Immanuel Lutheran Church

You can provide mercy!  You can make a difference... with a contribution.

The Board for Human Care invites you to make use of the Mercy Box.  It is located on a shelf next to the kitchen "pass through."  You will find envelopes marked with areas of need.  Please place a check made out to "Immanuel Lutheran Church" with a memo appropriate to your contribution.  There are families experiencing difficult times in need!  Prisoners in need!  A community in need of God's Word!  Families who've suffered disasters in need!

The Creator instituted government as a means whereby He wills to preserve and order life in community among fallen men.  It is an interim structure, designed to direct and regulate the political relationships among men during the interval between the Fall and the Lord's return (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). 

Government and the church are two different institutions.  Government was instituted by God to uphold order and provide justice.  Scripture assigns to it the twofold task of rewarding the good citizens and punishing the evildoer (Romans 13:3-5; 1 Peter 2:15).

The opportunitities for carrying out the responsibilities of Christian citizenship vary according to the strength of the church in a given society.  For example, opportunities for Christians in Iraq or China are very different from those of Christians in the U.S.  Opportunities also vary according to the form of government under which Christians live.  Christians have maximum opportunities for service in an open society, which is understood by the LC-MS to be that kind of nation whose citizens have some meaningful control over their political destinies.

As individual citizens, they share in the responsibility of government because we are a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."  They seek political office and exercise the right to vote; participate in the life and work of voluntary organizations (political parties, civic organizations, etc.); and help shape the content and activity of the "marketplace," that is to say they make known their own views in community discussion and activity in such a way that reflects concern for the application of moral principle to political issues.

As members of a church body, Christian engage in public prayer for government.  They contribute to the strengthening of the two foundation principles of an open society: respect for the individual citizen as a person and the limitation of political power by means of various checks and balances.  They do this by: teaching the specific content of the Moral Law as it comes from God's "higher law," alerting themselves to the role of the "higher law" and extending justice and freedom on the basis of the moral principle, sharpening consciences to respect law and strengthen civic order, furthering justic by serving as responsible critics of the social order, preserving the proper distinction between the things of Caesar and those of God, reminding rulers that they are under God and the Law, and exhibiting and encouraging the practice of that kind of self discipline which proceeds from concern for the welfare of one's neighbor (Philippians 2:4) and nation.  

Members of the a church body are called to actively engage in the extension of justice by advocating the passage of just laws, the rescission of unjust laws, and the responsible enforcement of all law.

To watch a YouTube of LCMS Rev. Jonathan Fisk explaining Lutheranism and homosexuality, please visit: Worldview Everlasting

When a newspaper features two young men kissing on their "wedding" day as a front page photo and feature article, how should the Body of Christ respond?   First, we must not do harm with insensitive words.  Second, and better than arguing, we are compelled to ask questions that help us all think.

In light of God's Word:

1. Who is the Creator of man?  Woman?  Marriage?  Family?
2. Can any two people who "love each other" marry?  What is God's definition of marriage?
3. Mercy is shown by God to generations of those who love Him.  How do generations come to be?  Is a homosexual lifestyle generational?
4. Do I have the "right" to do whatever I want or feel like doing?
5. When does my perceived "right" place my neighbor in harm's way?
6. Many people in both the Old and New Testaments tried to "do whatever was right in their own eyes."  What were the consequences?
7. Faithfulness and fidelity strengthens a marriage.  What are the statistics on monogamy vs. promiscuity in homosexual relationships?
8. Male and female are equal, but different.  How are we anatomically different?  How do "parts" best fit together and for what generational purpose?
9. "Choose life . . ." says God.  Considering statistics from multiple sources, who experiences a healthier and more hopeful life: a married and faithfully monogamous man and woman, or two men ("married" or not) who believe in multiple relationships?
10. What lesson, value, and hope for the future of families and children is being taught when behavior is celebrated that flies in the face of the Holy God?

Jesus reached out to those caught in sinful behaviors that could not please the Father.  It grieved Him to see anyone separated from their Creator.  So, with amazing love, he became the only necessary sacrifice to reconcile sinful people with the Holy God.  We ponder His death on Good Friday.  Then, on Easter -- and all year long, we rejoice in His resurrection and victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil.

We cannot fly in the face of the Holy God who created men, women, and marriage without suffering consequences.  But, there is abundant mercy and hope from God in Jesus Christ who says to us, "I do not condemn you; go, and sin no more" (John 8:11).  God's Word in Psalm 51:17 says, "A broken and contrite heart, these O God, You will not despise."

Homosexuality and same-sex "marriage" divides families and communities.  The Body of Christ is called to speak the Truth in love.  For resources that honor God's Word, visit The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (Human Care), Focus on the Family, The Family Research Council, American Family Association, and Exodus International.

PLEASE PRAY that Christians respond to difficult human problems in a way that glorifies God and respects His creation... in Jesus' name.

Six years after Terri Schindler-Schiavo was dehydrated and starved to death, her family is winning the battle to prevent discrimination against people with cognitive disabilities.  The Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network has helped with over 200 cases since Terri's death.  For example, Jesse Ramirez fell out of a moving car during an argument with his wife in 2000.  Days later, his estranged wife wanted to withdraw his feeding tube and hydration.  Jesse was without food and water for five days when his parents won in court the right to continue his nutrition and hydration.  Jesse regained consciousness within two weeks and later walked out of the hospital.  "Basic food and water are removed from people every day," says Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother.  "Something that would have been considered barbaric 10-20 years ago is now considered ordinary."

Please pray for the work of the New Beginnings Community Center for Brain Injury Rehabilitation Facility in Medford, N.Y., which opened in 2011 to care for people who are not dying but require sustained care -- people who might be rejected from hospitals as "futile care" such as returning veterans with traumatic brain injuries . . . in Jesus' name.  Amen.

It's common to hear one refrain over and over.  The more it's repeated, the more people believe it.  But, it's a lie.  The lie is this: that we and the leaders we elect must choose between social/moral issues and economic issues.

In other words, anyone who wants to be elected to any public office should remain quiet about things like marriage, the sanctity of human life, religious liberty, and other "annoying" issues that "distract us from focusing on importants matters" like the economy.

But, dare we ignore the connection between moral issues and the economy?  One presidential candidate said, "Yes, [the election] is about growth and economy, [but] it's also about what is at the core of our counry . . . faith and family.  You can't have a strong economy, you can't have limited government if the family is breaking down and we don't live good, moral, and decent lives."

Moral behavior and ethical choices have a huge impact on the economy.  This same candidate explains, "Young men who grow up in homes without fathers are twice as likely to end up in jail as those who come from traditional two-parent families."  And "70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes."  What about education?  Chuck Colson and those who work with prison ministry report that 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.  Children from low-income, two-parent families outperform students from high-income, single-parent families.

Do you think that crime rates, incarceration, low educational achievement, classes on "how to practice safe sex" rather than "how to wait until marriage," rewards for not getting married but having children, and nationalized abortion which has removed 53 million tax-payers and consumers affect the economy and government spending?  Statistics and logic prove they do.

The church is needed to help the culture be stronger.  Healthier.  More vibrant and hopeful.  It can do that by rejecting the lie that economic and moral issues are separate.  It can do that by helping to repair a crumbling moral foundation.  God's Word speaks to moral issues of our day.  He designed marriage and the family structure for the benefit of communities... even nations.  To ponder more, please visit www.breakpoint.or or www.frc.org

PLEASE PRAY for the courage to help build a healthier and thriving economy on a strong moral foundation . . . in Jesus' name and for the sake of future generations.

C.S. Lewis, the great Christian thinker, has a lot to say about social morality.  He notes that many people believe the church ought to lead and affect society.  By that, they mean the institution or even the clergy of the church.  But, this isn't true.  It is not the institution of the church that changes society.  It is each individual Christian.  The institutional church cares for our mortal soul.  But, each Christian lives in a way that affects society.

C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, explains that society isn't going to be what we want it to be until each of us really wants it.  We, however, are not going to want it until we become fully Christian.  Too many of us, Lewis observes, aren't trying to find out what Christianity really says and means; we are, instead, trying to find support in Christianity for our own views.

Lewis reminds us that we are called by Jesus to love our neighbor as ourselves.  But, we can't really learn to love our neighbor as ourselves until we learn to love God.  And, we can't learn to love God except by learning to obey Him.

Lewis points out that each Christian has his or her own particular "blueprint" for affecting society.  He -- and Martin Luther -- call it our vocation.  We affect society by obeying God and loving our neighbor in our vocation.  Our vocations include parenting, homemaking, law, medicine, agriculture, business, and public service.  Each individual Christian who fears and loves God also loves his neighbor and, thus, affects society.

To learn more, read either Luther's Small Catechism or Large Catechism.  You may also find practical sense for Christian living in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  E-mail revbeisel@hotmail.com for more suggestions.

PLEASE PRAY that the Holy Spirit will lead each Christian to trust all of God's Word and use it for daily living, in all walks of life and to Jesus' glory.

To be "racist" is to be contrary to who God is, what He has created, what He has done through Jesus Christ, and how He wants His people to live.  God tells us that He created humans in His image -- male and female (Genesis 1:27).  From that first man and woman came all the people of the world: Adam and Eve's sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4), Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:17-19), and all the people at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:8-9).  At that time, God caused the people to spread out across the earth.  In the New Testament, we read: "From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth . . ." (Acts 17:26).  There is only one race: the human race!

To be sure, there are different people groups, cultures, and ethnicities.  There are Irish, Norwegian, and Chinese people.  There are Germans, Nigerians, and Polynesians.  But, there is only one race: the human race!

Evolution opposes God's creation of one race.  Darwin introduced the idea of racism by claiming that different groups or races evolved at different times.  Followers of Darwin believe that some people are more like their "ape-like ancestors" than others.  The Australian Aborigines, for example, were considered to be the "missing link" between an ape-like ancestor and the rest of mankind.  That resulted in terrible prejudices and injustices.  Racism increased following the social acceptance of evolution.

As Christians, we believe that all human beings in the world are Homo sapiens.  More and more scientists agree that race is a social construct derived mainly from perceptions conditioned by events of recorded history.  These scientists say the word "race" should be abandoned because it's meaningless.  Christians know that using such a term can also be harmful.  History proves what happens when we put people into categories and try to suppress them.

The Bible doesn't use the word "race."  It does, however, tell us that we're all related, for all human beings are descendants of the first man Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45).  Because Jesus Christ also became a descendant of Adam, being called the "last Adam" (15:45), this is why the Gospel should be preached to all tribes and nations.  The Christian can recognize that it is sin that causes the idea of "race" to divide one human being from another.  But, the Christian also knows that it is Jesus Christ who died to save us from sin and to restore the relationship between God and His beloved creation.

What can we teach our children about human beings of every tribe and nation?  In Jesus Christ, we learn that racism and Christianity are poor companions.  Christians who believed this were instrumental in abolishing slavery and speaking up against the Holocaust.  They can be instrumental in defending all human life today.

To learn more, please visit: www.creationinstruction.org (the website of LCMS instructor Brian Young) or order One Blood from www.answersingenesis.org

PLEASE PRAY that Christians everywhere trust God's Word and, in so doing, help remove harmful ideas of "racism."  Pray that the Holy Spirit change hearts, minds and behavior... in Jesus' name.

Planned Parenthood (PP) began as the dream of Margaret Sanger, a pro-eugenic, pro-abortion advocate.  From 1920-22, Sanger launched the American Birth Control League (ABCL), the forerunner of PP.  This organization was founded to maintain a so-called "fit" nation or, in the words of Sanger, "breed a race of thoroughbreds."  After the Nazi horrors, the ABCL changed its name to Planned Parenthood.

Today, PP pressures governments to limit births, advocate homosexuality (as a form of population or birth control), and mentor sexually-uninhibited youth.  A predominant number of PP's "health centers" are set up in low income, black, and Hispanic neighborhoods.  Our tax dollars fund PP.  To learn  how PP mentors youth, visit www.teenwire.com  Do you agree or disagree with their worldview?  Does it honor God?  

What is Planned Parenthood doing in Iowa?  Listen to Rev. Ken Klaus from Lutheran Hour Ministries Men's Network explain how Planned Parenthood of Iowa is prescribing abortion pills to girls and women without them seeing a doctor.  Go to: www.lhmmen.com/baloneyvideo.asp?id=15064&mode=low 

PLEASE PRAY for courageous options that counter PP such as the Lighthouse Center of Hope here in Iowa Falls.  Pray in Jesus' name.

Many claim there is no such thing as truth.  The "self-evident truth" spoken of by Thomas Jefferson, for example, is said to be "outdated" and "a dangerous myth."  But, God's Word is Truth.  God's Word speaks about Truth being 'self-evident" in Romans 2:15:  They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

In most societies, there is a conflict between those who are dependent on Truth (the Word of the Triune God) and those who are dependent on man.  Many leaders and politicans win the support of people by appealing to the basest part of us: hate, envy, greed, and dissatisfaction.  Hitler, for example, stirred the German people to a hatred of the Jews by making them a scapegoat for the financial woes that had befallen the German nation.  He stirred up hatred, dissatisfaction and envy among supposedly Christian men and women.  In doing so, the people were seduced away from the dependency on God and became, instead, a people dependent upon a man.  

Rebelling against God requires lies and deception.  It requires the reduction of human beings from their valued position as creations of God to mere accidents of nature.  It requires a concerted effort to pit people against one another: black against white, rich against poor.  It requires encouragement of immorality -- sexual promiscuity, abortion, easy divorce -- because dissolute, dysfunctional people who have crossed the moral line and thus become estranged from the moral law of God now need the "god" of socialist government.

People who love power are always ready to step in and feed us lies and illusions.  Hitler said that if you feed the people big lies long enough, they will believe them.  But, we can only accept the lies when we avoid the Truth.  For example, a woman who's in denial that she ended her baby's life by way of abortion may be more easily attracted by the deception of a pro-abortion church body or politican defending abortion as a cherished constitutional right.  Leaders who love power and reject the Triune God often create a constant state of crisis.  In this way, people are overwhelmed and tempted to put their trust in man or government rather than the Creator and REdeemer, Jesus Christ.

Lutherans know that evil comes from pride, arrogance, envy; in other words, original sin (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:1-12; 6:12).  Thus, we can't trust human nature (Romans 7:15-20).  William Penn said, "If man is not governed by God,  he will be ruled by tyrants."  Freedom apart from God is just an illusion of pride.  This is because we are at war with our conscience.

People who depend on God are equipped to build civilization and serve others.  Everywhere the wind of Christianity blows, cultures become more vibrant and productive.  In a decaying Rome, it was Christians who established hospitals, hospice care, and orphanages.  It is Christians who honor "one man-one woman" marriage and, thus, protect a nation's most prized natural resource: children.  Dependent on God, we are able to do the good works already prepared for us, in Christ, to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).

An excellent and helpful book is How Evil Works by David Kupelian (www.amazon.com)

PLEASE PRAY that the Holy Spirit grow your faith and trust in God's Word for it is Wisdom, morality, good judgment, and righteousness for daily living . . . In Jesus' name. 

What does God -- the Judge of all Creation -- say?  After He created man and then woman, God announced the institution of marriage: For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh (Genesis 2:24 RSV).  (God established two other institutions, the church and the government.)  God, in His wisdom, knew what was best for mankind and society.  He said, It is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18).  So He made for Adam a helper, encourager, friend and lover -- and then commanded them to be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth (Genesis 9:7 RSV).

If we depart from God's plan, do consequences exist?  God's design for marriage has been the bedrock of culture around the world.  5000 years of recorded history give evidence that civilization has been built upon God's institution of marriage.  The institution of marriage represents the very foundation of human social order.  Everything of value sits on that base... including the value of children.  When this bedrock is weakened, society begins to crumble.  Tampering with God's design, as proven in the Netherlands and Belgium, spells doom for the family and everything related to it.  God's Word warns against all harmful forms of sexual behavior -- including premarital sex, adultery, prostitution, incest, pedophilia, and homosexuality -- because such practices wound ourselves and others.

How does the Christian respond to the following questions?

1. Isn't this a civil rights issue?  No.  Homosexual activists often use this argument, but more and more black leaders are speaking out against it.  Being "African-American," for example, defines one's skin color and ethnic heritage.  Being homosexual defines one's sexual behavior or practice.  This is not a civil rights issue; rather, it is a health issue.  The practice of homosexuality is high risk behavior as documented by the National Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
2. Shouldn't any two people who love each other be committed to one another?  Sure, and people do it all the time but we don't necessarily call it marriage.  Friends are committed to one another, a parent is committed to a child, and grandparents are committed to grandchildren.  All of these are forms of love and require commitment.  None of those commitments are marriage.
3. What is the reality of same-sex marriage?  The legalization of same-sex marriage will quickly destroy the traditional family because the younger generation becomes confused about sexual identity and loses its understanding of lifelong commitment, emotional bonding, sexual purity, the role of children, and the "sanctity" of marriage.  Marriage is reduced to a partnership with attractive benefits and sexual convenience.  The goal of homosexual activists is to push for all the legal benefits of marriage (custody rights, tax-free inheritance, joint ownership of property, health care and spousal citizenship, etc.) without limiting the number of partners or their gender.
4. Who will suffer most from legalized same-sex marriage?   Children will.      
5. Isn't it true that what kids need most are loving parents, regardless of whether the parent is a  mother or father?  No.  Children need a loving mother and father.  Thirty years of research have proven that the most loving mother in the world cannot teach a little boy how to be a man.  Likewise, the most loving man cannot teach a little girl how to be a woman.  Little boys and girls need the loving daily influence of both male and female parents to become who they are meant to be.
6. Aren't homosexuals born that way?  Isn't it therefore intolerant to prohibit them from marrying?  There have been many attempts by researchers to prove that homosexuals are born that way.  None has proven the case.
7. Isn't banning same-sex marriage like banning interracial marriage?  Not at all!  Being black or white, Hispanic or Asian, is not like being homosexual.  
8. Haven't we seen all kinds of family diversity in various civilizations throughout history?  No.  Anthropologists tell us that every human society is established by males and females joining in permanent unions to build a life together and to bear and raise children.  The differences we see in family from culture to culture are primarily variations on this model: how long the male and female stay together, how many spouses either can have, and how the work is divided.  But there has never been a culture or society that made homosexual marriage normative.
9. How does a same-sex marriage threaten any one else's marriage?  Homosexual activists want a new national policy saying that having a mom and dad is no better than having two moms or two dads.  That policy would turn some very important issues upside down.  Marriage would become merely an emotional relationship that is flexible enough to include any grouping of loving adults.  If it's fair for two men or two women to marry, then why  not three or five or seventeen?
10. Doesn't the increase in divorce prove that traditional marriage isn't doing so well?  Is the answer to erase marriage laws?  We have laws against murder, but people still commit murder.  Do we erase murder laws?  Of course not!  When laws aren't working, legislators try to fix them.  We should work to strengthen marriage.  Same-sex marriage, like "no-fault" divorce, is a social experiment that cannot strengthen marriage, family, or society.
11. Isn't the Christian called to show compassion and understanding?  Can we deny happiness to a homosexual or lesbian? If someone is heading off a cliff, the compassionate response is to try to stop him, not allow him to fall off and then treat his injuries.  It is the height of compassion for people of Christ to oppose this societal disaster -- with its litany of pain and suffering.
12. What can the Christian do?  Respectfully urge your legislator to move quickly to pass a constitutional amendment protecting marriage in Iowa.  Support the Federal Marriage Amendment by writing your Congressman.  Write a letter to the editor.  Talk to your family and friends.  Share information.  Do a Bible study.  Pray.  For more information, visit:  Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, The Alliance for Marriage, or the American Family Association.   (Appreciation for much of the information gleaned for this section is given to Dr. James Dobson and his book "Marriage Under Fire: Why We Must Win This Battle".)

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them (Mark 10:13).  Why did they do it?  Why did the disciples attempt to keep little children from Jesus?  They must have believed they had a good reason -- the children would be an inconvenience.  Rape, incest, fetal abnormality, the mother's life -- many today believe these are the reasons for most abortions.  Not so!  The sad truth is that 93% of abortions are performed because the child is perceived as an inconvenience.

Studies show the top three reasons for abortion are: 1) "A baby at this time would interfere with work, school, or other responsibilities."  2) "I cannot afford a baby."  3) "I do not want to be a single parent," or "I'm having problems" with husband or partner.  (Source: The Alan Guttmacher Institute 2/2000)

Jesus loved His disciples and would forgive them.  But still, He was indignant at their choice.  His choice was to Let the little children come to Me.

Jesus also loves His people today and will forgive those whose hearts have been broken by a choice they know they should not have made.  But still, He cannot be pleased when 3,200 pre-born children everyday are kept from ever learning about Him.  Why?  Jesus loves children.  His choice is still the same.  Let the little children come to Me (Mark 10:14a).  And He took them in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them (Mark 10:16).  Speak up for the little ones!  Support the ministry of Lutherans For Life (LFL) with your prayers, financial support, and use of their Bible studies and other resources.

Please pray that we be in awe of the miracle of each human life that God "knits together" in a mother's womb.  Pray that parents be moved to bring their children to Jesus so that they might learn of Him, grow in Him, and carry forth His Good News to others.  

The current Obama administration has started to use the phrase "freedom of worship" instead of "freedom of religion."  Secretary of State Clinton, in a speech at Georgetown University, said the "freedom of worship" was a priority.  The president has used the phrase several times.

"Freedom of worship" does not necessarily include the rights to "raise your own children in your faith . . . elect your religious leader" or evangelize.  It provides no guarantee that you will be able to have "religious education or seminary training."  (Tom Farr, former head of the International Religious Freedom Office at the State Department).  It simply means that you will be able to attend services, although as Christians in places like Egypt can tell you, it says nothing about being able to build and maintain a place to do so.

This appears to be a rhetorical shift.  Why?  One very likely answer, notes Church Colson, lies in our relationship to the Muslim world where a vital principle is being sacrificed on the altar of not giving offense.  The President, in his addresses to people of the Islamic faith, has been careful not to demand that they provide freedom of religion (because they don't).  

In 1796, President John Adams concluded a treaty with the ruler of Tripoli.  Article 11 stated that "the Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion . . ."  It reassured Tripoli that "no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."  All Article 11 accomplished was to give secularists ammunition in their quest to write Christianity out of American history -- it certainly didn't stop the Barbary pirates from raiding American ships.  That required the U.S. Marines landing on the shores of Tripoli.

Colson continues, noting that sacrificing the principle of religious liberty will not make the Islamic world think better of us or dissuade any would-be jihadist from waging war on American interests.  What it will do is send a terrible signal: at a time when religious freedom, not just in Islamic countries, but around the world, is under assault, the U.S. is backing off its commitment to religious freedom.

Will Muslims be appeased by the charade of offering a weaker term like "freedom of worship"?  It didn't work in 1796 and is less likely to work today.  To learn more, visit www.breakpoint.org 

PLEASE PRAY that God work in the hearts, minds, and public policies of America's leaders -- for the well-being of generations to come... in Jesus' name.

When a law requires Christians to sin, is the Christian to speak up... or be silent? 

Scripture says we must "obey God rather than men." in these situations.  However, obedience to God will likely result in persecution and suffering for the Christian.  One should be prepared for this when it becomes necessary to voice unpopular thinking.  God's promise to us is real: Even if "goods, fame, child, and wife" are taken from us, "the kingdom ours remaineth" (LSB 656).

As Christian citizens, we are compelled to speak where God speaks on the sanctity of human life, purity, marriage and family, homosexuality and so on.

Muslims understand religion as a whole and integrated way of life.  Secular, Christian-influenced cultures can confuse and even anger Muslims who see things through their holistic worldview.  They often view "Hollywood sexuality" as "Christian," or a military action as a "crusade."  To them, the Cross is a military symbol.

Followers of Jesus believe that they are to impact the culture for Christ by going into all parts of the world to bring the message of Jesus to the people that live there (Matthew 28:19-20).  In the West, a division exists between culture and religion.  Religion is separated from government, and some people object to any influence of religion on state institutions and symbols.

In Islam, individualism is avoided; brotherhood is emphasized.  The "community of the faithful" is responsible to enforce the moral code.  This can explain how a lone Muslim, outside a community support structure, does not feel as guilty when breaking the code.  However, bringing shame on his family or community would be a great sin.

Followers of Jesus do influence Western culture and institutions, but they seem to be a shrinking influence.  Western culture affirms individualism and some people avoid community responsibility.  Tolerance of sin and unbiblical practices continue to dilute the true Christian message; evolutionism and atheism also continue to influence the increasingly secular West.  Only a minority of those in the West consider themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ.  Most simply consider themselves Christian in name only, and don't follow the teaching of the Bible of which they are largely ignorant.  Generally, Western culture does not have a sense of the "community of the faithful."

Should Christians convert Muslims?  Yes, but we need to do it with a correct view of the Cross.   The Cross of Jesus Christ is not a military symbol, but where our Lord and Savior suffered and died for the sins of the world.  For example, the movie "The Passion of the Christ" has been seen by Muslims all over the world.  This movie portrayed the Cross as a symbol of suffering, not as a military or political icon.  Followers of Jesus, through their words and actions, are called to show Muslims that God loves all people so much that He sent His only beloved Son, Jesus, to die on the Cross.  he also defeated Satan and death by rising from the grave.  Jesus made it possible for all of God's children to live with Him forever.  This "good news" should be attractive to Muslims. 

PLEASE PRAY . . . that as more Muslim people move to this country that we share Christ with a righteous lifestyle and welcoming words . . . in Jesus' name.

The Reformation brought to the fore three key teachings that would characterize the Protestant movement in all of its variations: the authority of Scripture, justification by faith, and the doctrine of vocation.

Modernists would reject the authority of Scripture and postmodernists are currently questioning justification, but vocation -- despite contributing to the vast social changes brought on with the Reformation -- was perhaps taken for granted and so faded from the church's memory.

The word is simply the Latinate term for "calling."  Perhaps the best summation of the concept is in 1 Corinthians 7:17: "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."

The great theologian of vocation was Martin Luther who believed that, like justification, vocation is ultimately God's work.  God gives us our daily bread through the vocations of the farmer, the miller, and the baker.  God creates new human beings through the vocations of fathers and mothers.  God protects us through lawful magistrates.

Vocation is, first of all, about how God works through human beings.  In His providential care and governing of His creation, God chooses to distribute His gifts by means of ordinary people exercising their talents, which themselves are gifts of God.

Today, the word vocation has become no more than a synonym for "job."  The theological term includes the work that we do, but it includes much more than that.  God calls us to many different tasks and relationships.  The unemployed still have vocations from God.  Every Christian has multiple vocations.

Luther sorted them out into four "estates," or spheres of life that God has established: the church, the household, the state, and what he called "the common order of Christian love."

Pastors speak rightly of being "called" into the ministry, whereupon God works through them to teach His Word, preside at His Sacraments, and give spiritual care to His people.  Laypeople too are called to do tasks in the local congregation, singing in the choir, serving on committees, serving meals, and in other ways blessing their fellow members.

Being in a family is also a calling.  God established marriage, and being a husband or a wife is a vocation.  Being a father or a mother is also a vocation.  So is being a son or a daughter . . . a nephew or uncles, a grandmother or grandfather.  (Note how one person holds multiple vocations within a family.)  For Luther the estate of the "household" includes both the family and the activities by which it supports itself.  He had in mind the concept expressed in the Greek word oikonomia, the laws of the household, from which we derive our word economy.  For Luther, in his day of family-based labor, economic life is connected with family life.

We also have vocations in the state.  We were each born into a particular time, place, and society.  The cultural context in which we find ourselves is thus part of the life that God has assigned us.  We thus have responsibilities to our government and to our culture as a whole.  Some Christians are called to positions of authority in the government.  Americans have the unusual calling of being both subjects and rulers at the same time, since our democratic republic places the governing authorities themselves under the authority of the people who elect them.  Christians thus have the vocation of citizenship, which means that politics, civic involvement, and cultural engagement are all realms of Christian service.

Journalists like to refer to themselves as the "fourth estate," but Luther's fourth estate is the "common order of Christian love."  This is the realm where people of different vocations interact informally.  In Christ's parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite were on the way to serve in their vocations, but they ignored the man bleeding by the side of the road.  In the ordinary course of everyday life and in our relationships with our friends and neighbors, God also calls us to service.

The Reformers insisted that the Christian life requires not withdrawal from the world but rather engagement in the world.  The Christian faith is to be lived out not primarily in "church work" but in vocation.

What this meant in practice is that the "spiritual disciplines" move out of the church building into secular life. 

According to the doctrine of vocation, the church is the place where Christians meet every week to find the forgiveness of Christ, feed on God's Word, and grow in their faith.  Whereupon they are sent out into their vocations -- to their spouses, children, jobs, and culture -- for that faith to bear fruit.

Faith bears fruit in love (Galatians 5:6; 1 Timothy 1:5).  The purpose of every vocation is to love and serve our neighbor. 

God doesn't need our good works, Luther said, but our neighbor does.  Our relationship with Him is based completely on His work for us in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.  But just as God is hidden in vocation, Christ is hidden in our neighbors.  "As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers" -- feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick and imprisoned -- "you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40).

(Excerpted from "Arenas of Service" by Gene Edward Veith published in the August 28, 2010 issue of WORLD.  Gene Veith is provost of Patrick Henry College, culture editor of WORLD magazine, and a member of the LC-MS.  We recommend his book God at Work published by Crossway Books www.amazon.com )

PLEASE PRAY  for courage to trust and use God's Word in all vocations -- in the church, home, state, and service of our neighbors... in Jesus' name.

(Editor's Note: After reading the above commentary, we better understand the importance of vocation.  Next, Gene Edward Veith helps us learn that every vocation has its particular neighbors.)   

Members of a congregation are called to love and serve each other.  In marriage, husbands are to love and serve their wives, and wives are to love and serve their husbands.  Parents love and serve their children, who, in turn, love and serve their parents.  Rulers love and serve their subjects.  Workers love and serve their customers.

Certain vocations exercise authority.  But authority itself is not just a matter of exercising power over others.  "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them," said Jesus.  "But it shall not be so among you.  But whoever would be great among you must be your servant . . . For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45).

Of course, we often sin in and against vocation.  Instead of serving, we want to be served.  Instead of loving our neighbor, we often use our neighbor for our own selfish purposes.

Vocation clarifies moral issues.  Mothers are called to love and serve their children, not abort them or abuse them.  Doctors are called to heal their patients, not kill them.  Leaders are called to love and serve those under their authority, not exploit and tyrannize them.

Some actions are sinful when done outside of vocation but good works when done within vocation.  We have no calling from God that would authorize having sex with someone to whom we are not married.  But within the vocation of marriage, sex is not only authorized, it becomes the means by which God creates a one-flesh union, engenders new life, and builds a family.

Vocation has to do with the priesthood of all believers.  A priest is someone who performs a sacrifice.  We no longer need sacrifices for our sins, since Christ, our great High Priest, offered Himself as our sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 9:26).  But, in light of that sacrifice, God calls us "to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).

Loving and serving involves an act of self-denial for the sake of someone else.  That is, it is a sacrifice.  Vocation focuses on self-sacrifice.  [It is] the father, coming home from work dead tired, [who] has presented his body as a living sacrifice for his family.  [It is the mother... it is the faithful employee, etc.]

Christ, who is in vocation and in the neighbor, takes up all of these sacrifices, small or great, into His sacrifice.  And He loves and serves His creation by  means of our love and service in our vocations.

Vocation is where sanctification happens, as Christian grow spiritually in good works and in their relationships.  Vocation is where evangelism happens, as Christians teach their children and interact with nonbelievers.  Vocation is where cultural influence happens, as Christians take their places and live out their faith in every niche of society.

(Excerpted from "Arenas of Service" by Gene Edward Veith published in the August 28, 2010 issue of WORLD.  WORLD magazine covers national and world news without compromise of God's Word.  Veith is the culture editor of WORLD, a frequent conference speaker and contributor to a wide range of periodicals.  He is provost of Patrick Henry College and a member of the LC-MS.  We recommend that you visit www.world.org and order a copy of Veith's book God At Work published by Crossway Books.)

PLEASE PRAY that the Holy Spirit work through your many vocations to God's glory and the service of others... in Jesus' name.

(Released November 20, 2009) --

Preamble: Christians are heirs of a 2,000-year tradition of proclaiming God's Word, seeking justice in our societies, resisting tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering.

While fully acknowledging the imperfections and shortcomings of Christian institutions and communities in all ages, we claim the heritage of those Christians who defended innocent life by rescuing discarded babies from trash heaps in Romans cities and publicly denouncing the Empire's sanctioning of infanticide.  We remember with reverence those believers who sacrificed their lives by remaining in Roman cities to tend the sick and dying during the plagues, and who died bravely in the coliseums rather than deny their Lord.

After the barbarian tribes overran Europe, Christian monasteries preserved not only the Bible but also the literature and art of Western culture.  It was Christians who combated the evil of slavery . . . and child labor.

In Europe, Christians challenges the divine claims of kings and successfully fought to establish the rule of law and balance of governmental powers, which made modern democracy possible.  And in America . . . civil rights crusades of the 1950s and 60s were led by Christians claiming the Scriptures and asserting the glory of the image of God in every human being regardless of race, religion, age or class.

The same devotion to human dignity has led Christians in the last decade to work to end the dehumanizing scourge of human trafficking and sexual slavery, bring compassionate care to AIDS sufferers in Africa, and assist in a myriad of other human rights causes.

. . . Like those who have gone before us in the faith, Christians today are called to proclaim the Gospel of costly grace, to protect the intrinsic dignity of the human person and to stand for the common good.  In being true to its own calling, the call to discipleship, the church through service to others can make a profound contribution to the public good.

Declaration: As Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, we act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear His image.  We set forth The Manhattan Declaration in light of the truth that is grounded in Holy Scripture . . .  We call upon all people of goodwill . . . to consider carefully and reflect critically on the issues we here address as we, with St. Paul, commend this appeal to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

. . . [W]e are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; [and] that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.

Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense.  In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by belivers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.

We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right -- and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation -- to speak and act in defense of these truths.  We pledge to one another, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence.  It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season.  May God help us not to fail in that duty.

The declaration ends with the following statement:

Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family.  We will fully and ungrudingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's.  But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's.

(Note: The entire Manhattan Declaration  may be viewed at www.manhattandeclaration.org . Please consider adding your name to the list of signatures.)