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Higher Things
Look Inside for Details On:
In This Issue:
Moving On: A Letter from Father to Son
S U M M E R
• Stop This Ride! I Want to Get Off! • You Don’t Belong to This World • Unplanned Parenthood and the Abundance of God’s Grace
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.higherthings.org /
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this was kirk four years ago N o w I m g o in g t o s e r v e God in the world!
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Taste of the Sem
(For high school guys and girls)
(For high school guys only)
June 21-26, 2014
January 18-20, 2014
Ready to register? Visit www.csl.edu or call 800-822-9545. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
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T h e s e m in a r y h a s c h a n g e d K i r k s l i f e . Check out how you can serve God in ministry!
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Taste of the Sem Jan. 14-16, 2en01on7ly)
(For high school m
801 SEMINARY PLACE ST. LOUIS, MO 63105 WWW.CSL.EDU
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Contents T A B L E O F
Volume 16/Number 2 • Summer 2016
Special Features 4 Moving On: A Letter from Father to Son
by Rev. George F. Borghardt Read this from-the-heart letter from Rev. Borghardt to his own son that reveals the love, hope and prayers that parents invest into their children and why you can draw strength from that.
6 Stop This Ride! Handling the Relentless Changes of Life as a Baptized Child of God
By Rev. Mark Buetow Feel like popping a few Dramamine pills as you ride this roller coaster of change that we call life? Rev. Buetow emphatically reminds us that Jesus Christ does NOT change so we can rely upon Him because He has redeemed us and strengthens us amidst the craziness through His gifts of water, Word and Supper.
8 You Are Not of This World
By Rev. Eric Brown Sometimes things don’t work out the way we planned. Sometimes that’s the best news in the world. Rev. Brown writes convincingly that this is indeed the reality through Christ.
10 Unplanned Parenthood and the Abundance of God’s Grace
By Karina Pellegrini Karina’s life turned upside down when she found out she was pregnant. Read how faithfully and tenderly her Father, through Jesus Christ, has cared for her and blessed her. He will be there for you, too!
12 Seven Apologists Every Christian Should Know, Pt. 7 The Logical Lynchpin of Michael Licona: Why the Resurrection Takes Center Stage
By Rev. Mark A. Pierson It’s not news that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to our faith, but Rev. Pierson skillfully illustrates why Michael Licona is another apologist you should get to know when it comes to apologetics: the defense of our faith.
15 Farewell to Rev. Mark Buetow
HT staffers take a little time to show their affection for Rev. Buetow, who is stepping down from his official duties with HT as of August 1.
HigherThings
®
Volume 16/Number 2/Summer 2016 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor
Katie Hill
20 Let’s Take Jesus at His Word
By Rev. William Snyder “This is my body.” or “This is my blood.” These are Jesus’ words and they seem pretty straightforward, so that should be the end of the matter, right? Unfortunately, the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper has been the subject of great debate since the Reformation. Rev. Snyder zeroes in on these words of Christ and explains why we, along with Luther, can just take Jesus at His word.
22 Hymns Are for Proclamation
By Rev. Gaven M. Mize Hymns aren’t just lip service—they are instruments for declaring the blessed truth of the Gospel! Let Rev. Mize instruct you how to savor each phrase that you encounter.
24 The Ultimate Narrative
By Alex Stakos We’ve often heard it said that life is like a story. Alex creatively connects the idea of a story or narrative with our lives as followers of Christ.
Art Director
Steve Blakey Editorial Associates
Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Rev. Gaven Mize Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard Copy Editor
Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors
Rev. Mark Buetow Rev. Jacob Ehrhard Rev. Aaron Fenker Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson ___________ Board of Directors President
Rev. George Borghardt
Regular Features
Vice-President
28 Catechism: The Sixth Commandment: The Gift One Flesh
Mr. Eric Maiwald
30 Bible Study: Stop This Ride! Handling the Relentless Changes of Life as a Baptized Child of God
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By Rev. William M. Cwirla Infidelity is just the fruit of breaking this commandment, explains Rev. Cwirla, as he lays out what is at stake when we despise the gift of one flesh.
Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies which links up with Rev. Buetow’s article on P. 6.
Rev. Duane Bamsch Treasurer
Secretary
Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher Stan Lemon Sue Pellegrini Matt Phillips Rev. Chris Rosebrough Executive Council Deputy Executive/Media
Rev. Mark Buetow Conference and Retreats Executive
Sandra Ostapowich Business Executive
Connie Brammeier Technology Executive
Jonathan Kohlmeier 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 2016. Higher Things® is 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 1-888-4826630, then press 4, 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.
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My Son, when you were born
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I held you in my arms and said to you,“You little sinner! You little hater of God and His word! God is going to save you at the baptismal font!� And God did save you. He named you in the waters of Holy Baptism. He washed your sins away. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Now that you have graduated from high school, I selfishly wish I could freeze time. I would keep you in our house, in your room, safe from the world out there that is going to hate you. I’ve considered just grounding you for the rest of your life, but that doesn’t seem right or fair. You don’t deserve to be grounded—at least this time! Instead, I’m going to write you this letter and tell you how I feel. I’ve told you before that nothing we do is just for ourselves, it is for others, too. So, I know there are parents who feel like I do about their sons and daughters who are graduating. This graduation isn’t the end for you. It’s just the closing of one door. It’s a single accomplishment. Now, the real work begins. Time to live as an adult! Time to begin your life out there! I don’t just want to keep you frozen here because I love you, but I also want to protect you from life “out there!” That scares me! Out there, I can’t keep you in the faith. I can’t protect you from all the filth and lies that will be thrown at you from the world. I can’t fix your bruises anymore or make decisions for you. I can’t even make you do things like go to church or Sunday School! The Gospel is that I’m not the one who ever had to keep you in the faith in the first place. It all rests on Jesus! He promised to be with you in the waters of Holy Baptism. I was there at your Confirmation to see the good Word that He put into you produce fruit! Those were not dead words but living-JesusChrist-and-Him-Crucified-for-you-words that will carry you through anything that you will go through in life. He has put His Body and Blood into you. His Supper will keep you steadfast in the faith—the one true faith—unto life everlasting! I wish that His gifts meant that you could do anything and be anything in this life. But that would be a lie. You can try to
will have bad grades. If you don’t work, you won’t eat. Don’t worry about what God wants you to do with the rest of your life, either. As you do what is given to you to do in your vocations now, He will lead you into whatever He has next for you in this life. He will give all His gifts in His time. There are no shortcuts in life. There is only His giving in the particular time that He gives the gifts that He gives to you. So, work like you have to earn your life but always know that He gives you gifts like your job, your college, and your career. You work, but your work is always still given by grace alone. When you fail, don’t get down on yourself. Don’t think that you can fix it. First, confess your sins to God and to those whom you have failed. Be forgiven. Then, suffer the consequences “out there” in the world for wherever you have fumbled, knowing that, because of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, there are no eternal consequences for your sins. Jesus has taken them all. After you been forgiven, look for the gift from God in your failures. There’s a gift in every bad thing in this life. There just has to be, because we believe that God is always good to us in the suffering and death of Jesus. So, nothing can happen to you apart from Holy Baptism. Nothing difficult in your life happens apart from the Cross of Christ. He is working all things for your good. Every door that closes, every door that opens, even your graduation has all been part of the good gifts that He gives to you. The gift may be for you, or it may be for those around you. Remember that you learned in Confirmation that we aren’t here just for ourselves. We are here for others—even when we fall down. This is why my prayer for you is that you get up and go to church every Lord’s Day! Go to Bible class whenever you can! You need Jesus to save you! You need His forgiveness to enliven
do anything. You can try to be anything. You won’t always get what you want. Things aren’t always going to work out for you. But whatever you try, do so as if God has given to you to do it. That’s what a vocation is! It is what God has given to you to do in the particular place and time you have been placed by Him. Before graduation, you were a high school student. Now that vocation is over, and it’s off to work and college. You are a student. That is what God wants you to do. You are working to pay for college. That is what God wants you to do, too. Do these vocations as if you were doing them for God, because you are doing them for God. He saves you by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ. But college and work are, well, work. You have to get up for class. You have to do your homework. You have to get to work on time. You have to be a good student and good worker. When you do your vocation, you are serving God. When you don’t, you are sinning against God. Also, there is no “grace alone” to make things right at school or work. So, if you don’t go to class, you
you to live your vocations out in this world. You need His life to enliven your life. Set your alarm and get yourself to church! I hope this letter is a gift to you, Son. I hope it’s a gift to the rest of you who read it, too. Your parents love you. They are proud of you. They will be proud of whatever and wherever the Lord leads you. And if you ever—and I mean ever—need any help in your journey, know that your parents will be there for you, to pick you up, to remind you are forgiven, and to tell you that you that they love you. I love you, Son. In Christ, Dad Rev. George F. Borghardt is the Senior Pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and School in McHenry, Illinois. He also serves as the president of Higher Things.
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Unplanned Parenthood and the Abundance of God’s Grace By Karina Pellegrini
At the age of 18 I, like any other young adult, was ready
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to take on the world. I had planned on college, and after that a career. I had aspirations that ranged from being a teacher to becoming a deaconess; I really just wanted to serve the Lord in all of my work. I vividly remember my parents hugging me while I proudly held up stacks of acceptance letters to colleges around the country. I had planned on moving out. I wanted a taste of the independence that my friends all seemed to have. I filled my Pinterest boards with apartment renovation ideas and dorm room decorations. I had it all figured out. But there was a life that my parents didn’t know about—a sinful, darker and deceptive life. What I hadn’t planned on was being caught.
I can’t think of a gentle way to describe the shock that goes through the mind of a very young, unmarried woman when she discovers she’s pregnant. For me, it was a mixture of fear and shame and guilt. Those feelings were dramatically increased when I realized that at some point, everyone around me would see my sin. The secret would be out. I couldn’t continue to lie. People from all parts of my life would soon know what I had done. And I would have to answer those prying and sinexposing questions for the rest of my life. I remember in particular, as I sat in shock and stared at that blue plus sign, I felt so alone, and sinful beyond repair. I feared rejection and abandonment. I wondered if there could be redemption for my soul. In shame and humility, I reluctantly confided in my dad. The sinful lies I had worked so hard to cover up were finally being exposed. I knew I deserved nothing but punishment and rebuke for my actions. Yet, throughout it all, my father’s words of wisdom and grace cut through the overpowering sense of helplessness. He said, “Your God is with you. Even in your sin, He loves you. Your remorse and fear indicate His law is at work in your heart and His forgiveness is immediate. In Christ, forgiveness is yours, freely given. God’s love for you in Christ is timeless. He will never abandon or forsake you, no matter what you do to deny His will for you. Christ made the sacrifice for your sin. You are washed clean by His blood and right now, right here, you are white as snow. You are sinless. You are renewed and reborn. So let’s focus on tomorrow and the new you in Christ redeemed by his abundant grace.” So what about now…as a single mom, but one redeemed and renewed by Christ’s love and forgiveness? Well, life is harder—much harder than I could have ever imagined when I shortsightedly planned my college and career while living a double life. I’m now often uncomfortable in social situations, scared of the judging eyes and the possibility of unwanted comments from people who raise their eyebrows at me. I experience emotions I didn’t know I could possibly feel on a daily basis. They are so intense sometimes
that they leave me feeling hollowed out. Sinful regret comes in waves every day when I encounter people and things that remind me of my sin. My body is no longer the body of a young teenager; it has been changed by pregnancy. My mind does not possess the carefree attitude or innocence it once did. I am often riddled with anxiety, depression, and guilt. Along with this, I have lost my perspective of self. The first thought when I wake and the last thought when I sleep is of my son: his safety, his well-being, and my powerful love for him. Some days he reminds me of my past, but more often than that he is a consistent reminder of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness in my life. My son continues to grow, with his newfound independence and curiosity and I see myself learning right beside him. He has tested my patience, my resolve, and my sanity, especially when I’ve had to operate on three hours of sleep without coffee. He has shown me just how quickly I can forgive, how strong my love is and how it is possible for that love to grow with every passing day. My responsibility as a mother spans beyond keeping my son physically safe, however. At his birth I became responsible for raising my son in the Word and Sacraments of God, teaching him the words of Christ crucified and the salvation that is freely given at the font. Even now, I see the work of the Holy
Spirit in him. When he bows his head to pray or brings me his Bible to read before bed, I can see his faith is alive and growing. All glory be to God that it is so! The exponential joy I feel far outweighs the pain I felt, and the tears that were spilled don’t compare to the smiles and laughter I share with him daily. I speak from experience when I say that being a single teen mother is not easy. But through an unplanned pregnancy and motherhood, the Lord has shown me that even my best attempts to condemn myself are futile. He has taken my sin and never stops blessing me. He wraps me in Christ’s forgiveness and love, in absolution and grace. In the very midst of my sin, guilt and shame, my God, who is ever faithful to His baptismal promises, gave me the gift of repentance and showered me with countless blessings— gifts that He freely gives my parched soul. He is the master of taking our evil and turning it into blessing. He did it on the cross. He did it in my life. Through God’s mercy, despite my sin, I was blessed with the gift of a son. Editor’s note: A previous version of this article first appeared as HT web content. Karina Pellegrini is a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Marysville, Washington.
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