The clouds of judgment gather,
The time is growing late;
Be sober and be watchful,
Our judge is at the gate:
The judge who comes in mercy,
The judge who comes in might
To put an end to evil
And diadem the right.
(Bernard of Cluny, 12th century)

     “Who is my neighbor?”
     A lawyer asked that question of Jesus. The answer: whoever is in need!
     Your neighbors are in need of the pure Gospel of Christ. They have no church home or, if they do, it may be a church home in which the Gospel has been replaced by rules and codes of conduct.
     The clouds of judgment are gathering around your neighbors. Their time is short. Won’t you invite them to come and hear the message of salvation in Divine Services, in Sunday School, MOPS, ESL and ALPHA?

    “That the very Sacrament designed by our Lord to be a center of union of His disciples should be made a subject of incessant and heated controversy among His followers is in itself a strong testimony to the corruption and perversity of human nature brought about by the Fall.”

    “What is at stake here is not a mere question of interpretation, but a question of authority. The question is, ‘Which is the ultimate standard of authority? Is it human reason or Holy Scripture?’” (Dr. C.H. Little, Lutheran Confessional Theology, St. Louis, Concordia, 1943, p. 59)

We Lutherans confess that Holy Scripture alone is our ultimate authority. We employ reason in the service of Scripture, not as a judge over it.

Therefore, with the Scriptures, we confess the clear, undeniable presence of Christ’s true Body and Blood in the bread and wine of the Holy Communion. .

    Recent research in the United Kingdom reveals that there is a contagion effect to divorce. Divorce tends to occur in “clusters.”
    You hear that a friend gets a divorce, or perhaps even friend of a friend, and something very subtle happens in your mind. What was previously unthinkable suddenly becomes a thought, perhaps a thought you entertain.
    Let’s face it, you can always find fault with your partner. Living together is WORK! It takes real effort to live together successfully. The question is, will you nurse grudges against your partner and refuse to forgive, or will you forgive your partner his/her faults and reconcile?
    We are not only slaves to fashion but we are all susceptible to suggestion. We imitate or copy one another more than we realize. Columbus is a community, the church is a body, and when one member (or family) suffers, we are all affected in ways we perhaps haven’t considered.
    Divorce is not the unforgiveable sin, but it is sin. It is failure. As such, it requires God’s forgiveness in Christ for all concerned. God’s forgiveness is unconditional and complete through Jesus Christ.
    But we should also be clear about the dangers involved in any divorce. It affects more than the couple who splits. It affects us all.
    Check out the Issues, Etc. program (Tuesday, July 6) on the contagion of divorce at www.issuesetc.org.

    The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom is   concerned that our President and our Secretary of State have begun advocating for freedom of worship in other countries and have sometimes avoided advocating for freedom of religion.

    The state department has said that the terms are interchangeable and signals no policy shift.  But the bipartisan commission and others are not so sure.

    Freedom of worship is a more narrow term.  It is the ability to hold church services without fear of persecution or reprisal.  That is vital, but it is not enough.

    Freedom of religion is a more broad term, including the freedom to hold services AND the freedom to educate your children in your faith, publish material to promote your faith, teach in a way that would convert others to your faith and to reach out in times of disaster with compassionate care.  Those are all vital aspects of the Christian religion and other religions as well.

    Let us pray that our President and   others choose their words carefully, and not signal dictatorial regimes in the Middle East and China that the U.S. is stepping back from our historic advocacy for freedom of religion around the world.

     We want you to do a variety of things in life—to learn to drive, to marry, to work full-time, to raise a family, etc., but in God’s time and in a manner that truly benefits you and others.

     When we rush ahead without preparation, we may harm ourselves and others (1 Cor. 11:27).

     If you have not been instructed regarding the Sacrament, please speak with Pastor Armstrong before communing.  He would love to answer questions and speak with you about the nature of this wonderful gift of Christ.

     We want your experience of Christ to be grounded in the  teaching of Christ and His apostles.  You should desire no less.  His table and His teaching are inseparably linked (Acts 2:42).

     To learn more about the historic Christian faith, please attend the Searching Scripture Class this Wednesday evening, 6:00-7:30pm.  A light supper is served for your convenience.

     Not only the culture, but the [Lutheran???] state church in that country persecutes the true Lutheran faith.

     However, he wrote that even worse than living in an anti-Christian culture is living in a culture which tolerates Christianity.  The ultimate persecution may be no persecution at all.

     Why?  To tolerate something is to marginalize it, to ignore it, essentially.  But when you are hated and persecuted, then you are being listened to and taken seriously.

     We never seek persecution, but perhaps we should be a little more thankful when it eventually comes our way.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”  (Matthew 7:15)

     The greatest danger to you and yours is not terrorism, unemployment, or global warming. It is false teaching.  False teaching is devastating and damning.  It ruins its hearers as well as its own teachers.

     Jesus is our security in this dangerous world.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one can snatch them out of My hand.”  (John 10:27-28)

     Hear Him. Hear Him every Divine Service and hear Him each day in family devotions. Hear and believe the Good News that He lived, died and rose for your sins and that He alone is your righteousness today and on judgment day.

     “If you are to become efficient teachers…it is indispensible that you have a most minute knowledge of all doctrines of the Christian revelation.

     However, having attained such knowledge, you have not yet attained all that is needed.

     What is needed over and above your knowledge of the doctrines is that you know how to apply them correctly.

     You must not only have a clear apperception of the doctrines in your intellect, but all of them must have entered deeply into your heart and there manifested their divine, heavenly power.

     All these doctrines must have become so precious, so valuable, so dear to you, that you cannot but profess with a glowing heart in the words of Paul:  ‘We believe, therefore we have spoken,’ and in the words of all the apostles:  ‘We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’”

from:  The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, 1897.

     Grace Lutheran is privileged to serve as a polling place every primary and general election. Last Tuesday, Carrie Davies and the people of Grace again rose to the occasion to extend a friendly welcome to the voters.
     One of the election supervisors said to me on Tuesday, “This church [Grace Lutheran] is far and away the most hospitable polling place we work with. We want to continue to work with you and maintain a good relationship with your congregation.”
     Hospitality is a vital gift of the Holy Spirit because it reflects the Spirit of Christ who welcomed sinners. Our God is by nature hospitable to all who are lost and undeserving—including each of us!
     As God welcomes you and me through the ministry of His Son, forgiving our sins and counting us as His family, He moves us to welcome others in the same fashion.
     Praise God for all who assisted in last Tuesday’s outreach to the voters and the many outreach activities of Grace.

65% rarely or never pray with others;
65% rarely or never attend worship services;
67% don’t read the Bible or other sacred texts.

     Even among so-called “evangelicals,” who say they have “received Christ” as their Lord and Savior, the percentages are not much better.
     If the trend continues, some say churches will someday be closing faster than GM dealerships.
     One expert noted, “We have dumbed down what it means to be part of the church so much that it means almost nothing, even to people who already say they are part of the church.”
     But…15% of millennials say they are deeply committed to their Christian faith through prayer, Bible study and worship.
     Thank God for that 15%, and pray that God will continue to raise up young adults who not only practice their faith but who will pass it on to their own generation. God can do this and much more through the power of His Word.
     Pray for our young people. We should be confident that God, by His grace, will reverse this trend. I believe He will!

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge
both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together
is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

“It certainly is not possible to comfort a soul unless it hears the Word of its God. But where in all the books is God’s Word except in Scripture? What are we doing by reading other books and letting this one lie? Other volumes may indeed trouble or kill us, but no other book than Scripture is able to comfort us. Scripture alone bears the title which St. Paul gives it, a ‘Book of Comfort’ which can sustain the soul in all tribulation so that it does not despair but keeps on hoping.”
949 “What Luther Says” CPH

“God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

    If your conscience is accusing you, I encourage you to make an appointment with me so that you can hear the Gospel spoken personally to you. Hearing the Good News of our Savior lifts the burden of guilt and enables you to get on with your life. Make an appointment to see me or come by during the fireside chat tonight from 6:30-7:30pm. Anything you share in the privacy of the confessional is kept in the strictest confidence.

“If I live longer, I certainly want to write a book on temptations, for without these a man cannot appreciate Holy Scripture, faith, or the fear and love of God; nay, he who has never been in temptations cannot know what it means to have hope.”
4347 “What Luther Says” CPH

“The gifts of God are surely there, but a still greater gift it is to know and to acknowledge them… The gift above all gifts is Christ with His Word.”

1610 “What Luther Says” CPH