d a r e
t o
b e
l u t h e r a n
Higher Things
Coram Deo The
Coram Deo
Issue!
• Real Ultimate Story • An Everybody Pastor • The Waffle House Confessional www
. h i g h e r t h i n g s . o r g / S U M M ER / 2 0 1 1
1
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 2
Contents T A B L E O F
Features 4 Twelve
By Rev. George Borghardt You can’t get through Genesis without noticing the significance of the number 12; that thread continues to be woven throughout the Scriptures. Find out from Rev. Borghardt about an entirely new reason to be intrigued by “12!” (Hint: next summer)
6 Real Ultimate Story
By Rev. Jonathan Fisk The number of super hero-oriented movies being released this summer is nearly unprecedented Why do those storylines have such a universal appeal? Rev. Fisk marvels us with his skillful connecting of the Real Ultimate Story dots.
8 Herman Sasse: A Remarkable Anti-Nazi and Lutheran Confessor
By Rev. Matthew Harrison You might have seen his name here and there but have never really known who Herman Sasse was. Rev. Harrison fills in that information gap by providing a rich snapshot of this faithful, Lutheran hero.
10 Cloning: Understanding the Basics (Third in a Four-Part Series)
By Rev. Dr. John I. Lamb Dr. Lamb gives us a comprehensive overview of another controversial topic in the arena of science: cloning. It’s no longer science fiction and the potential ramifications are far too real.
Volume 11/Number 2 • Summer 2011
12 An Everybody Pastor
By Rev. Hans Fiene In his usual droll fashion, Rev. Fiene artfully makes the point that all pastors, no matter what their specific responsibility or title may be, share a common purpose: the forgiveness of sins.
14 What’s a Body to Do?
By Rev. Mark Buetow Think there’s a special cloud floating up in Heaven with your name on it? Think again. We are humans...BODY and soul. Unfortunately the false view that anything material takes a back seat to that which is spiritual, is continuing to seep its way into Christian circles. Rev. Buetow lays out a consistent argument as to why that is such a dangerous way of thinking.
16 Walking the Walk
By Rick Ritchie Do you walk the walk? What does that really mean anyway? As Mr. Ritchie begins to unpack that commonly heard phrase, you will realize how vital it is that we apply it wisely.
18 Born Again Virgins
By Rev. Walter Snyder Sure, you’ve heard that your Savior, Jesus, makes everything new, but maybe you fear there’s one exception: you. Rev. Snyder reassures us that even if we fall prey to sexual temptation, God can bring restoration and a new start.
20 The Big Choice: How Do I Choose a College?
By Rev. Marcus Zill Rev. Zill’s helpful and heartfelt advice will come in handy, whether your college decisions feel like they are breathing down your neck or are still a few years down the road.
22 The Long-Term Benefits of a Short-Term Mission
By Shelly Schwalm Perhaps your youth group plans a mission trip each summer. You’ve considered going but doubted you’d have anything to really offer. Discover where the real blessing lies.
24 The Waffle House Confessional
By Tracey Dann We have pivotal moments in our lives when God’s forgiveness and grace overwhelm us and we learn a lesson we didn’t expect to encounter. Sometimes such moments occur in the most ordinary of places.
28 Diving into the Daily Offices
By Rev. Michael Erickson Ever heard the claim that a real prayer is only genuine if it’s your words “from the heart?” Using a written guide might be seen as less spiritual. Rev. Erickson persuasively argues that this is not the case, and encourages us to discover the delight in praying through the Daily Offices.
Columns
30 Catechism: “Forgiven and Forgiving”
By Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Cwirla, with robust clarity, unpacks the Fifth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer and lays out the depths of God’s forgiveness. Our Lord frees us up to forgive it forward!
We’d like to introduce Katie Micilcavage as the new Editor of Higher Things magazine. She has been serving as Managing Editor since July 2010, Reflections Editor since 2006, and is now taking the reigns as Editor-in-Chief. Welcome to the Big Time, Katie!
HigherThings
®
Volume 11/Number 2/Summer 2011 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor
Katie Micilcavage Art Director
Steve Blakey Editorial Associates
Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson IT Staff
Stan Lemon Jon Kohlmeier Conference Coordinator
Sandra Ostapowich ___________
Board of Directors President
Rev. William Cwirla Vice President
Rev. Brent Kuhlman Secretary
Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. Jonathan Fisk Rev. David Kind Chris Loemker Sue Pellegrini Chris Rosebrough Jeff Schwarz ___________
Executive Staff Conferences and Deputy Executive
Rev. George Borghardt Business Executive
Connie Brammeier Media Services Executive
Rev. Mark Buetow Christ on Campus Executive
Rev. Marcus Zill
Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2011. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-448-2359 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings. org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@higherthings.org. Please check higherthings.org/ magazine/writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists.
S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 _ 3
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 6
Real Ultimate Story By Rev. Jonathan Fisk
Hi. This article is all about story,
Real Story. This article is awesome.
Facts: 1. Stories are awesome. 2. Stories happen all the time. 3. The purpose of stories is to pump us up and give us heroes. But there are rules. Stories can’t just do anything they want. They can’t just flip out and make bad guys into heroes. It doesn’t work. The “anti-hero” has been tried, but there is a problem. He’s not cool. No one cares about him. No one wants him to win. The anti-hero is not a hero at all. Why is that? If everything is relative, and truth doesn’t really exist, then why are all our good stories always the same story? Why is there a pattern to our stories that always need a hero? And why do all the most real ultimate heroes always have swords? That last part may be just my opinion, but I don’t think the light saber was a coincidence. Still, the cool thing about stories is that the more you pay attention to them, to the protagonists and antagonists, to the storyarches and resolutions, the more you find that the value of every story—the thing that makes it either totally sweet or just plain lame—is how close they resemble the Real Ultimate Story. It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about the Green Lantern, Dr. Xavier or Harry, Beowulf, Odysseus or Hamlet, the rule applies: The pure value of the story is directly related to how much or little it shadows the one, True, Eternal story, which God the Father is telling through the redemption He purchased for us in His Son, Jesus Christ. The person who first observed this fact about “myths” was C.S. Lewis. He saw that all the great myths of history borrow from the One UN-Myth, the True Religion, the Real Ultimate Story that happened and is happening in Jesus. The colors sometimes shift and the pieces that are borrowed vary, but the pattern always remains the same. It goes something like this: Things were good, (the Galactic Republic) but now they’re bad (the Empire). There’s a problem (Death-eaters), and that problem was caused by someone who is evil (Voldemort). This problem is now affecting many people,(“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”), and they can’t fix it themselves (“Where is Superman?”). A hero must arise to take the burden on himself. (“The Force is strong with this one.”) He leads (Aragorn), he fights (Wolverine), he inspires (Spartacus). He is special (Captain America), different (Harry), better than the rest (James Bond). And he wins (In every good story, ever). But first he almost loses (Rocky) Sometimes he dies (Neo). But every time he wins. (Always). Sometimes he finds his own redemption (Tony Stark). Sometimes he redeems others (Luke and Anakin). But in the end he always wins, one way or
another, (did I mention always?) and this winning is good (“Freedom!!!!”) Good for everyone (The End). That’s a pretty bare bones outline, but you begin to see the golden thread running through it all. What’s amazing, what’s fantastic, what’s real and ultimate, is that the golden thread, of all things, is none other than our Lord Jesus. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that Jesus saves people by the coolness of Optimus Prime’s AllSpark. I’m saying that the coolness of Optimus Prime’s All-Spark, as that inkling that appeals to us in all great stories, is a giant cosmic hint, a slight, natural push in the right direction—a bit of Law built into our world which, through the thorns and thistles and pain that we bear, is teaching us one of the most important Truths we can ever learn: We need a hero. We need a Savior. What C.S. Lewis observed about stories is true. All good stories everywhere are always told for the same reason: We need hope, and we know instinctively that true hope is found in a hero. Unfortunately, we still are perplexed by our inbred desire to be that hero, to be the most special one, to be the Savior. Stories alone can’t save us from this original habit of desiring to replace God with ourselves. At the same time, as Christians, born again through water and the Spirit, our regeneration opens our eyes to see the glory of our Lord’s Real Ultimate Story at work behind all the great stories of the world. Our hope is no mere myth! What is only a story in all tall tales is reality in our real Religion. Truth exists, and always tells the same story: the pattern of the Hero who saves people because that’s who He is. That’s what He does. Every hero before or since is only a shadow of Him. Every sacrificial death lies beneath His cross. Every dawning triumph waits for His empty tomb. Oh, and just like the best of them, He always fights with a sweet action sword. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and from his mouth comes a sharp sword.... (Revelation 19:11-12a, 15a) Rev. Jonathan Fisk serves as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Springfield, Pennsylvania. He can be reached at revfisk@gmail.com.
S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 _ 7
What’s a Body to Do? By Rev. Mark Buetow
Do you like your body?
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 14
Chances are, if you’re a teenager, you can find something wrong. Too many pimples. Abs not ripped enough. Too skinny. Too plump. Too short. Too tall. It’s easy to be dissatisfied with the body our heavenly Father has given us. But there is some false teaching out there that dislikes your body, even more than just because of a few blemishes. There’s a whole way of thinking that says that the “body” and “flesh” and “material things” are bad or not worth considering, or at least not as important as the things that are “unseen” or “spiritual.” A lot of Eastern religions (like Hinduism or Buddhism) think that material things are not that great. The big deal for them is leaving the body behind for something completely spiritual. The Devil tries constantly to bring
Rev.Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, Illinois and he serves on the Higher Things Executive Council. He can be reached at buetowmt@gmail.com.
Oil on canvas (107 × 146 cm) — 1602-1603. Doubting Thomas, Caravaggio 1573 – 1610,
these false notions into the church, too. He wants us to believe that “body is bad” and “spirit only is good.” These teachings, some of which are called “Gnosticism” or “hidden knowledge,” came from Eastern and even Greek culture and made their way into the teachings of many early Christian heretics! Consider these words from Jesus’ own lips: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). It sure sounds like our bodies aren’t the big deal. And isn’t that how much of the Christian faith is portrayed? You die and your body gets buried but your soul lives on in heaven. That’s heaven: clouds and souls floating around with harps. Nonsense! Remember what the Creed says, “I believe in the ...resurrection of the BODY and the life everlasting.” We will be raised up in our BODIES for eternal life. When Jesus speaks those words above, He is NOT saying “body, bad” and “spirit, good.” Rather, He’s referring to the Holy Spirit (the Spirit) versus our sinful nature (flesh). In other words, the Words of Jesus give us life by the Spirit. Our sinful nature doesn’t do anything for us. And consider also: What did Jesus become when He came to save us? A human being! He took on FLESH. Bones. Blood. He received a B-O-D-Y when He was conceived in Mary’s womb. Jesus has flesh and blood, as we do, so He could suffer and die for us and redeem our bodies which are subjected to death because of sin. Then, when Jesus rose from the dead, His body rose, too. All of Him. And He still has that flesh, that body. The fact that God became man by taking on a human nature, a BODY, should toss down once and for all any notion that “spiritual and unseen” trumps “physical and material.” In fact, just think about the very physical ways that Jesus delivers His forgiveness and salvation to us: words spoken by a preacher; water and bread and wine. These very physical gifts are used by Jesus to bestow on you forgiveness, life and salvation by giving you the Spirit and Christ’s Body and Blood. Now why is all this important? Because many Christians think that anything physical is bad and that everything should be spiritual. So don’t enjoy the nice things of this life because they’ll all pass away. And don’t worry about your body because the big deal is your spirit. We’re not Gnostics! As Christians, we don’t have to try to separate physical from spiritual or body from soul. Jesus didn’t! In fact, by His incarnation, His becoming man and having a physical body, we learn that salvation isn’t just for our “soul” but for our “body” as well. When we are raised from the dead on the Last Day, we shall have everlasting life in our BODIES! And they will be perfect bodies, too, because all the sin that sticks with us now will be gone once and for all. So what’s a body to do when we hear that bodies aren’t the big deal? Run away from that teaching! Rejoice that Jesus has saved you, both body and soul, and that both are good gifts from your heavenly Father, both are redeemed by your Savior, and both are made holy in Christ by the Spirit. Gnostic thinking is nothing but a bunch of Gnonsense!
S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 _ 15