May 2009
From the Desk of Pastor Lassman
THE JUDGMENT DAY AND GOD’S WRATH
My Fellow Redeemed in Christ,
In the Christian Church you don’t hear much about the Judgment Day and God’s wrath these days. This was not true in the past, even the recent past. There has been a change in what is preached from many pulpits. Once again this is an example of our culture’s influence on the Church. There are several things in our culture that has modified the preaching from pulpits. One is an emphasis on feelings and experiences rather than teaching/doctrine. Another is emphasis on tolerance as being one of the highest virtues/values in our culture which means being intolerant of any kind of judgment. Closely related is the “Post-Modern” idea that there is no one truth but only conflicting truth claims. Yet, another reason for the lack of emphasis on the Judgment Day and God’s wrath is that people are more concerned with their “happiness” in this world and think/care little about the next world. This shows up in the emphasis in churches and sermons such as: “How to Live a happy life”, “How to be a better husband/wife”, “How to be successful in life”, etc., etc. rather than on “Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). It has been well documented that in many churches therapy has replaced the Gospel. A sense of well-being is more important than repentance, confession and forgiveness. There have been many books over the years that have noted these cultural shifts which have also influenced the Christian Church. I will mention only two in this article. “The Culture of Narcissism” by Christopher Lasch is still a benchmark book. On the back cover are these statements: “Have we fallen in love with ourselves?”; “Have we bargained away our future for self-gratification?” For the culture’s influence on the Church David F. Wells has written “No Place For Truth”. On the back cover is this quote by Time Magazine: “A stinging indictment of evangelicalism’s theological corruption”.
In such a cultural environment the idea/teaching of a Judgment Day and God’s wrath is not popular. How can you grow a church with such a negative/unpopular message? And in our day where entertainment rules everything, as Neil Postman brought to our attention in his book “Amusing Ourselves to Death”, there is great pressure for the church and its pastors/preachers to tell people what “they want to hear” which was predicted by the apostle Paul two thousand years ago: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth….” (2 Tim. 4: 3, 4, ESV).
If there is no Judgment Day and there is no wrath of God then why believe in Jesus? (Other than for any “benefits” for this life: happiness, success, etc., etc.) But the Scriptures and Jesus talk a lot about the Judgment Day and the wrath of God. You see, without a Judgment Day and the Wrath of God the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be preached. And that’s exactly what is happening in Churches which are more concerned about people being happy in this life. If there is no Judgment Day and no wrath of God what is there to preach about Jesus Christ besides “how to be happy and successful in this life”? But if the Gospel is not being preached people cannot have faith in Jesus Christ and they will be damned to hell forever by God’s wrath. You see then how we live in this world is based on what Jesus Christ has done in the past with His sinless life and His innocent suffering and death to pay for our sins by experiencing God’s wrath for us. And so because of Jesus we do not fear the wrath of God as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5: 9: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV). When God’s wrath will be revealed on the Judgment Day only those who have trusted in what Jesus has done will escape. Our life in this world as Christians is shaped by these realities. In other words, as Christians we are foreigners/aliens in this world as Peter says “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world….” (1 Peter 2:11, NIV). It might be strange to the world, but we thank God that we know about His wrath and the Judgment Day because we know how much Jesus has done for us and all people. The world will never understand this, but surely the Church should as our Lord Jesus says in John 17 in His prayer to His Heavenly Father: “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (Vv. 14-17, ESV).
In Christ,
Pastor Lassman
From the Altar Guild
The Altar Guild activities and duties beginning each Maundy Thursday with the stripping of the altar and ending with the transformation of the bare Good Friday crucifix into the flowering Easter cross is always a spiritually thrilling experience for the members of the Guild. We are eager to share this wondrous rite with any member of Messiah who is prayerfully considering the opportunity to serve our Lord and our church family above and beyond attendance at worship services. Currently we are three members short of the minimum need of twelve, which leaves only nine wearying workers to serve twice every Sunday every week of the year. Please contact Cheryl Gagne or any member of the Altar Guild, including Kathy Lassman, if your heart is open to this service to our Lord and Savior.
From the Vicar
Well, as promised, I will be continuing my discussion of Law and Gospel this month with the topic of what we call the Three Uses of the Law.
When God makes a command, there are three ways that this command can be used by God. The first used is for the whole of society, also called the curb and natural law. This is the understanding that there are universal rights and wrongs, and so man should generally do what is right. It is also the actual use of a law to prevent wrongdoing by non-Christians in society. For example the laws of the government keep (or curb) people in general from creating anarchy by stealing and killing at will. Specifically, we can think of the prohibition of stealing. For many people stealing would not be a moral or ethical issue, but they know that if they go into Wal-Mart and just steal at will there is a very good chance they will be caught and prosecuted. This fear curbs their desire to steal.
The second use of the Law is also called the Spiritual or Theological use. It is also called the mirror. This is use which convicts us of our sin, and is most clearly explained in Romans 3:20 where Paul says, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” What Paul is saying here is that we are not going to earn Heaven for ourselves by what we do. Instead the commands of God are given to us so that we realize that we are sinful. For example, when we hear Jesus saying, “Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment”, we realize that we have been angry and so therefore, we deserve judgment. The Law here reflects our true sinful nature before God. It shows us that to be relieved of judgment we must have salvation from that judgment. This is the point when Gospel comes and we hear of our salvation from that judgment, and that salvation is the forgiveness of sins before God because of the work Jesus Christ has done for us in His life, death and resurrection. But there will be more on that next month.
Finally for the third use of the Law. In addition to having the Law act according to the other two uses of the Law, for the Christian the Law also is used by God as a guide for how to live the Christian life. This is seen in various ways within Scripture, for example when Paul urges the Ephesian congregation to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” What must be remembered about this use is that it is necessary because even though we are holy in Christ because of His work, we are still sinners. If we were not still sinners, we could always walk perfectly in God’s sight without guidance. It must also be remembered that this living of the Christian life according to the Third Use of the Law flows always from Love of God. It always flows from the gratitude that comes from the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins we have in Christ. This is the reason that Martin Luther always explains the commandments not only according to prohibition, but also according to the encouragement of love in the explanations in the Small Catechism. For example, for the Seventh Commandment Luther explains that the Christian not only fears and loves God so as not to steal (not to take our neighbors money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way), but the Christian also helps our neighbor to improve and protect his possessions and income.
Now some of you may be saying, “OK this is good, I need to be helping my neighbor more in this way.” This is good, because that is what we are commanded to do. However some of you may be saying, “That is what a Christian does? I’m definitely not always doing that. Am I even Christian?”
You have just realized something that none of us should ever forget: The Law always accuses. It doesn’t matter how much we put something in a way that is meant for guidance and encouragement, at some point, if the Christian is honest in their understanding of the strict requirements of the commands of God, they will realize how imperfectly they do this. This means that the Second Use of the Law truly is the most prevalent use. Of course, Pastor Lassman and I can’t preach some thing from the pulpit and say, “This is going to be Second Use and that is going to be Third Use…” etc. Instead we tell of the commands of God and the Holy Spirit determines how He wants an individual to hear them. But because the Law does always accuse, the need for our Savior is always at the forefront of our minds. This is exactly what needs to happen to us too. The accusation of the Law brings repentance to us, and as Luther says regarding what Baptism symbolizes in his Small Catechism, our sinful self “should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die.” This occurs through the law, so that by the Gospel, “a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”
But as I said more on the wonderful news of the grace we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ next month.
To God alone be the Glory,
Vicar Zickler
CURRENT AND UPCOMING BIBLE STUDIES
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FELLOWSHIP HALL BIBLE CLASS
WHAT: “Daniel”
INSTRUCTOR: Pastor Lassman
WHEN: Sunday Mornings 9:20 a.m.
WHERE: Fellowship Hall
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HIGH SCHOOL BIBLE CLASS SUNDAY MORNINGS
WHAT: “Growing in Christ”
WHEN: Sunday Mornings 9:20 a.m.
WHERE: Youth Room-Room 202
INSTRUCTOR: John Daigneault, Dave Manahan
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MONDAY EVENING MARY/MARTHA BIBLE STUDY
WHAT: “Follow the Narrow Brick Road”
WHEN: First Monday of the Month
WHERE: Lounge
INSTRUCTOR: Kathy Lassman
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TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
WHAT: “1 Corinthians”
WHEN: Tuesday Mornings, 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Fellowship Hall
INSTRUCTOR: Pastor Lassman
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THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY YOUNG ADULTS
WHAT: “Matthew”
WHEN: Thursdays, 7 p.m. Two Thursdays a month 7 pm
WHERE: Youth Room-Room 202 Lounge
LEADER: Jim Grant Vicar Zickler
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ADULT INFORMATION CLASS
WHAT: A 15-week course on basic Christian teachings
WHEN: Thursday Evenings, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Fellowship Hall
INSTRUCTOR: Pastor Lassman
UPCOMING EVENTS
Men’s Night Out Monday, May 4th, 6:00 p.m. at Chinook’s at Salmon Bay, 1900 W. Nickerson Street. Please RSVP to Brian Danforth.
Spring cleanup day will be Saturday morning, May 16th from 9:00 to 12:00. We will be working both indoors and outdoors. Indoors we will be cleaning, vacuuming and fixing areas that don’t get covered on a weekly basis. Outdoors we will be weeding, pruning and doing general cleanup around the church. Bring pruners, rakes, brooms, gloves, etc. Refreshments and a lunch will be provided.
June Messenger deadline is May 17th.
Sunday School News
Sunday, April 12th, there were 97 of us in attendance when Messiah’s Sunday School children presented the life of Jesus Christ in song, symbol and word. The awe inspiring story is familiar to most of us but there is a new generation coming up, represented here by the eleven 3, 4, and 5 year olds who are just beginning to learn about Jesus. The students in first through eighth grade are setting a good example for the little ones to follow, and the groups help each other in singing. The children’s service is our gift to the congregation and we really appreciate the opportunity to share our love of Jesus with you.
We will never really know all the efforts made to make our service possible but we want to thank those who helped. Starting with those in high school, we had three readers who knew that many of us are now a little hard of hearing, and they spoke the word ofj God so that we could all hear. Rebecca Cohrs, Sean Byarlay and Laura Estergreen thank you, your service will be long remembered. We had two young men learning the duties of usher, Andrew and Peter Boomhower performed that task and it is not easy, especially when they have one more announcement to give at the end of the service and we leave enmass’. Thanks for a job well done.
Music is an important gift and our five music leaders have been blessed by God and shared their talent with the little ones and we all want to thank you: Jill Cohrs, Andrea Edmon, Joanne Estergreen, Barbara Sackett, and Noel Channon.
In Sunday School we know that most of what we remember comes from visual reminders, so you saw the cradle, cross, tomb and then the empty tomb. We have Sharon Weiss who has been blessed by God with the gift of art, and most of our symbols ciome from Sharon. Costumes help us to remember what the readers are saying and Vicki Bartlett is our costumer.
Last but not least, thanks to the teachers and parents who came to the rehearsal and service with their children. Your caring and help is invaluable to your child and Sunday School.
Your Sunday School staff does the research and assembles the words in the proper order and Kathee McAlpine prepares the song sheets, bulletin, and advertising brochures you saw on the walls and tables. Thanks Kathee.
Remember VBS is June 22 through the 26th.
Scholarship requests are due May 1st.
Social Ministry News
Monthly Donations
Large bath towels are needed by Compass Cascade and Immanuel Lutheran for their hygiene centers. Perhaps you have a bath towel which sits on your shelf waiting to be used! Reasonably priced and in good condition bath towels can also be purchased at thrift stores. Because of all the homeless Compass Cascade and Immanuel Lutheran accommodate, their supplies are always in need of restocking. Please help by placing large bath towels in the lounge. Be sure to include the marked receipt from the thrift store, so we can submit it to Thrivent Financial.
Used eyeglasses are given to the Lion’s Club for their programs around the world. Please put eyeglasses in the box in the lounge.
Fourteen adults and one child sang hymns to five Messiah members on Saturday, April 18th. The hymns included: “How Great Thou Art”, “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today”, “Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds”, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”, “Beautiful Savior”, “Amazing Grace”, “What A Friend We Have in Jesus”. Singing hymns is a wonderful and comforting way to be reassured of God’s love, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Youth News
High schoolers! Save the date. On Saturday, May 9th, we will work from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at The Treehouse in downtown Seattle. This will be a new quarterly volunteer youth servant event that replaces the New Horizon Ministry Program. We need a minimum of five kids to help this day. The Treehouse is a local non-profit agency that focuses on helping local foster kids. We will be assisting them with their clothing store that day which allows foster kids to receive free clothes donated by individual and local businesses. Please see the youth bulletin board for the sign up sheet.
Junior High Youth - it’s time for our annual trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. We’ll meet at church in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday, June 6th at 9 a.m. Just in time for devotion and planning for where we shall go and what we shall see at the zoo. Then we’ll take off for the Zoo. Bring money for food; parking and entry to the zoo will be paid for by the Youth Board. We will need driver/chaperones too. Look for a sign-up sheet on the Junior high bulletin board. Plan to be back at church by 1 or 2 in the afternoon.
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) News
Ladies’ Guild
Wednesday, May 13th, 12 noon
Annual “Lunch at the Wedgwood”
RSVP to Margie Longan
Project Day is Wednesday, May 27th, 9:30 to 2:30. Bring a sack lunch.
THANK YOU to all who donated health kits for DSHS.
Mary/Martha Ministries
Monthly Women’s Bible Study Monday, May 4th, 7 p.m. We will continue the study of the Sermon on the Mount out of Matthew. This month’s study is “Follow the Narrow Brick Road”. All women of Messiah are welcome. Led by Kathy Lassman.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:38-39
Save the Date - Mary Martha Ministries and the Ladies’ Guild will be hosting a Spring Tea for all women, all ages, of Messiah. Saturday, May 2nd, 2-4 p.m. Come enjoy a fine “high tea” and share some fun with your friends at Messiah.
Missionary, Rev. Ted Krey, was installed February 28th in the Dominican Republic to serve as a church planter/theological educator. His task, along with two other missionaries, is to establish the first Lutheran congregation in the country and a theological education program to train men and women to serve the church as pastors, deacons and deaconesses. Rev. Krey is the missionary that Messiah financially supports. See the newsletters that are posted on the upstairs bulletin board.
News from Concordia
.......from Dave Meyer, principal
"I never realized how many people love this place" was one of the first statements in one of my debrief meetings with the auction coordinator, Laura Puckett. The evening was filled with leis and love. So many alumni and families from our churches join us for the auction evening. I bet attendance was close to 200. If you were a parent that spent some time at the auction on Saturday, I am sure you will agree, we are loved. The story that clinched the event for me happened on Friday, the day before. I was talking to someone in the office when a lady came in looking for the auction coordinator. Lori graciously walked her to meet Laura while listening to the women¡¯s story. She began with my child used to attend here about 10 years ago. He was in the junior high and had lymphoma cancer. The doctors did not have much hope for his survival. During this emotional year she had bills and commitments that were overwhelming. As June came around she headed into th office, which is remodeled but in the same location, to discuss her debt. The principal at the time said, "Your tuition is paid". she has never forgotten and now her son, who is 23, reminded her of the auction, so she brought this quilt that was personally made and a vase that she took time to mold. Please accept them as a donation and her love for the people along with the place we call Concordia. Thank you for your attendance and support of the auction and remember it is His plans for the future, we just prepare, what an evening of preparation!
May calendar:
May 2nd Rummage Sale in gymnasium 9-5
May 1-7 Cardinal team to Washington DC
May 19 Community Night - the Cardinal Team presents the play "Be Careful What You Wish For" 6:30 in the school gym
May 25 Memorial Day
