Wayne's World, Stairway to Heaven and Ascension Day

        
 Wayne Campbell steadies the Fender Stratocaster guitar across his knee and begins the iconic notes of the Led Zeppelin classic only to have the music store clerk stop him and point to the sign prohibiting its playing. Wayne incredulously looks into the camera and proclaims, “No Stairway. Denied!” The scene from the early 90s comedy, “Wayne’s World” makes light of the crushing blow of the headbanger being denied the euphoric strains of the song. But for our purposes, we are going to reflect for a moment on “Wayne’s Words.”

 After the completion of the temple, during his prayer of dedication, Solomon asks the great question, “Will God indeed dwell on the earth?” Theologians have been pondering that question from the earliest of times. But the answer to the question is at the very heart of the Church’s worship life and it has everything to do with the Ascension of our Lord. But the answer goes back much further than Solomon. 

 Will God indeed dwell on the earth? God indeed had dwelt with Adam and Eve in the Garden before the Fall. Though sin had separated humanity from God, we still see how numerous instances throughout the Old Testament where God comes among His people. Gordon Lathrop builds on Jacob’s encounter with God at Bethel for a paradigm of Lutheran Worship. Lathrop writes:
          

According to the Genesis narrative (Genesis 28:11-22), when Jacob put his head upon the stones at Bethel, he dreamed that the place where he lay was filled with God and the signs of God. A stairway or ramp – a Mesopotamian ziggurat, most likely – extended between earth and heaven. On it the angels of God were ascending and descending, making Bethel the very center of a kind of commerce with the divine. Jacob could see this commerce, this series of exchanges that, according to many religions takes place invisibly at temples and holy shrines. But the imagery of the narrative was also unlike the expectations of many shrines. God, whom we would expect to find at the top of the ramp, housed in the hut which was closest to heaven and receiving the intermediary angels was, instead, standing “beside” Jacob (28:13), promising presence and blessing without intermediary. The angels had become indicators of the importance and holiness of the place, not commerce-bearers. When Jacob awoke, he proclaimed, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Such awe belongs conventionally to holy places. Hence, however, the awe is heightened because of the surprising character of this God. “Surely the Lord” – not just any deity – “is in this place – and I did not know it.” (28:16)[1]

Since the earliest of times, fallen humanity has been trying to construct for themselves towers that reach the heavens. Humanity’s thirst for glory is insatiable and will never be quenched. The transparency of the people of Babel is surprising as they set out “to make a name for ourselves.” The foolishly labor and construct their ladders rather than understanding our “down-to-earth God” as Gerhard Forde describes. He writes:

              

The problem is not the abstract one of what God might or might not be like up there “in heaven,” not what he might or might not have willed in the secret of his own counsel , but what he has actually willed and done for you here on earth. He has sent his Son to die and conquer the grave; he has baptized you and given you the sacrament of his body and blood and that is the revelation of his almighty will. The point is that it is only the down to earth God who can help us.[2]

In one sense, the stairway is denied, Wayne. We cannot climb the “ladder” (to use Forde’s terminology) or “stairway” (using Robert Plant’s) to reach heaven. We may try to reach God by our own best efforts or building projects, but there is no way that we can ascend to God. The stairway is denied. But there is indeed one who traveled down the staircase from heaven. As we hear in the Christmas Eve introit, “When all was still and it was midnight, Your almighty Word, descended from Your royal throne.” The Lord who revealed Himself to Jacob at Bethel also descended as the Child of Mary. Christ is the Word made flesh, who made His dwelling among us by coming down to earth in human form. Harold Senkbeil writes, “Solomon’s age-old question was answered at Bethlehem, and with an exclamation point. Yes, God would really dwell on earth with man. This baby born to a young Jewish virgin was God with us. God couldn’t get more ‘with us’ than He did with Jesus.”[3] We could never ascend to God by our own powers and abilities, but God descends to us in His mercy and love.



When the disciples find themselves staring gape-mouthed into heaven after Jesus’ ascension, this does not mean that God ceases to be a “down-to-earth” God. The same God who came down to Jacob at the stairway to heaven and as Savior wrapped in swaddling clothes still comes down to His people on earth, though hidden from the world. Lathrop writes, “For us in the Christian congregation, Word and Sacrament are our Bethel-stones.”[4] He further explains, “Jesus Christ is Bethel for us, and He is known where he gives himself away: in the word he opens our minds to understand beginning with Moses and all the prophets (Luke 24:47), in the bread he breaks (Luke 24:31), in the baptism into his death which is the beginning of sharing his resurrection (Romans 6:4).”[5] Though Christ ascends into heaven, He still is the one who dwells among His people as the Word made flesh. Senkbeil writes, He who once took up residence in human flesh now gives His heavenly power hidden in the lowly human word of His holy Gospel – and, wonder of wonders, once again God dwells among His people in that holy Word.”[6]



Since Christ has come down to us as God wrapped in flesh in Bethlehem and who suffered in that same flesh for the life of the world, something dramatic has happened. The stairway is no longer denied to His saints. Christ is the One who “opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers” as we sing in the Te Deum. By Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension, He, Himself, has become the stairway to heaven. He is the means by which the saints will enter glory.



Ascension is a time when we start with Christ’s “descension.” Christ descended to us in servant’s form to rescue us and give to bridge the chasm between holy God and sinful man. But until His return in glory, Christ continues to comes to us hidden under the Word and Sacraments. Philip Pfatteicher summarizes this Scriptural theme well, writing:

        

Bethel, called by Jacob “the gate of heaven,” is a holy place because there God came down, not because the people asked for the visit but because God chose to comed down. Thus the ladder or staircase is a useful and instructive symbol of God’s interaction with his people. God sets up the ladder. God builds the stairs. At last God comes down bearing a child, so that we children may come up. God descends to us in order to help us to do what we cannot do on our own: ascend to our true home. It is a sacramental sign: God condescends to come down to bestow gifts and one of those gifts is to raise us by the very means God used to come down to us. In the words of Jesus, the one who came down, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 12:32).[7]

                So fear not Wayne!  There is no denial of “stairway” to the saints of God.  Christ, Himself is the way.  He is indeed the very gate of heaven.  That’s why we assemble on a Thursday evening when everyone else is heading to the ballpark of cutting grass.  We go to celebrate the fact that Christ ascended to the Father’s right hand, but also because our down-to-earth God came among us to save and continues to come among us to forgiven, strengthen and renew.  We won’t sing “Stairway to Heaven” on Ascension Day, but we can trace this multi-directional theme of His saving work.  The stairway is not denied!

---

[1][1] Gordon Lathrop, “How Awesome is this Place: The Lutheran Book of Worship and the Encounter with God,” Encountering God: The Legacy of Lutheran Book of Worship for the 21^st Century. ed. Ralph Van Loon. (Minneapolis: Kirk House, 1998), p. 40.

[2] Gerhard O. Forde, Where God Meets Man: Luther’s Down-to-Earth Approach to the Gospel.  (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1972), p. 25.

[3] Harold L. Senkbeil, Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness.  (St. Louis: Concordia, 1994), p. 32.   

[4] Lathrop, p. 44. 

[5] Lathrop, p.44. 

[6] Senkbeil, p. 134. 

[7] Philip Pfatteicher, Liturgical Spirituality.  (Valley Forge: Trinity, 1997), p. 18. 

Soldiers Have A Calling Too - A Memorial Day Reflection on Fallen Soldiers

One hallmark of the theology of Martin Luther was his doctrine of vocation.  Luther explained that every Christian has a holy calling from God as they serve God and neighbor in their unique context.  From the mother working in the home, to the farmer in the field to the soldier on the field of battle, all of these could be rightly understood as having a holy calling.  Luther wrote a little pamphlet titled, “Whether Soldiers Too Can Be Saved,” in which he affirms the unique and holy calling of soldiers.  The understanding of the vocation of soldier is rooted in Luther’s distinguishing between the two Kingdoms (Church and State) and his understanding of government as an agent of God, based on Romans 13:1-4.  There, St. Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Lutherans have always understood that God rules through His “left-hand kingdom,” the government, to preserve order, provide for the common good and execute justice. God's “right-hand kingdom,” the Church, exists for the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the keys (binding and forgiving sins). But God rules through both kingdoms, yet for very different purposes. However, we should never fail to see God's hand at work through civil government. St. Peter, like St. Paul, affirmed the government as God's instrument for the good of believers and non-believers alike. In 1 Peter 2, he writes, "Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."

The emperor [government] exists for your good, unless you do evil. Then he is there to punish you.  As St. Paul wrote, "If you do wrong, be afraid."  As Lutheran Christians, we affirm that government is ordained by God and He is the one who provides for the common good through a government that maintains roads and public works, that protects citizens, and carries out justice. The questions and answers section of Luther’s Small Catechism states that the one source that has the authority to take the life of another is the government by fighting just wars and through capital punishment (There are seven principles that guide just war theory – just cause, last resort, formal declaration, just intention, principle of proportionality, principle of discrimination, principle of limited engagement.  For more information read http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=453).  But ultimately, it is not the government that has such authority to take life, but God, who carries out His justice through His rule by His left-hand Kingdom. 

Our Biblical understanding of government being an agent of God means that we believe that God is at work through divinely ordained government even when the rulers are evil or could be considered our enemies.  As citizens of the United States of America, we are thankful for the freedoms that we have as delineated in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  We are citizens of both kingdoms and that means that we are vigilant against those who would restrict our religious liberties in any way.  It is good for us to recognize the importance of being citizens of both kingdoms and to treasure the freedom of the Gospel, that is the forgiveness and life that are ours in Christ Jesus, on one hand and the religious freedoms that are ours as citizens of the United States of America.

Throughout our nation’s history, Christians have sought or been called upon to serve in the vocation of soldier in defense of the State.  Gene Edward Veith writes, “Luther maintained that it is God, working through the offices of the judge or soldier who takes life and punishes sin.  Christians can indeed occupy these offices, being called them as divine vocations.”  It is good for our nation to take time to remember those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom.  Their service to their country is indeed a holy calling.  So how does one function as a Christian and a soldier.  Veith provides some wise counsel, writing, “A soldier is loving his neighbor when he protects his country…yet this by no means negates the commands to love our enemies and to forgive those who trespass against us.  In their personal lives, soldiers…must indeed love and forgive their enemies.  But in their vocations, by virtue of their offices, they are authorized to ‘bear the sword.’”  While we long for the day when wars will end and there will be true peace, we know that such time will not come until the last day when the Lord bids our bitter conflicts cease.  Until then, as citizens of the United States, we should be thankful for those who have fought to protect our liberties. 

It is especially important for Christian citizens to be mindful of the freedoms and to not take these freedoms for granted.  It is also good for us to remember, not simply on one day, those who gave their lives for the sake of our freedom.  Some of the most moving and fitting words of remembrance come from the pen of President Abraham Lincoln in a letter to a Mrs. Bixby of Boston.  The letter reads:

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Today, as remember those who have fought and died for our country, it would also be an ideal time to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us. This is also a time to pray for all those who serve in our Armed Forces that they would be kept safe as they are placed in harm's way. Today, we pray that God would bring to justice against those who do evil and we thank Him for those who work to defend our freedom. We also ask God to bless our nation and to call our leaders to understand their role as agents of God and to truly be servants who seek to preserve order, provide for the common good, execute justice and defend the lives of the weakest among us.  Finally, we remember all those who have humbly served to defend our country, but especially those who lost their lives in that defense and give thanks to God for their sacrifice. 

Soldiers of the Cross - LCMS Military Chaplains

 Major Roger Heinz was the first LCMS military chaplain to be killed in the line of duty in Vietnam.

Approximately, 58000 members of the United States Armed Forces were killed during the Vietnam War.  On December 9, 1969, a UH-1H helicopter carrying six men crashed en route from Minh Long to Ba To.  One of the six men aboard was Major Roger W. Heinz of Coventry, Conneticut.  Major Heinz was an Army chaplain with a Special Forces unit and a pastor of The Lutheran--Church Missouri Synod.  He had previously been placed in harm’s way four years earlier during the United States’ brief incursion into the Dominican Republic in 1965.  Heinz had been conducting a service outside the base camp and was returning when a mob stormed the jeep throwing rocks and Heinz and his driver.  Like St. Paul before him, Heinz actually survived being stoned and made it back to the camp.  However when the helicopter went down in Vietnam, neither he nor the five other men aboard would survive.  Major Heinz was one of thirteen Army chaplains who were killed during the Vietnam War. 

In 1986, Chaplain Heinz’s widow, Lois, spoke to the LCMS Youth Gathering in Washington D.C.  She spoke about her grief and the challenge of raising two young daughters without their father.  But Mrs. Heinz also spoke about the importance of her husband’s work and the great comfort that her faith in Christ provided.  In particular, she told of two lives that were impacted by Chaplain Heinz’s service.  She said:

         

About six months after my husband's death, I received a phone call from a woman in Ohio. I don't even remember her name, but I do remember what she said to me.  “I just had to call and tell you what your husband did for my husband and myself. When my husband left for Vietnam, our marriage was just about over. My husband was drinking heavily and things didn't look good for us.  While in Vietnam, my husband had many counseling sessions with your husband. In fact, he had had a session the day Chaplain Heinz was killed. The main reason I am calling you is to tell you that because of your husband, we now have a happy marriage; no more drinking, and both my husband and I have returned to the Lord. I just wanted you to know about the good work your husband did and to say thank you."

                As our country observes its annual day to remember those who lost their lives in service to our country’s defense, it is good for us to also recognize the partnership between church and state for the sake of our military personnel.  Our country does not truly practice a separation of church and state, but a recognition of the different roles and responsibilities assigned to the each entity.  From the earliest of days, the church has served the state by providing military chaplains to serve the spiritual needs of the armed forces personnel.  When General George Washington became the commander of the Continental Army in 1775, there were already 15 clergymen serving as chaplains in the ranks. 

                The first LCMS pastor to serve as a military chaplain was Rev. Friedrich Richmann in 1862.  Rev. Richmann served the 58^th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteers during the Civil War.  The archives of Concordia Historical Institute include a diary that Richmann kept during the Civil War.  Today, the LCMS has 173 active duty and reserve chaplains serving in all branches of the Armed Forces.  Their duty ranges from forward to deployments to service at military hospitals and even Coast Guard bases.  Recently, a new book, Mission at Nuremberg, has been published recounting the pastoral care provided by U.S. Army Captain Henry Gerecke to the German prisoners during the Nuremberg trials, including Herman Goering.  In 2014, Captain Michael Frese, a LCMS pastor from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, was awarded the Purple Heart after injuries he sustained during an enemy attack in May 2011. 

                These are critical times during which military chaplains can serve a vital role of support, encouragement and counsel to the members of our Armed Forces and their families.  Military chaplaincy is one of the ways in which the State and the Church can work together for the common good of our citizens, but especially our military personnel.  Memorial Day is an important time for our citizens to remember those who gave their lives in service to their country during all of the various conflicts.  We also pray that those who are serving in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq would be preserved from all harm and danger.  This is also a time that we can be thankful for the partnership that enables military chaplains to provide spiritual care for those who serve our country at home and abroad. 

                 As a reminder of the challenges that many families face, Lois Heinz also spoke about the uncertainty that she felt after her husband was reported missing and the sorrow that gripped her when she learned of his death.  But most of all, Lois Heinz’s words remind us of the purpose of military chaplains from the perspective of the Church - to provide comfort and hope in Christ in any and every situation.  Once again from Mrs. Heinz’s presentation. 

 

On December 9, 1969, I was informed by the Army that my husband was missing in action. For almost two weeks, I did not know if he were dead or alive. I prayed that he would be found alive. I told myself, "He can't be dead; he has a wife and two daughters waiting for him to come home. He's too young to die. He has a lot more work to do here on earth. The Lord wouldn't take him now." But, on December 19, any hope I had had during the past two weeks was gone when I was told his body had been found and identified. He died when the helicopter in which he was a passenger crashed into the side of a mountain and burned. He died while on his way to another camp where he was going to proclaim the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He had been called by our church and our Lord to do the work of our Heavenly Father, and he gave his life in the process.  I experienced many different feelings at that time. There was, to be sure, much sadness and also some bitterness. Many questions came to mind. Some of those questions were: “How will I ever make it without him? How will I raise two children by myself?" The most immediate question was: "How will I make it through the memorial service and the funeral?" That question was answered very quickly while I was attending the memorial service at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I had chosen two of my husband's favorite hymns "For All the Saints" and "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." As the congregation started singing "For All The Saints," I suddenly found myself singing with them. Not only did I make it through the service, but I also participated in the service. My husband was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1969. I am convinced that without faith I could never have made it through that time in my life. The Lord was with me. He guided me and gave me the strength to carry on. He put my life back in order. “

              

                Mrs. Heinz found comfort in the same message which her husband had been called to proclaim to soldiers placed in harm’s way.  The message of Christ’s death and resurrection is the only true comfort for troubled hearts on the field of battle and grieving families back home.  It is a blessing that pastors such as Roger Heinz serve the Church and their country in proclaiming the Gospel as military chaplains. 

                These are also trying times for our chaplains when external forces would seek to restrict their witness and call them to violate their conscience on a host of issues.  This is all the more reason for us to be vigilant in praying for those who bear the responsibility of serving the Church and the nation.  It is our prayer that God would strengthen our chaplains to be faithful servants in bearing witness to Christ and as they bring the comfort and consolation that is only found in the Gospel to hurting soldiers and families. 

My next blog post will be on the calling of soldiers and will be posted on Memorial Day.

Beyond Concordia - Biltz's Service to the Synod

Pictured above is the call document issued to Rev. F.J. Biltz to serve as the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul's Congregation of Freedom Towsnship, Missouri, signed October 2, 1859.  

                The story of the life and ministry of Franz Julius Biltz was intimately tied to the early years of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.  In fact, as one of the immigrants from Saxony in Germany who settled in Perry County, Missouri, Biltz was present for significant milestone that would lead to the formation of the Synod.  As previously noted, he was one of the original students in the Log Cabin schoolhouse in Altenburg when it opened in December 1839.  He would continue his studies as he prepared for the ministry for nearly nine years in the one room school that would be eventually become Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.  Franz completed his studies in his 1848, a year after the formation of the Missouri Synod becoming the second “graduate” of the log cabin seminary.  However, Biltz and fellow student, Wilhelm Mueller, were present at the formation of the Synod in Chicago in 1847 and were presented to the convention as candidates for the Office of the Holy Ministry.

                After his arrival in Concordia, Pastor Biltz would be frequently called on to serve the Synod in numerous capacities.  Such service meant that Biltz was once again present for what W. Gustav Polack described as a “historic” milestone in the Synod’s early years.  He was appointed to serve as one of the Missouri Synod’s delegates to the first regular convention of the Synodical Conference in Milwaukee in 1872.  The Synodical Conference was a federation of Lutheran churchbodies  primarily from the Midwest that came about as a result of a series of free conferences.   At its first convention, the Synodical Conference included the Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Norwegian, Illinois and Minnesota Synods. 

                In 1875, Biltz was elected to serve as the president of the Western District of the Missouri Synod, in addition to his parish responsibilities.  The Western District encompassed everything west of the Mississippi River at the time of Biltz’s election.  As the Synod grew and continued to expand westward, the Western District would have several new districts break off to form their own districts.  Dennis Kastens wrote of his election as district president, “To a large extent, it was Julius Biltz’s fatherly advice, Christian counsel and exemplary churchmanship that inspired clergy, teachers and laity throughout these immense territories to cooperate in becoming one of America’s greatest and most influential forces during the nation’s westward expansion.”  Due in large part to Biltz’s leadership, the Western District Convention was held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia in 1875 and 1880, where Dr. C.F.W. Walther continued his essay, “The Teachings of the Lutheran Church Give All Glory to God Alone, Therefore Its Teachings Are Right.”  This essay was delivered over the course of eleven district conventions from 1873 to 1886.  Additional district conventions were held in Concordia during Biltz’s active ministry in 1889, 1895, and 1900 and subsequently in 1905, 1910, and 1922. 

                Biltz would serve on the Board of Control of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in his role as district president.  This meant that Biltz was a member of the Board following the death of the seminary’s only president, C.F.W. Walther in 1887.  When the seminary celebrated its sixtieth anniversary in 1899, a celebration was planned that included speakers from each decade of the seminary’s existence.  Biltz was chosen to be one of the seven speakers and he wrote an address for the occasion though he was unable to attend. 

                The intersection between Biltz’s life and the history of the Synod even extended to his personal life.  Two of Biltz’s daughters would go on to marry sons of presidents of the Missouri Synod.  Bertha Biltz would marry Rev. Ferdinand Walther, the son of C.F.W. Walther, the first president of the Synod and Concordia Seminary.  Ferdinand Walther served his entire active ministry as a pastor in Brunswick, Missouri.  An snapshot into the close family relationships of the Biltz and Walther families is revealed in  an 1884 letter from C.F.W. Walther to his son Ferdinand.  He writes of the upcoming Synod Convention in St. Louis.  He informs Ferdinand that Pastor Biltz would be a guest in the Walther’s home and that Ferdinand should bring his wife, Bertha.  Walther then writes that if Bertha were to travel with him, “Naturally, then you will have to bring your children…We have plenty of room.  And half of the travel expenses I will bear with great joy.”    For all of the commitment and service that Walther and Biltz offered to the Synod, it is easy to imagine the eagerness of these two men have to see their grandchildren.  Another daughter Clara married Martin Luther Wyneken, the son of F.C.D. Wyneken, who served as president of the Missouri Synod from 1850-1864.  Clara’s husband was a Lutheran pastor in Los Angeles, but died at the age of 39 and she remained there after his death.

                Pastor Biltz was honored posthumously when St. Paul’s College dedicated its new dormitory in 1925 as Biltz Hall.  The dormitory cost $125,000 at the time and could house 96 students.  Hundreds of future pastors and teachers would reside in this boys dormitory over the years commemorating this long time pastor and founder of the college.  In 2005, Biltz Hall was completely renovated to provide conference and classroom space and guest housing for the campus.  One of the treasures that is housed in Biltz Hall on campus at Saint Paul Lutheran High School today is the original handwritten call document issued to Rev. F.J. Biltz in October 1859.  His compensation included $300 annual salary, 10 acres of good grazing land, free lodging and firewood. 

                The life and ministry of Pastor Franz Julius Biltz provides a window into the religious climate of Germany in the early part of the 19^th Century, the perils of German immigrants in America, the tragedies brought on by a country at war with itself, the first fifty years of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and finally a fledgling Lutheran congregation and its countless struggles and hardships.  Throughout it all, the life and ministry of Pastor Franz Julius Biltz is a testimony of a man who sought to bring comfort to troubled souls by proclaiming God’s Word.  However, most of all it is a testimony of a faithful and loving God who shepherded His flock through the humble service of one of his undershepherds.  Historian Carl S. Meyer wrote of Biltz, “His leadership, his varied services, and his reputation for a strong faith, and unselfish love, by the grace of God, made…Biltz an illustration and testimony of a teacher’s impact on a man of God.” 

 

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church will present a series of historical lectures this summer as part of its 175^th Anniversary.  Historian and author Robert Frizell will speak on June 15 at 2 p.m.  Rev. Lee Hagan will lead a presentation on the life and ministry of Pastor Franz Julius Biltz on Sunday, July 21 at 2 p.m.. 

Rodney Dangerfield and Jesus' Words for Graduates - Don't Go...Remain

This is a sermon that I preached at Kramer Chapel on campus at Concordia Theological Seminary on May 10, 2012 during my work for LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission.  The days following the vicarage and call services are always full of excitement on the campus of our seminaries as students get ready to leave.  This text and sermon seem appropriate for all of God's people, but especially for those who are preparing for a new phase of life or transition.  May God bless us as we "remain" in Christ.  

In Nomine Jesu

John 15:4-7  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

                    Of the countless commencement addresses that I have heard over the years, the best line ever came from the great philosopher Rodney Dangerfield at the end of the corny 80’s movie “Back to School.”  Rodney said, “as you go out into the world my advice to you is...don't go!  It's rough out there.”

            This is the time of year that  fourth year students are ready to go.  They’re ready to go on to their first call.  They’re ready to head out from the seminary and put into practice what they have learned.  Second year men are excited about going on vicarage and being able to get a feel for parish ministry.  Professors are also ready to go – teaching courses across the country, travelling to teach at seminaries around the world, speaking at conferences and seminars.  Deaconess students are likewise ready to begin internships and calls and apply what they have learned to the lives of people.  First year guys – well, they don’t have anywhere.  But for the most part, most of you are ready to go.  But Jesus’ word, like Rodney’s is don’t go, but remain.

                Christ bids His people to abide or remain in Him and to remain in His words.  You may be excited about excited about the call or vicarage assignment.  You may be filled with anticipation for some sort of opportunity for service to the people of God in the coming weeks or months.  But the reality is that you can’t do anything.  You can’t grow a church.  You can’t save a church.  Congregations may have the same kind of excitement that you do associated with your arrival.  They may be expecting anything from a savior to the a proverbial shot-in-the-arm.  But the reality is that you will arrive as the same poor, wretched, miserable sinners with feet of clay that you were when you first set foot on campus.  No seminary class can beat that out of you.  But even though you go to places like Barney, North Dakota, our Lord bids that you still remain and abide in Him. 

                The beginning point for a life in Christ and service to Christ is by Christ abiding and remaining in us.  The life that began at the font continues on as Christ remains with you through His Holy Word and His precious Body and Blood.  The location in which you remain is really of no great consequence at all.  However, Christ bids that you remain. 

                For though you are sent by Christ to serve His church, your need remains.  It is only through abiding in Christ and His Word and Sacraments abiding in you that Christ brings forth the fruits of faith.  The connection to the vine is the means by which Christ brings forth fruits of faith as you serve.  You can’t produce anything on your own.  But remaining in Christ means that He works through you and even in spite of you for His holy purposes.  You may be a proclaimer and teacher of Christ’s Word, but there never is a time where you cease to need to be a hearer and student of this Word.  So as you go…remain.  Remain in Christ and may His Word remain in you.

                There are days when it will be rough out there.  There are days when it will hard and difficult.  There are days when the saints won’t be so holy and the hearers won’t be so eager to hear.  And there will be days when serving Christ feels like more of a burden than a joy, when you’re wondering why God put you hear of all places and how long before you can get out.  And Christ’s Word to you is remain.  Remain in Christ and may His Word remain in you.

Soli Deo Gloria

Rev. Dr. Lee Hagan

CTS Kramer Chapel

May 10, 2012

Biltz's Leadership in Concordia: Expansion on all Fronts

Pastor Biltz, his wife and younger children in front of the parsonage.

                The ending of the Civil War enabled Pastor Biltz and St. Paul’s congregation to return its attention to efforts to serve the growing German population in Concordia and beyond.  These efforts would include planting new congregations, forming branch schools and establishing a preparatory school for pastors and teachers.  Already in his lifetime, Biltz had seen the fledgling Saxon immigrants of Perry County grow into an established community and take leadership among the German Lutherans of the Midwest in the founding of the Missouri Synod.  Now Biltz would be a leader of the Missouri Synod’s work on the Missouri frontier.

                Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Emma (four miles to the east) was established as a daughter congregation of St. Paul’s  prior to the ending of the Civil War in 1864 (Like St. Paul’s, Holy Cross is celebrating a significant anniversary as they observe their 150^th anniversary this year).  Through Biltz’s leadership and tireless commitment, other congregations would be established in Alma (eight miles north of Concordia), Higginsville (fifteen miles northwest), Ernestville (six miles southwest), and Norborne (thirty-eight miles north).  Especially noteworthy are his efforts in the founding of Trinity Lutheran Church in Norborne.  Biltz traveled by horse to the Missouri River and then crossed by ferry to reach Norborne and serve the flock there.  Biltz also began some of the early work in Independence (some fifty miles west), conducting baptisms of several children, though no congregation was organized until after his death.    

                There has always been a commitment to Lutheran education within St. Paul’s congregation.  Mr. M. Broening had been called to be the first teacher to assist the pastor in 1858.  The first separate school building was constructed in 1867 (known as the Hamm School). Just two years later, St. Paul’s would begin operating branch schools (small one room schoolhouses) in the areas surrounding Concordia (these branch schools included the Blackwater school, North Davis school, Jacksonville school and Wilk school). The last of the branch schools, the North Davis school, closed in 1941 and all of the students were transferred to the single school, which had been built across from the church at 5^th and Main Streets in 1921. 

                Pastor Biltz was also the leading voice for a college to assist in the preparation of men for ministerial vocations as pastors or teachers.  At the time, there were no “prep” schools remotely near Missouri and other “Western” states.  Already in 1880, Pastor Biltz was appointed to a committee of the Western District to consider the establishment of a “progymnaisum” within its borders and make recommendations to the 1881 Synod Convention.  The late Rev. F.A. Baepler, longtime pastor at St. Matthew’s in Ernestville, notes that the Synod took no action at the convention.  LCMS Historian August Suelflow suggests that the lack of action fell upon the Western District.  Suelflow writes, “The indecisions disturbed F.J. Biltz, who, as District President, repeatedly received requests from far and near for pastors and teachers.  Knowing that pretheological schools had been established elsewhere in the Synod without specific direction be either Synod or District, he together with his own and neighboring congregations came before the District with a liberal offer of assistance if the school would be located at Concordia.  Again the district hesitated to act…however, when assured that the school would not cost it a cent for the next two or three years, the District endorsed the project as its own.”  The school began with Rev. Andrew Baepler serving as the first professor.  The first classes began on January 3, 1883 with three students present, but grew to sixteen in just after Easter. 

                 However, this period of growth and expansion did not happen without hardship.  There were troubling times that the congregation would still face even after the Civil War.  A grasshopper infestation and epidemic of Scarlet Fever beset the residents of Concordia during the trying year of 1870.  The growing congregation lost 62 souls during that particular year, 48 of whom were between the ages of birth and 15 years of age.  The family of Fritz Brackmann lost four children to Scarlet Fever over the course of just five days.  Pastor Bitz’s own son, Eduard Ernst Biltz would also die that year.  Over the years of his ministry, Biltz would bury eight of his own children as well as his wife. 

                Reflecting on the 50^th Anniversary of his ordination, Pastor Biltz described his service as “truly a rich life, rich in trouble and labor, rich in cross and suffering, but also certainly rich in blessing, comfort and joys.”  What fitting words from a man who had endured much hardship and yet had been sustained and strengthened throughout by his faith in God.  Pastor Biltz is certainly a wonderful example of God’s grace under immense pressures. 

Reflections Upon Confirmation as a Parent - A Letter to My Daughter Caroline

The confirmation of my daughter was a major event for my family yesterday (at least in terms of work and people involved).  All of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and godparents were present.  There was a meal and an open house with the requisite decorations, cake, mints and nuts.  Perhaps we fell into all the same clichés as every other family when it comes to confirmation.  But as I thought about what it meant that my daughter was confirmed, I came to the conclusion that for me, as a parent, nothing has really changed.  The presence of her family was an obvious statement to her that her growth in the Christian faith is of great importance.  However, my expectations for her have not truly changed now that she is confirmed.  Since our congregation links First Communion and Confirmation, her being invited to the table is actually of greater “significance” in terms of the fact that she now is blessed to receive the Lord’s Supper and all the blessings that our Lord offers therein.  But ultimately, my sincere hope is that she understands her identity as a baptized child of God.  To that end, I wrote her a letter that I gave to her last night after all of the day’s commotion subsided.  While she received many beautiful and generous gifts from her family and friends, I wanted to share with her what our hopes are for our future and those hopes have never really changed.   We want her to know what it means that she is God’s baptized, forgiven and redeemed child.   Here is the letter that I wrote to her. 

 

Dear Caroline,

January 9, 2000 on the church’s calendar was the Baptism of our Lord, but it was also your baptism.  The sign of the cross was made over your head and heart as Christ marked you one of His own.  As God placed His name on in you through the water and the Word, Christ’s baptism became your baptism, His death your death and His resurrection yours also.  You were brought into God’s Kingdom by God’s grace, the work of the Holy Spirit. 

There have been many important days in your life since.  There have been milestones such as learning to walk or the first day of school or losing your first tooth or making your first basket.  But on January 9, 2000, the hopes that your mother and I had for you were met as you were baptized into Christ.  There were lots of things that we hoped for in a child.  Healthy, smart, funny, kind with a warm smile and a love of Kentucky basketball (okay, that was just mine).  But more than anything else, what we wanted in a child was a child of God.  We wanted a daughter or son who would know Christ’s love and the riches of His grace.  We wanted a child who confessed the faith that we shared and would one day stand next to us and share Christ’s body and blood with us in the Lord’s Supper.  We weren’t so concerned about hair color or the shape of your nose.  We didn’t have strong feelings about your particular interests.  We simply wanted you to know that God loved you even more than we ever could.  We wanted you to know that Christ demonstrated His love for you by dying for you. 

So what’s next?  High school, college, additional schooling, dating, occupation, marriage.  We aren’t sure what all the future holds for you.  However, our hope for you doesn’t really change.  It remains our prayer that you are God’s baptized child.  There will be many pressures and temptations that you will face ahead.  But we still will pray that the God who marked you at the baptismal font will continue to keep you safe and secure in the “ark” of the Christian Church.  When you were still in the womb, your mom used to tell me how much you moved around when I was preaching.  She used to say that it was because you knew my voice.  I always thought it was more like John the Baptist leaping in his mother’s womb in the presence of the yet unborn Christchild as Mary visited Elizabeth.  I pray that you will always be faithful in hearing God’s Word proclaimed and being in the presence of Christ as He comes to you in Word and Sacrament. 

We never know what the future holds.  The only thing of which you can be certain is God’s faithful promises.  That is why I think your confirmation verse is so appropriate.  God’s Word of encouragement to Joshua is fitting also for you, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  You may live across town from us or on the other side of the globe, but God will be with you.  May your strength and courage always come from the God who called you in baptism and who gave His life for you on the cross. 

This also guides you no matter what you “do with your life.”  Whether you are a doctor or a ditch digger, it is my hope and prayer that you see your work in light of your identity as God’s beloved child.  Paul describes it well in Galatians 2, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

Caroline, you have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.  You have died to yourself and now risen as God’s new creation.  So it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you.  That means that Christ works through you whether teaching children or caring for the sick.  So whether it is wife and mother or worker or all of the above, may you find joy in being who God has called you to be – His beloved child!

There will be times that you fail.  There will be times where you make mistakes.  You are a sinner and that is what sinners do.  At those times, I pray that you find comfort at the baptismal font where you first received God’s forgiving word of Absolution.  You are just as much in need of God’s grace today as you were on the day of your baptism.  And you are just as much God’s baptized child today as you were on January 9, 2000. 

I am your father and that means that I have a great responsibility that I take seriously as I raise you as God’s baptized child.  But our relationship is more than just father and daughter and even pastor and parishioner.  It Is also that of brother and sister in Christ because just like you I am a sinner who needs God’s grace.  While there will perhaps be more years of me talking to you about the stuff the dads say to daughters, what we have to look forward to is an eternity as brother and sister in Christ.  I really look forward to birthdays and driving lessons, ballgames and college visits, graduations and if God blesses wedding and grandchildren.  Those will all be wonderful things for us to look forward to in the future.  But we are blessed to be able to look forward to the eternity that we will share because more than anything else we are God’s baptized children. 

Your mother and I love you.  We look forward to what the Lord has in store for you in the future and we rejoice that the future is an eternal one.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift of grace in Christ Jesus!

Love,

Dad

 

Reflecting upon Confirmation as a Pastor - What Does This Mean?

Confirmation has returned to the forefront of my mind in recent days for personal and professional reasons.  The practice of confirmation is one of the few issues where there is great unity among LCMS pastors these days.  However, it is not necessarily the kind of unity for which we are striving.  The unity that we have achieved is that of dissatisfaction.  Very few pastors are content with their particular congregational model or approach to confirmation, the participation and response of confirmands, and the support of parents and care givers.  In Confirmation Basics, seminary professor Kent Burreson describes confirmation as “a rite desperately seeking a rationale.”  He then refers to “its checkered liturgical history,” “diverse responses of the Lutheran reformers,” “changes in the practice” and “challenges in a post-modern, post-church age” as part of the background for assessing the practice of confirmation today.”  Many associate confirmation with the Lord’s Supper when it is associated with First Communion.  Others connect it with Baptism or emphasize it as something distinct from Baptism and Lord’s Supper by emphasizing the personal vow or the concept of “membership.”  Arthur Carl Repp’s classic Confirmation in the Lutheran Church provides a thorough overview of the history of the rite and the various approaches since the Reformation and traces how elements of the four distinct “types” have been retained.  While Repp’s book is fifty years old, he raises some of the same questions with which pastors and congregations wrestle still today.

The rite in Lutheran Service Book helps to strengthen the connection between confirmation and Baptism.  This helps to place confirmation within the understanding of Christ’s command to “make disciples” by baptizing and teaching.   It becomes in one sense a logical extension of the parent’s commitment in bringing the child to be baptized and the charge given to sponsors.  Confirmation is more than just a white robe and a cards for the boy wearing the uncomfortable tie or the girl walking awkwardly on her heeled shoes.  The explanation in Lutheran Service Book Agenda explains “The rite of Confirmation, though not commanded by Christ in Holy Scripture, is, nevertheless, a salutary custom that marks the catechumen’s confession of faith after a period of thorough and extensive catechesis in the Small Catechism.  It is also a celebration of the gifts that God gave the catechumen in Baptism and affords the confirmand the opportunity to confess his or her faith publicly before the Church.” 

As I searched through the files on my computer, I found three different documents that noted changes to our confirmation program and one “paradigm shift.”  I was surprised how many times we have “revisited” with confirmation without achieving any spectacular solutions.  My pragmatic side is frustrated that there is no “magic bullet” for confirmation.  However, there is still a great commitment to the confirmation in many congregations.  But we have to recognize that family dynamics have changed dramatically in the last twenty-five years.  Marvin Bergmann, also taken from Confirmation Basics, writes, “The three leading challenges in confirmation ministries anticipate five years from now named were the need for greater parent involvement and commitment, schedule conflicts and time pressures, and a post-confirmation lack of involvement by youth.” 

So, as Lutherans are prone to ponder, “What does this mean?”  We have this long-standing “custom” that is varied in terms it’s understanding and practice that is found by many to be difficult and frustrating.  There is no “Thus saith the Lord” attached to confirmation.  What then should we do?  Should we just read confirmation’s obituary and call it a day?  Perhaps a better approach than a funeral would be a “reformation.”  Confirmation is not something that can be “fixed.”  To properly instruct and prepare catechumens means that confirmation instruction will be in a constant state of flux as we strive to make disciples in a constantly changing world. 

What confirmation has traditionally been in most Lutheran churches in the previous century was a time of intensive instruction in the Christian faith in a time that paralleled adolescence.  Some congregations have moved away from confirmation taking place in eighth grade.  Admittedly, junior high is a challenging age.  However, it would seem that there would be great benefit to young people spending significant time with their pastor through catechesis.  Rather than retreating from the challenge,  it would seem to be wise to re-commit ourselves to the importance of teaching the faith at this age.

This also means committing to an approach for confirmation that is adaptable for today.  We cannot take the same approach to confirmation of years gone by.  This means that our approach to confirmation would be multi-faceted and would include parents, care givers and other adults in the process as well as individualized and group settings.  I would envision an approach that still makes extensive use of Scripture and Catechism, but would not be exclusively “delivered” by the pastor in a lecture format.  A seminary professor recently suggested to me that pastors would benefit greatly from taking an “educational methods” class from a local university.   It would be a worthwhile investment of time and resources for the congregation as well.  We must also recognize that catechesis today should include much more of an emphasis on apologetics than was the case previously.   Young people will find the Christian faith under attack as they set foot on college and perhaps high school campuses.  Catechesis will teach the faith thoroughly, but also help the catechumens to be able to answer and contend for the faith in a world hostile to the Gospel. 

For confirmation to serve any purpose beyond the confirmation robe being just a graduation gown, it will mean that congregations view it within an overall commitment to the teaching of children and adults.  This means that the commitment and support of confirmation is more than just an hour of the pastor’s time on Wednesdays and the grandparents who shuttle the kids.  What is needed is a commitment to instruction of children and adults that connects home and church (and Lutheran school) and places confirmation as one piece of a larger puzzle.  This means that pastors and elders and other committees regularly discuss and evaluate confirmation.  It means that parents are actively in engaged in teaching the faith within the home to their children as Luther envisions in the Small Catechism.  It also necessitates more discussions about confirmation between pastors and other church professionals regarding everything from First Communion to different learning styles.  These are topics to be taken up by conferences at the circuit and district level and by leaders at the university and seminary level (Dr. John Oberdeck at Concordia University Wisconsin has been a leading voice for this important topic). 

Ultimately, confirmation is about connecting the young people with Christ and His gifts given in Word and Sacrament.  Burreson writes, “Its purpose must always be to support and strengthen the Church’s Word-filled, sacramental life of faith.”  The hope and prayer of every pastor is that the child who is baptized into Christ will be present at the time of confirmation and that the young person who is confirmed will be present the next week to once again hear the Word and receive Christ’s gifts. 

 

If you've made it this far, check back on Monday for my reflections upon confirmation as a parent.