of heart trouble” (Bob Hope).
A
Pastor’s Plea A congregation was facing about a $10,000
shortfall. The pastor remarked that the
Lord had provided all of the money necessary to make up the “behindage’ and
even have much left over. The only
problem was that the money was in the people’s pockets. He told the congregation, “Some of you have
Jesus’ money in your pockets and that is why we are short.” Do you ever keep some of the money that Jesus
wants you to be giving?
Giving
Is Important Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone” series once featured a
story about a gambler who dies and is transported to a room where there is a
gambling table and a dealer. Every time
he rolls the dice, he scores. Every hand
he holds is a winner. The living
quarters are plush and supplied with everything he wants. At first, the man believes he is in
paradise. He should be happy, but he is
completely and totally alone. The fun of
sharing his winnings with someone else is missing. He finally concludes that he is not in
heaven, as he had first thought. He is in
hell. Albert Einstein believed that
“only a life lived for others is worth living.”
It might also be said, “Only a life lived giving to and sharing with
others is worth living.” (from Speaker’s
Sourcebook II).
On the
Lighter Side--
A fellow office worker tells his friend, “My good man, you really should
consider attending our church service on Sunday. We respect all denominations. We especially respect twenties and fifties.”
It’s so HOT in
Illinois that . . .
. . . you discover it only takes two fingers to
steer your car.
. . . you discover how easy it is to make INSTANT
sun tea.
. . . farmers are feeding their chickens crushed
ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled
eggs.
We remember in our prayers—[If you would like to add to our prayer
list please call the church.]
“Pray for each
other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and
effective.” (James 5:16)
In your prayers this month, pray:
· For
the Church;
· For
our nation; for those who serve in the armed
forces.
· For
families of our church;
· For
all who travel;
· For
rain;
· For those involved in the mass
shooting in Colorado
· For those who are ill, awaiting or
recovering from surgery: especially for Sally Fadler, Mickey
Umbdenstock, Karen Willis, Linda Nagel, Elizabeth Montroy, Lee Hogandobler,
Evan Saldana, & Margaret Dixon, the grandmother of Nicki Buch, all who are
battling serious illnesses. We pray for
Greg Laufer, as he continues to regain strength, and for Julia Kahle, Sid Buch,
& Roger Schoenbeck, as they continue to regain strength through their
physical therapy. We pray for Hayden
Smith, a friend of Christa Poynor, who is currently battling cancer. We pray for Marjorie Junge, as she continues
to recover after an injury she had. We
pray for Matt Skelley, a relative of the Spier family, as he recovers from his
recent surgery.
· For those who are in nursing homes or
homebound: Dorothy Junge, Mr. & Mrs. Russell Mahan,
Opal Luthy, Patty
Theobald, Zuehla Rowold, Laverna Luthy & Darlene Spier.
We mourn with the family of Darlene (Wirth) Seymour, a relative of the
Spier & Wirth family, who was called home to heavenly rest recently. And with the families of Bonnie Highberger
and Rita Piller, who were also recently called home to heavenly rest. May God give to their families comfort and
hope in the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ who says in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet
shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
BIBLE STUDY—
Sunday Mornings (10:15 a.m.)
“Witness, Mercy, Life Together.”
“Where the Holy
Trinity is present and received in faith, there cannot but be witness, mercy,
and life together. These three reflect
God’s very being as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier and encompass His holy
and gracious will for all in Christ Jesus, namely, that all come to believe in
and bear witness to Christ, reflect divine compassion, and live together in
forgiveness, love, and joy in the Church.”
LCMS President Matthew C. Harrison
This
5 session study explores the Biblical basis of Witness, Mercy, Life Together,
the threefold emphasis of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.
Remember: Every 3rd Sunday of the
month we are praying for people who are in the military. If you have a relative or friend who is an
armed serviceman and woman in our Nation’s military please let the Church know
so that we may be able to pray for them on the third Sunday of the month.
Are you or a family
member…coping with grief and loss… stressed out by financial issues… dealing
with family or marital problems? Lutheran Child
and Family Services of Illinois’ professional licensed counselors can help.
They provide individual, couple, marital and family counseling to help address
these types of situations. Insurance is accepted. Call: 800-363-LCFS (5237) to
schedule a FREE confidential initial consultation. LUTHERAN CHILD & FAMILY
SERVICES IN SPARTA HAS MOVED With the closing of the Nice Twice Thrift Shop, Lutheran Child and
Family Services moved its office to 1107 N. Market in Sparta.
CHRIST OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN HS
810 Soldiers Way, Evansville, IL 62242
Phone
618-853-7300 Fax 618-853-7361
www.coslhs.org admin@coslhs.org
John Christman, Principal
Evansville Days: The last day for Evansville Days is
today. Come out and support COS
Volleyball: COS is
looking for coaches for the 2012 volleyball season this fall. If interested in
the position as coach or assistant coach, please call Mr. John Christman at the
school’s office.
Annual Rummage
Sale: The annual Rummage Sale will be hosted at COS August 9, 10 & 11. The school will
be open to receive donations beginning the last week in July. Please contact the
office if you would like to help with this fund raiser.
Opening Worship
Service: Mark your calendars
for Sunday, August 19, when the 2012-2013 academic year will open with worship
at St. Peter’s at 2 p.m. We look forward to having you join us in this
celebration.
Zuehla
Rowold Laverna Luthy
Red Bud Nursing
Home Three Springs N. Home
350 W. South 1st 161 Three Springs
Rd. Red Bud , IL
62278 Chester , IL 62233
Opal Luthy Patty
Theobald
Red Bud Nursing
Home 402 W.
2nd St.
350 W. South 1st Apt. F.
Red Bud, IL 62278 Sparta, IL 62286
Dorothy Junge Mr. & Mrs. Russell Mahan
Baldwin, IL 62217 New Athens, IL 62264
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Vision: Making Known the Love of
Christ
Mission: St. John Lutheran Church is
dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ within its church
and into the community
Present: Pastor Taggatz,
Gene Luthy, Gerald Poeniski, Marla Huebner, Susan Piel, Marvin Liefer, Tony
Junge, Bob Wirth, Linda Schoenbeck, and Stan Gegel.
The meeting was called to order by President Gene Luthy.
Opening devotions were given by Pastor Taggatz.
Minutes from the previous meeting: Were read and approved.
Financial Secretary’s Report:
Total receipts for Jun 2012, $8,523.23.
Treasurer’s report:
Ending balance for the general fund for Jun 2012 – $4,125.91. Motion was
made and second to approve. Motion carried.
Spiritual Ministries/Elder: Mike Cogar is done with
confirmation classes and motion was made and second to accept Mike for
membership to our congregation. Motion carried. Release from membership was
requested for Jeremy, Charlie, Johnny and Chris Nieglowski. Motion was made and
second to grant release. Motion carried.
Church Properties:
Continuation of cemetery exemption is still being investigated. Latest report
shows if cemetery is less than 3 acres and religious it should be considered as
exempt. Our cemetery measurement is less
than 2 acres.
Social Ministries:
COSLHS:
Christian Education:
Evangelism:
Sunday School: 54
children are in enrolled in Vacation Bible School and the children will be
singing in Sunday Morning Services on July 15th. Offerings from Vacation Bible School this
year will go to Rev Tim & Lisa Beckendorf of Lutheran Bible Translators for
their Bible Translation work in Botswana, Africa and to relief work that is
being done in Africa with children who are affected by the disease of malaria.
Stewardship: Linda Schoenbeck and Pastor Taggatz are checking
in to a Thrivent grant for the food pantry.
Lutheran Youth Fellowship:
Youth and Parents will be working at the Shooting Complex during the ATA
Grand America and will be selling ice cream on Saturday, August 4th
and Sunday, August 5th from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. The youth would welcome any additional help
from congregational members. A signup
sheet will be posted in the back of church.
Pastor’s Report:
Pastoral Acts from
June 12th ‘12 through July 10th, 2012—
-Regular
Saturday & Sunday worship responsibilities
-4 Bible Study class sessions (Sunday mornings)
-5 Spiritual Care sessions
-14
Homebound/Member Visits
-2
Hospital Visits
-Pastor
of the Week @ Camp Wartburg from July
1-6
-2
New Member’s Classes
-June
23rd--Said a prayer @ Jeremy Gummersheimer’s
wedding reception
-July
4th--Officiated for the Kirkland/Cogar Wedding
-July
2nd--COSLHS Executive Board meeting
Congratulations to
Steve & Pat Bunte upon the birth of their new grandson, Miles, born to
Steve & Pat’s son Alex & his wife, Brook. Also, congratulations to Zack Junge, on the
birth of his new daughter & to Meghan Steibel, on the birth of her new baby
boy, Brayden. God’s blessings to
them on these wonderful gifts of new life!
- Pastor Taggatz’s first DOXOLOGY training session will be
July 15th thru 18th in Donaldson, IN.
- Baptism on for Bentley Higgerson, the son of Ginny &
Tim Higgerson was changed from Saturday, June 30th to September 5th.
- Door Offering for Missions at St. John Baldwin for 2012
will be:
-Rev Tim & Lisa Beckendorf of
Lutheran Bible Translators in Botswana, Africa in August 2012
-SIGHT Ministry Center in October
2012 for LWML Sunday.
- Giving through Thrivent Choice Program for June and
July 2012 has amounted to $71.00. Total amount our church has received from
this program since January is $1,684.00.
***Special notice regarding the Thrivent
Choice Program:
You
might have already received notice of a change in the Thrivent Choice program
by mail, but just in case you haven’t there is some important information for
you to know about. This year of 2012 all
Thrivent members wishing to continue their automatic withdrawal to the charity
of their choice will have to let Thrivent know either by mail or phone. It only needs to be done once for this
year. To continue to direct your
Choice Dollars to the charity of your choice call: 800-THRIVENT
(800-847-4836) and state "Thrivent Choice."
- Confirmation & Pre-confirmation Instruction:
There will be a Parent’s meeting to discuss the schedule for class on
Wednesday, August 29th.
Classes will begin on Wednesday, September 5th. Pre-confirmation students will meet at 6:00
pm and confirmation students at 7:00 pm.
Old Business: PowerPoint
projector has been purchased for less than monies collected and is being used
for Vacation Bible School.
.
New Business:
Maintenance and up keep of eternal flame candle has been discussed with
Zuehla Rowald and she has given permission for the congregation to do whatever
is necessary. Susan Piel, Linda
Schoenbeck and Pastor Taggatz were appointed to look into the matter of
purchasing a new candle.
Adjournment: Motion was
made and second to adjourn. Motion carried.
The meeting was closed prayer and with the Lord’s Prayer.
President, Gene Luthy
Secretary, Marla Huebner
We Believe,
Teach and Confess.
Formula of
Concord: Epitome
(The Summary Content, Rule, and Norm)
Introductory
Note: What is the sole source of
doctrine in the Church? The Bible, and the Bible alone. God’s Word is the pure
fountain and source of God’s truth. Church creeds and confessions, however,
function as witnesses to that truth. As such, they are accepted standards by
which we can discern between true and false teaching. Churches can, do, and
should insist that called pastors and other Church workers pledge themselves
unconditionally to the Church’s confession. In this way, the Church’s
confession safeguards the pure teaching of God’s Word. Does this contradict the
statement that the Bible alone is the source and norm of doctrine? No.
Confessions are not the source of
doctrine, but are a standard or norm by which preaching and teaching are
evaluated, because they are based on God’s Word. This may be a fine nuance, but
it is an important one. Today, in authentically Lutheran churches, pastors and
other church workers pledge to faithfully teach and practice according to the
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, just as they have done for nearly five
hundred years.
AC-Augsburg Confession; SA-Smalcald Articles; FC
Ep-Formula of Concord, Epitome; SD-Formula of Concord, Solid
Declaration
According to which all teachings should be judged
and the erroneous teachings that have occurred should be decided and explained
in a Christian way
1 1. We believe, teach, and confess that the only
rule and norm according to which all teachings, together with ‹all› teachers,
should be evaluated and judged [2 Timothy 3:15–17] are the prophetic and
apostolic Scriptures of the Old and New Testament alone. For it is written in
Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” St.
Paul has written, “even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a
gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians
1:8).
2 However,
other writings by ancient or modern teachers—no matter whose name they
bear—must not be regarded as equal to the Holy Scriptures. All of them are
subject to the Scriptures [1 Corinthians 14:32]. Other writings should not be
received in any other way or as anything more than witnesses that show how this
‹pure› doctrine of the prophets and apostles was preserved after the time of the
apostles, and at what places.
3 2. Right
after the time of the apostles, and even while they were still living, false
teachers and heretics arose [Titus 3:9–10]. Therefore, symbols (i.e., brief, concise confessions) were written against the
heretics in the Early Church. These symbols were regarded as the unanimous,
universal Christian faith and confession of the orthodox and true Church. They
are the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. We pledge
ourselves to these symbols, and in this way we reject all heresies and
teachings that have been introduced into God’s Church against them.
4 3. However,
schisms in matters of faith have also happened in our time. Therefore, we
regard as the unanimous consensus and declaration of our Christian faith and
confession—especially against the papacy and its false worship, idolatry,
superstition, and against other sects—the first, unaltered Augsburg Confession.
It is the symbol of our time, and it was delivered to the Emperor, Charles V,
at Augsburg in the year 1530 in the great Diet. We hold to this confession
along with its Apology and the Articles composed at Smalcald in the year 1537,
which the chief theologians signed at that time.
5 Such
matters also concern the laity and the salvation of their souls. Therefore, we
also confess Dr. Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms as they are included in
Luther’s works. They are “the layman’s Bible” because everything necessary for
a Christian to know for salvation is included in them, which is handled more extensively
in the Holy Scriptures.
6 As
announced above, all teachings are to be conformed in this way. What is
contrary to these confessions is to be rejected and condemned, as opposed to
the unanimous declaration of our faith.
7 In this way
the distinction between the Holy Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament
and all other writings is preserved. The Holy Scriptures alone remain the
judge, rule, and norm. According to them—as the only touchstone—all teachings
shall and must be discerned and judged to see whether they are good or evil [1
Thessalonians 5:21–22], right or wrong.
8 The other
symbols and writings mentioned above are not judges like the Holy Scriptures.
They are only a testimony and declaration of the faith. They show how the Holy
Scriptures have been understood and explained in regard to controversial
articles in God’s Church by those living at that time. Also, they show how the
opposite teaching was rejected and condemned ‹by what arguments the dogmas
conflicting with the Holy Scriptures were rejected and condemned›.
Concordia : The
Lutheran Confessions. 2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (473–474). St.
Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
REAL
REFORMATION RADIO…Do any of these
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Making Non-Sense of the Colorado Shootings
Spiritual thoughts on another random act of
violence.
Mark Galli
Yet
another shooting tragedy has befallen us in the United States. Starting with
Colombine in 1999, it has become a regular feature of American life in the 21st
century. Fast forward to Friday, and we are now mourning the absurd slaughter
of 12 people trapped in a theater in Aurora, Colorado. Our reactions cultural
and personal are interesting to behold.
Take
mine: my first thought as a devout follower of the Prince of Peace was to
think, Maybe I should start packing a gun. We live in a broken society in
which the police can no longer protect me and my family. It's probably up to me
to do that now.
My
sarcasm does not signal that I'm for or against gun control. We may be at a
cultural moment when more self-defense is called for. Or maybe such a solution
would just lead to more useless violence. I'll let political and social
scientists sort that out. I'm more interested at this point in my reaction as a
disciple of Jesus: it began with fear and self-protection.
It
then moved on to vainglory, as I imagined how I would want to act in such a
horrific situation. I had images of myself tackling the shooter or throwing my
body over helpless victims, taking the bullet for others. This is adolescent, I
know, but it's actually what went through my mind. For all I know, at such a
moment, I may just as easily pee in my pants. But my pride says I'd play the
hero.
At
some point, my thoughts finally got around to thinking about others, to those
who actually took a bullet, the wounded and dead, and the loved ones left
grieving. But then another uncharitable thought immediately rose to the
surface: I'd happily kill the s.o.b. who did the shooting.
I
suspect my selfish, prideful, and revengeful reactions are not unusual, and
that for most of us, they are checked by higher ideals. But there they are,
mixed in with compassion, reason, and hope.
Lord,
have mercy.
***
The
national reaction of shock and outrage is understandable and at one level a
continuing sign of our humanity. God forbid that we would react to these
tragedies as we do to daily murder in big cities. The day after the latest
Colorado shootings, The Chicago Tribune email newsletter began with
this: "One dead, seventeen wounded in attacks across city." It
sounded like a coordinated effort, so I opened the link. I discovered it was
just another 17 shootings, the sort of thing that happens in Chicago with
routine monotony. This no longer shocks us; it's part of the daily grist of
news which is no longer news. So far in July alone, 27 people have been
murdered in Chicago—over twice as many as were killed in the Aurora shooting.
Last year in Chicago in July alone, 55 were murdered.
Why
are we not shocked and outraged at this daily violence? If we were, would it do
any good? What would it do to our psyches to be aware and outraged every day?
Maybe we have no psychological choice but to move the violence to the
subliminal regions. But then along comes a mass shooting, and we are aware, if
only briefly, how much violence and fear of violence we live with daily.
To
put it another way: it's best we not think too deeply about our key rings, the
symbol of dark principalities and powers that seem to rule our world. I have
keys to my front door, back door, garage, two cars, overhead luggage rack, just
to begin the list. And dozens of keys for rental property I own. And so many
online passwords, especially for financial matters, that I have to have a
separate program, with its own password, to store them. Dozens of times a day I
lock and unlock things physical and electronic, because we live in a world
where people will do violence to me and the things I own if I don’t lock things
down. Not necessarily killing, but anyone who has had their home broken into
knows the feeling of being violated by a mere act of theft. And yes, sometimes
theft involves real killing.
And
then there is the constant and abiding presence of security guards and police
at places we visit every day—banks, malls, schools, grocery stores, and so
forth. And the regular announcements at the airport to watch for abandoned
packages and suspicious behavior. They are a steady reminder that we live in a
broken, violent world.
We
put a veneer of civility over all this, so that it is attended to with decorum
and, well, fun! How many sentimental trinkets are available for our key rings,
the very symbol of violence we are trying to keep at bay? But these shootings
remind us that we very much live in a world as "red in tooth and
claw" as ever.
***
Our
fear is difficult to put into words. But we try, and when we do, the
theological gets mixed with the political, and compassion with hate. Note this
one comment to a news story about a prayer vigil that was going to take place
as a result of the shootings:
"It's
time people put the blame and responsibility for such Actions where it belongs,
instead of blaming "Original Sin" or that "The devil made them
do it". This Monster CHOSE to commit these senseless acts of Violence, he
CHOSE to do Harm. He isn't Crazy or Demon Possessed. He simply is an awful
person who made horrible choices with disastrous Consequences. Had The GOP/TEA
not demanded that Battlefield weapons be easier to obtain than renting DVDs,
these kinds of tragedies would be occurring MUCH less. Home Protection, but NO
ONE needs Automatic Weapons or Assault rifles. Life is't a Chuck Norris Movie;
it's HIGH time We demand accountability from The "Right" for allowing
their side to continually spew hate, incite Violence, demanding Genocidal
weapons be easily accessible to anyone for The Misery and loss of Life it
causes. Enough is ENOUGH!"
So
the murderer becomes a "monster," and those who supposedly "spew
hate, incite violence" are condemned with venom. This, unfortunately, is
where shock and outrage take us.
We
lack the imagination to conceive that people who do these sorts of things are
human beings, so we talk about them as "monsters" or mentally ill or
whatever—we label them to suggest they are not like us, for we could never do
such a thing. But of course we could; the routinization of murder under Stalin
and Hitler, among other regimes, suggests that any of us can be enlisted to
wipe out fellow human beings, doing so with routine efficiency. Death camps are
run by everyday people like us just doing their jobs.
National
pop-psychology is one of our favorite pastimes, as we try to find a reason for
the shooter's actions. He's already being labeled a "loner," for
example, as if the gregarious and outgoing are incapable of such violence.
We'll come up with some theory that comforts us in the dark of night, that if
only we as a nation did X, Y, or Z, we could prevent people from going over the
deep end like this. Some of those things may indeed help in some ways. But we
are kidding ourselves if we think we have within our national grasp an educational
or psychological or political solution to evil.
There
is no solution or explanation for evil. Evil is fundamentally irrational; it
simply cannot be grasped by means of our intellectual categories. Evil is the
very denial of rationality, because it is a rebellion against the Logos, the
very principle of the good, the true, and the beautiful who created and
sustains the universe.
And
who has redeemed the universe. The Christian hope in the face of evil is not to
explain it or cure it. Our hope is absurd in its own way, turning absurdity on
its head. We proclaim that evil has already been dealt the decisive blow. And
that blow was delivered, paradoxically enough, at a moment when evil seems to
have won—on the cross on which Jesus Christ died.
Christians
"make sense" of tragedies by acknowledging that they are in fact
senseless, and that their absurdity is little different than the absurdity of
the Cross. And that's precisely why, when we talk about the gospel, we begin
with the absurd. As Paul notes, our preaching is foolish to the Jews, who ask
for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.
So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the
Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. (1 Cor. 1:22-23 , NLT)
And
the content of the preaching is this: absurdity has been defeated by absurdity,
death has been defeated by death. The Resurrection, especially in the preaching
in Acts, is mostly about the vindication of Jesus ("Jesus, whom you
crucified, has been exalted by God, so ha!"—see Peter's speech in Acts 2).
The apparent failure of the Cross was, in fact, a victory—a victory over the
irrational principalities that currently wreak havoc in the world, represented
by those little key chains we carry around. (So maybe it's a sign of good
theology to carry something silly on our key chains—it shows we're not taking
evil as seriously as it takes itself!)
***
The
commenter quoted above also waxed theological, something a lot of people,
believers and not, are doing: Why weren't
those who were Mercilessly Slaughtered Prayers to Live heard I wonder.
Evidently God was too busy planning with Tebow for Touchdowns this Fall to
check his Voicemail. It just makes NO sense to me to Pray to a God that can't
stop such things from happening in The 1st Place.What kind of God who is truly
all powerful,Just or Loving just sits back&let's innocent People
die&then has them believing it's THEIR Fault? Certainly not one I'd Pray
to,or even bother with. That's like saying they deserved their Fate because
someone else they never met did something Bad. It's a slap in the face when
they say such things.
It
does make even the faithful wonder "what kind of God" we have put our
faith in. Apparently he is a God who does not intervene to prevent such horrors,
for reasons we, as much as this commenter, find unfathomable. It is indeed a
slap in the face to people when we use a thin veneer of pop theology to
"explain" the tragedy. Better just to confess, as did David, time and
again in the Psalms, Lord, . . . you hid your face;
I was
dismayed. (Ps. 30:7)
This
Psalm, coincidently enough, was the reading for the day after the shooting. But
actually, that's not such a coincidence, because lots of Bible passages note
this reality, the feeling that God is hiding himself. Many a saint, like their
Lord, has felt utterly forsaken. The Bible is pretty frank about this reality.
But
in the very same Bible, and in that very same Psalm, we read other startling
confessions, like, Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the
morning. (v. 5) You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have
loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your
praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
(vv. 11-12)
The
online commenter expresses well the sentiment that even the believer
experiences. The difference is this: For the Christian, the Object of dismay
and anger happens to be the Source of healing and hope. The life, death, and
resurrection of Christ has shown that this is not a fanciful wish, some utopian
dream, but one grounded in history—a history that itself seems to be grounded
in deathly absurdity, when, in fact, it is alive with hope.
Mark
Galli is senior managing editor of Christianity Today,
and author of Chaos and Grace: Discovering the Liberating Power of the Holy
Spirit (Baker).
SoulWork
In
"SoulWork," Mark Galli brings news, Christian theology, and spiritual
direction together to explore what it means to be formed spiritually in the
image of Jesus Christ.
Mark Galli
Galli
is senior managing editor of Christianity Today and author of God
Wins, Chaos and Grace, A Great and Terrible Love, Jesus Mean and Wild, Francis
of Assisi and His World, and other books.
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