The REAL WORLD

With so many reality shows on TV these days, the speediness of technology and the hustle and bustle of everday life it can be hard to come to grips with the reality of life that we face each day. I thought that Dr. Meyer's critique of the real world as noted by the sainted Dr. Oswald Hoffman was a good point for all of us to realize not only today, but for the rest of our lives. We are living in the real world today no matter where we are or who we are. All of us live our lives each day and each and every one of us are going to die some day, regardless of who we are or what we do. Our fates are all sealed the same way, because of the sin we are born into from birth, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
NIV 1 Corinthians 15:55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Continue each day in the Lord and know that He will one day take you home to be with Him as He did so to Dr. Hoffman this past Friday...

Last Thursday Rev. Oswald Hoffmann died. Dr. Hoffmann was one of America’s best known and loved clergymen. For 33 years he was the Speaker of TheLutheran Hour radio program, the world’s oldest syndicated weeklyreligious program. He had a unique voice, I’ve never heard anything likeit, and it conveyed a down-to-earth humanity that he mixed naturally withheavenly optimism centered in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Hoffmann once told me about a preaching tour in Viet Nam during thewar. One day he was struggling over a message he was to deliver to thetroops, not knowing how best to express that good word from God that thetroops needed to hear. He found the way. One of the soldiers told him inconversation that he couldn’t wait to get out of Nam and get back to thereal world. That was it, Dr. Hoffmann told me, that was his message. Soldier, this is the real world. Fightings and fears and death, this isthe real sinful world and it was for this that Jesus Christ came, Christ“who has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light throughthe gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10 ). Resurrection was the part of the messagehe never forgot. Let’s not forget in our versions of the real world!
Copyright © Dale A Meyer 2005
http://www.daleameyer.com

New Orleans Tribute and Plea

Unless you have traveled to New Orleans or spent time living there, the events of August 29th and the following days may seem a little far off. I lived there for about a year and in that time had the blessing to get to know many committed Christians. New Orleans is a wonderful city. I hope I will never have to say "was". It is my belief that if the state and city governments weren't so corrupt, the city would have been prepared for Katrina. Hurricane Ivan, which spared New Orleans, gave the city a dress rehearsal. It was discovered at that time that there was a lot of work to be done to speed evacuation. Improvements did happen. I do not want to speculate why the leeves broke and the city flooded, more than to say I believe that investigations into the boards operating the leeves would provide many interesting explanations.


Back to the People of New Orleans. New Orleans is a city not without trouble. For many years it lead the country in per-capita murders. Even in the suburbs last year, I did not feel safe walking outside at night. However there were many, many good people there. Last week my heart ached and it still does for the people I met there. If there were not people of God there, I would not feel this way. The picture on this entry is from Atonement Lutheran where I taught last year. I am forever grateful for the love and ecouragement they shared with me. Even after they knew I'd be leaving after only one teaching, they still showered me with gifts and good wishes. I love those people, and I hope you can too. They know the power of God to bring good from evil and they working hard to extend God's kingdom in a part of the country that needed His light.

Please donate money and work to help these people. After Ivan, Atonement sent work crews over to a church and school in Pensacola, FL, on various weekends. The Lutherans of the Southern District know how to help their brothers in need and they know how to work through hard times to bring Christ to people in need. I think that if you have the time and energy, God would bless your efforts to help the churches and schools of the LCMS's Southern District. For more information about how you can help, check out www.lwr.org and www.lcms.org. May God bless you as He moves in your heart.

The Lutheran Community Mourns...

The Lutheran Community mourns the death of one of its beloved clergyman. Here's a little bit of history about Dr. Hoffman and what he did as a Lutheran preacher to impact both our American nation and the world for Christ.

OHSCO Namesake Oswald Hoffmann Dies at 91
Rev. Dr. Oswald Hoffmann (’32), namesake of the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach (OHSCO) at Concordia died Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005. He was 91. Hoffmann dedicated more than 60 years to his lifelong mission of teaching, preaching and sharing the Christian Gospel across the U.S. and throughout the world. A 1932 graduate of Concordia University, St. Paul, Hoffmann is the namesake of the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach (OHSCO) at Concordia. OHSCO was founded in 1984 as a center for evangelism and mission studies where students are trained for professional outreach ministries. It is the only school of its kind in the Concordia University System to train Director of Christian Outreach students.

Hoffmann was widely known as the speaker on the weekly radio broadcast “The Lutheran Hour,” a post he held from 1955 until his retirement in 1988, earning him the moniker as a “Sunday morning institution.” He launched his career as a pastor and college educator. From 1948 to 1963, Hoffmann served the LCMS as director of its newly created department of Public Relations, establishing offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, Mo., and supervising 350 volunteer public relations representatives across the U.S. He was recognized for his manifold service to the church by numerous awards and honors. He was named “Clergyman of the Year” and later was inducted in 1999 into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was an author and gifted speaker who, nearly 20 year into his retirement, continued to fulfill a steady stream of preaching and public speaking engagements. In his latest public appearance, Hoffmann addressed the 88th international convention of the International Lutheran Laymen's League, held July 28-30, in Topeka, Kan., taking part in an event kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 75th anniversary of "The Lutheran Hour,” where he told convention-goers about his 33 years of service, "I didn't do anything special. I just told the Good News. I'm still willing to do that. I look back with great thanksgiving -- for myself and for all of the other people who benefited from the Good News of the Gospel."

The public memorial for Hoffmann will be held on Friday, Sept. 16, at 11 a.m., at Concordia Lutheran Church in Kirkwood, Mo. Details about a memorial service to be held locally will be provided as they become available. The family requests that memorials in Hoffmann’s honor go to Lutheran Hour Ministries or Concordia Lutheran Church (Hoffmann’s home church).

A New Book with a long History...

I recently bought a new book that was published by Concordia Publishing House this year of 2005. It's a Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord--The Confessional Writings of the Lutheran Church. Every Lutheran who is true to the roots of their Confessional heritage and wants to stay true to what the Bible truly teaches should have a copy of this book in their home and read it diligently along with the Bible, which is the only source and norm for our lives. Here is what Dr. C.F.W. Walther said about the importance of every Lutheran layman having a copy of the Book of Concord:

The Book of Concord should be in every Lutheran home. For that reason our church should provide a good, inexpensive copy, and pastors should see to it that every home has one. If a person isn’t familiar with this book, he’ll think, “That old book is just for pastors. I don’t have to preach. After working all day, I can’t sit down and study in the evening. If I read my morning and evening devotions, that’s enough.” No, that is not enough! The Lord doesn’t want us to remain children, who are blown to and fro by every wind of doctrine; instead of that, He wants us to grow in knowledge so that we can teach others. (Essays for the Church, Vol. II, pg. 51).

With several English translations of the Book of Concord available, why create Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions?
There are various translations and editions of other texts for the church, most notably the Bible. Therefore, it is understandable that there will be, and should be, several editions of the Book of Concord. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions is unique and unlike any other edition presently available because of its wealth of supplemental materials specifically included for the lay reader.
I recommend this book to all of you who want to find out more about what the Lutheran Confessions teach and confess so that you too may be ready to give an answer for the faith that you have in Jesus Christ our Lord!

In Honor of September 11th

This is an excerpt from one of my Seminary Professors and now PRESIDENT of Concordia Seminary--Dr. Dale A. Meyer. He comments on the existence of evil in our world. Evil still is among us. As long as sin remains in this world, as it will until the second coming of Christ, we will live amongst the evil that is both outside of us and within us because of the sin that we are born into. May we take this time as a nation to reflect on the Sept. 11th attacks and on the devastation that happened during Hurricane Katrina. May we begin to see just how dependent we are upon a God that truly does love us amidst the evil that surrounds us in our world today.

We thought it must be an accident, a plane off course, but then came thenews: A second plane, a second tower. What happened was more than couldbe understood that day, that year, even four years later.

Back then we had let ourselves believe that people are basically good. The buildings hit. People jump to their deaths. People like us fleeingfor their lives. There is evil, and evil lives in people. Are more andmore of us forgetting that painfully learned lesson?

"God, where are You?" we asked and we still wonder.
He was there. "God sits high but looks low." He looks down in therubble, down with the sobbing souls. The Most High who came down to thecross is with the victims of every tragedy, with the crushed whatever thecause, with you, with me.

It is time again this weekend to be quiet, to remember that there are two sides, good and evil, and to be determined for which side you will work. "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lordtests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who lovesviolence. The Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the uprightshall behold His face" (Psalm 11:3,5,8).

Copyright © Dale A Meyer 2005
http://www.daleameyer.com

The truth is that this is the very reason that Christ came to die for all of our sins. So that one day we may be taken from this world of devastation, chaos, pain and death. It's on that day we will no longer deal with the effects of sin that cause us to be alienated from one another, bondage or addiction to material possessions, drugs etc..., disobeidence to God and one another, meaninglessness to life, the evil that happens both outside with natural disasters and other human sources, weakness or failure of self and finally death... JESUS CHRIST HAS OVERCOME ALL OF THIS FOR US. HE HAS FREED US FROM THE EFFECTS OF SIN. NOW WE ARE ABLE TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER!

THE LUTHERAN SONG by "Lost and Found"

In honor of chief justice William Rehnquist I would like to let you know about the many Lutherans that have impacted our world throughout the centuries. Here is a song by the group "Lost and Found" who first sang this at the ELCA national youth gathering. I am a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod member and am currently a vicar (pastoral intern) in Faith Lutheran, BAY CITY, MI, but I still like this song a lot because it has made me proud to say that I am a Lutheran!!! Enjoy... If you want me to e-mail you the song so you can here it I can do that to--just ask me in the comment part of this section of my blog and leave your e-mail address and I will be more than happy to send it to you.


Lyle Lovett, John Mellencamp, Ace Frehley of KISS, St. Olaf, Henry Muhlenberg and Gustavus Adolphus, '89 and 1992's Miss America, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court--William Rehnquist, we swear-ica.

Bruce Willis, Lonnie Anderson, David Hasselhoff, William Hurt and William H. Macey, Kris Kristofferson are Lutherans. And on the late night TV screen, Andy Richter could tell somebody "what does this mean?"

Steve Jobs of the Apple computer, Gary Larson of the Far Side cartoon, and Three different astronauts who flew shuttles toward the moon, Dave Winfield and NASCAR's Dales, Earnhardt and Jarrett, each had an acolyte gown and were happy to wear it.

Tim Johnson, Fritz Hollings, Paul Simon and Ed Meece, all have been known to sing a little "this is the feast." You know who likes his potluck dinner? Who? Troy Aikman the Super Bowl winner, Governors of Indiana, Minnesota, Wyoming, Kansas, Idaho, Montana and Tennessee, And Pachelbel, you know, with a Canon in D.

And Woody from Cheers and Cindy McTee--these all sing a little Lutheran liturgy. Elke Sommer, Martin Marty and Lucas Cranach, The Old Albert Schwietzer, Soren Kierkegaard and Dag Hammerskold.

Sally Struthers, Anne Margaret, and J.A.O. Preuss, Mary Hart, Garrison Keiller--Lake Wobegon's voice. Liv Ullman, Tom Landry, Professor Pelikan whose name is Jaroslav. Pauls -- Gerhardt, Manz and Meir and Stormin' Norman Schwartzkopf.

Robert Cade, the Gatorade maker, Johannes Keppler and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Martin Luther wasn't born a Lutheran and that might be a shock, but Mark Hansen was and April Larson and Johann Sebastian Bach.

There are foods that Lutherans adopt, for example, the pretzel, Dana Carvey is a Lutheran, now "isn't that special?" (Music interlude) Yes, these all are Lutherans but still only just a few, cause the most notable Lutherans of all are every single one of you!!!

My first sermon preached at Faith Lutheran in Bay City, MI

“A Restored Relationship” (Based on Matthew 18:15-20)
16th Sunday After Pentecost

Grace Mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; today’s message comes from the Gospel of Matthew 18:15-20. In this Gospel Jesus reminds us about the importance of restoring our relationships with one another because He has restored our relationship with God.

1. Have you ever found it hard to forgive someone when they did something wrong to you? Maybe you felt betrayed, angry or sad when you found out about it. What did you do when you learned what they did to you? I know that there were many times when I was young that I got angry at my two younger brothers for teasing me. It was hard to deal with them at times and I admit I didn’t always handle the situation as well as I could have. In fact, there were many times when I didn’t follow Jesus’ teaching on reconciling and restoring relationships in Matthew 18:15-20. Jesus says in Matthew 18:15, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. Instead of talking to my brothers about how I felt and trying to win them over, I retaliated either by telling on them or I went ahead and began a fight. Needless to say both of those reactions are not what Christ calls us to do in Matthew 18.

2. So, how do we apply what Christ teaches us to do in Christian love to our neighbors, family members and friends in a way that shows love and forgiveness? Let’s take a moment to learn what Christ is teaching us. Before Jesus speaks about how Christians should reconcile their differences with one another, He teaches the disciples the parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:10-14. In the parable Jesus compares the Shepherd who searches out for the lost sheep to our Father in Heaven who sent Jesus into the world to find the lost sheep. Based on our understanding of Scripture from Psalm 23, John 14:1-10 & Ezekiel 34:23-24 Jesus has found each and every one of us through His death on the cross and restored our relationship with God. His resurrection proves that He has overcome the devil, the world and our own sinful natures that only seek to separate us from a relationship with God. Through His death on the cross, Jesus has restored the relationship between God and humanity.

3. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 describes Jesus’ work of reconciliation, that is restoring our relationship with God, in this way: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” Now some of you may be saying, “Vicar Taggatz, what does the ministry of reconciliation mean? The ministry of reconciliation means that Christ has enabled us to forgive one another through His death on the cross. He takes us from being hostile enemies of God to being God’s children.

4. He’s even given to the church the authority to forgive and to retain people’s sins. We call this the OFFICE OF THE KEYS as many of us have learned in Catechism class. To retain the sins of those who do not repent and want to change their ways and to forgive the sins of those who recognize that they have done wrong both to God and to their neighbors. It’s only through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that we are able to forgive one another for our sins of stealing, lying, cheating, saying swear words and taking our God’s name in vain. The list can go on and on and on. So shout out to God an AMEN, because He’s forgiven all of us for our sins no matter what we’ve done with “no strings attached.”

5. For this reason we’re able to reach out to those who don’t know Jesus and warn them of their own sins. These people may be a co-worker, a loved one who doesn’t know Jesus as their Savior or it could even be your next door neighbor. We can tell them that Jesus has forgiven them of their sin and that He too will give them the faith that promises eternal life. Through baptism Jesus has given to all of us new life. Through the visible sign of water that symbolizes that God has cleansed us of all our sins and the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” we’re made children of God. We’re now heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven and we’ve been transformed from once being enemies of God to being His friends. Now we can restore our relationships with one another. Yes it’s true. Jesus has restored the relationship between God and humanity.

6. Have you ever seen the movie “Good Company?” Well, I have and I think that it gives to us an example about how conflict can come up between different people in our everyday lives. Dan Foreman is a hard working advertising sales executive for Sports America magazine. In the movie a large corporation purchases his magazine’s parent company and Dan loses the current position he once had. Can you imagine it? After 20 years at his post, Dan is now forced to be second in command to his new boss a 20-something year old Carter Duryea. Even though Dan has been demoted in his job he can still go home to his loving family. However, Carter’s life is in shambles. Even though he’s successful in his job he doesn’t know how to be a good husband, what it takes to be a good salesman and an upright citizen. In fact, in the movie Carter loses his wife, begins a relationship with Dan’s oldest daughter Alex and threatens to break apart the business relationship that Dan and Carter have with the magazine.

7. The film Good Company reminds us about the daily conflicts that come up in our lives due to the relationships we have as co-workers, family, friends and the like. The truth is that God has made us social creatures, but sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. It’s because of our disobedience that we aren’t able to live in harmony with one another. However, Jesus reminds us that it’s only through Him that our relationships can be restored. In fact, in Matthew 18:18-20 Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." That’s why Jesus calls us in Matthew 18:15 to win our brother over. To show them their sin and to tell them that we forgive them for it in the name of Jesus. It’s for this reason that we’re able to come together as a body of believers to worship Jesus in Spirit and in truth.

8. Jesus is reminding us in Matthew 18:15-20 that one of the most important things in life is about building relationships. I hope that all of you bring home with you today this message, that Jesus has broken down the barrier that was once between us and God and it’s only because of this that we’re able to restore our relationships with one another. Your probably wondering what happened to Carter and Dan in the film. In the end of the movie Dan forgave Carter for going behind his back and dating his oldest daughter Alex. The two became good friends and they actually fulfilled an important business deal. However, Dan Foreman was just a good and moral person. Can you imagine what his relationship with Carter would have been like if he was also a Christian? Dan could have showed him how Jesus had also restored Carter’s relationship with God. Because it’s only through Jesus that we’re able to truly live in harmony with one another.

9. Jesus has put people in our lives to mold and shape who we are as Christians. He has made them to be examples for us in how we live our lives. That person may be a pastor, a teacher, a parent or a friend. One thing that Matthew 18 does show to us for today is the importance of showing our brothers and sisters in Christ their faults so that they may continue to live for God and in obedience to Him. It’s for the sake of the Gospel that we may be able to live in harmony with one another and continue to worship Jesus in Spirit and truth. Our Heavenly Father want us to learn as much as we can from our life’s mentors and teachers, those people that correct us of our sin and discipline us to live an upright Christian life. My prayer for all of you is that you do the same in your lives with the people you come into contact with.

10. May each of us as we go on our way today hold Matthew 18 as a guide for how we carry out our relationships with one another. As you interact in your relationships remember that it’s only through Jesus that we’re able to forgive one another, because He first forgave us through His death on the cross. If someone sins against you go to them on your own and tell them of their sin. If that doesn’t work go and get some friends and approach the person in Christian love prodding him or her to repent and change their ways. If that doesn’t work take it to the church in hopes that the person may repent and ask God to change their ways. Bill Hybels once said that, “The mark of community--true biblical unity--is not the absence of conflict but the presence of a reconciling spirit. May this be the goal for all of us! Jesus has restored the relationship between God and humanity. NOW YOU ARE ABLE TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH ONE ANOTHER. Amen & Thanks be to God!!!
(For further reference See:) Ro 12:5; 1 Co 1:10; 1 Pe 3:8.

-My first sermon went pretty well. Although, I could have been a little bit more prepared from a memorization standpoint. I hope all of you who read this are doing well.