Existence of God aside, this is a free speech argument, like burning the flag. Burning the flag doesn’t actually harm the country. Burning the flag (except for disposal) is a show of ignorance that tells me that the flag burner has no flipping clue about his own rights and the people that died to extend those rights to people who live under that flag. It is a horrible action, but if you are ignorant and angry enough to do it, then I don’t want government to keep me from knowing that you are angry and ignorant.

And there were added that day about three thousand souls?

“So help me God” forces no atheist to believe in God. If a previous President was a closet atheist, then shame on him for not being honest with the American people. He wouldn’t be trying to trick God with “so help me God.”

On the other hand, Newdow and others seek to prevent the President-elect from saying that he would like divine help? How funny is this: we already know that the Messiah asking God for help would be self-referential.  Newdow should be happy, believing in no theological superior himself.

Now if I really wanted to cause an argument, I’d ask whether his belief in black liberation theology, his votes for “Born Alive” abortion, and other issues put him far enough off the course of Christianity that he should ponder swearing on something different than the Bible.

I’ve been getting useful feedback from friends and others who are involved in Christian internet broadcasting and podcasting. “Time Out” doesn’t need to be played at bedtime. There is also no commentary, other than what can be implied from the readings I choose.

“Time Out” will be a reading from Scripture, the Book of Concord, or church fathers. Following that will be one or two hymns, as “live” and as fresh as I can make it.  One might think of it as melodic sushi — perhaps some cutting, but no cooking. I am open to submissions from other musicians, provided that hymns are in the public domain and don’t contain any doctrinal errata. I would love to have performances with and from people I meet on the road.

It is my hope that I can put something out there every 2-3 weeks, but the variety in my road schedule may make for some fun scheduling. You are welcome to check my calendar to see if I am coming to your area.

I think activities like Time Out are beneficial. I could use a show like this. As much as I would love to devote two hours to Issues, Etc., another two hours to Fighting for the Faith, and still more for Table Talk and the God Whisperers, sometimes that just can’t be done.

This first Time Out is 6 minutes, 7 seconds.

Scripture readings will be out of the ESV. My hymns will be primarily out of the Lutheran Service Book, so you might want to keep that handy. There will be Amens.

I hope you’ll enjoy it at least as much as I do making it.

During tonight’s routine, we read the Follow and Do books for the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed. There are six books in the series, one for each chief part of Luther’s Small Catechism, with illustrations and little-kid-level summaries.

The younger twin has most of the summaries down pat and insists I read them. That’s not much of a surprise.

The older one tonight started saying some of the “What does this mean?” sections of the Lord’s Prayer. Tonight she did the parts in italics:

With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.

Stuff I didn’t know until seventh grade, she’s learning before she’s six. How cool is that?

Kinda makes up for the extra couple of times I asked her to help clean up the living room…

I only used one ribbon (Gold) as I had the LSB Accompaniment for the Liturgy to use for the Order of Service, and I didn’t feel like adding extra psalms or prayers for the nearly six-year-olds.

Gold was enough, though. Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs. A stark reminder of how we don’t know when it’s our time, how brutal man can be, the fulfillment of several prophecies, and the death of the ultimate Innocent for our salvation.

The Psalm, the Prayer of the Day, the OT Reading, and the NT Reading were right there for December 28. The TDP had a verse from “Sweet Flowerets of the Martyr Band”, LSB 969. I played and sang the whole thing — it turns out that’s quite a pretty tune. Nice job, guys.

Pr. Weedon has a terrific sermon for the occasion. It is a must read.

Pr. Jeff Hemmer of Jerseyville, IL, has published a list of predictions for the college bowl season based on prooftexting from the Bible.  Some examples:

Alamo - Missouri Tigers over Northwestern Wildcats (1 Cor 10:24): Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
Insight - Kansas Jayhawks over Minnesota Golden Gophers (Is 34:11): But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.

The BCS pick is a groaner:

BCS - Oklahoma Sooners over Florida Gators (Heb 13:18-19): Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

He expects to lose of course, and he should, because he picked Texas over Ohio State!

Enjoy.

Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear; for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear, shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you;
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The babe, the son of Mary!
– “What Child is This”, LSB 370

As the weather warms here, we wish you a blessed Christmas. May you get gifts better than you deserve.

Before we knee-jerk in the affirmative, consider one of the ways we use St. Nicholas of Myra:

You better not shout,
You better not cry;
You better not pout,
I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.

Thus the Santa Hammer: Be good, or we take back presents!

I admit coming close myself with the older girl: “Santa is listening!” As if somehow I’m going to disassemble and send back a present I’m assembling tomorrow afternoon. Is the Toys ‘R’ Us return line on December 26 the kid’s punishment, or the parent’s?

We want our kids to choose good behavior. The looming reward of presents is an added incentive in the parent’s toolbox. What if kids knew they were getting their gifts anyway? Would they act out of thanksgiving for what is to come, or would they abuse the situation?

Even after Christmas comes, we are still in Advent. We still await our final gift, and we don’t get to count down nine days until Christmas. We are no better than a kid who decides to abuse the situation, when we don’t let the full counsel of God rest on us and inform us where we are doing wrong, when the Word clearly says something and we don’t like it.

If God dealt with us with a Santa Hammer, we would be coal for the fire. Instead, he deals with us through the cross. We look ahead, to the next time he announces the forgiveness of our sins, to the increase of our faith through the hearing of his Word and the reception of his sacraments, and finally to his second coming, where there is no secret rapture and all is revealed, where the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised.

Thus I should treat my kids in kind, giving them the law, telling them that they should obey because the presents are coming. They don’t quite fathom the cost, but neither do we fully fathom our purchase price.

Image by Per Ola Wiberg (Powi) via Flickr

During Compline I’ve been picking out an Advent hymn to accompany the office. The last couple of times, I got a request for “Once He Came In Blessing,” LSB 333.

I like “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” for a solo chant, but “Blessing” is a more singable melody in a soft voice, with scales that make a nice lullaby. I’d link a YouTube video or the tune from the Cyberhymnal, but neither do it justice. Perhaps after I get an equipment upgrade, I’ll play it.

Here are the first and last stanzas (the middle two are copyright by CPH):

Once He came in blessing,
All our sins redressing;
Came in likeness lowly,
Son of God most holy;
Bore the cross to save us;
Hope and freedom gave us.

Come, then, O Lord Jesus,
From our sins release us.
Keep our hearts believing,
That we, grace receiving,
Ever may confess You
Til in heav’n we bless You.

Rev. Cripe notes that some doctrinal clarity and specificity is creeping into contemporary music. One of the contemporary hymns we sang Sunday referenced John 6:41-54. I’m glad CCLI writers are starting to pay attention to content. There is still much room for improvement.

The whole article is good, but his question at the end is interesting:

So here’s my question – if much of today’s alternative worship services were begun with the intention of getting back to a simpler, no-frills, first-century style of worship, will the current movement reach the same conclusion of earlier ages – it wasn’t enough?

I’ve not seen contemporary worship sold to congregations as a method to get back to worshiping like we did in the first century. Contemporary worship proponents make their arguments in other ways.

Irish goat, image via Wikipedia

For our congregation, which follows the three-year lectionary, the Gospel was Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and the goats.

The pastor’s sermon was full of sufficient Gospel to choke a horse: you are the blessed, you are the sheep, you are the ones who inherit the kingdom, you are the ones who in Christ perform the deeds God has laid out for you. But there was one splinter of Law that stuck.

Pastor Gau had noted that the goats try to get into heaven with their works. They count everything in order to justify themselves. They are ready with their lists, their cases to go before the Judge of the Universe.

We hope to be sheep. Yet I find myself counting like a goat, not to be justified or to gain entrance into heaven, but counting things in some self-serving sense of “fairness.” It kicks me whenever I have to scrub a bathtub I never use, clean up a mess I didn’t make, or trust that someone is going to help, and then they don’t. I may be a sheep and do all sorts of wonderful good deeds in Christ, but I bleat like a condemned¹ goat.

May the wife and kids forgive me.

¹Or use the appropriate single-syllable word.