When Old Is New

    The cultural pendulum is always in a state of flux.  In one generation it swings toward ideas that are foreign to the one before.  In the next generation it heads back to whence it came.  In my generation there are kids who are picking up what has been set aside as old and making it new again.  Beards are in.  Flat caps are in.  What was collecting dust is being rediscovered.  What was old is now new again.

This happened in Luther’s day too.  The Church had been choked by the weeds of money and false teachings like purgatory.  When Luther saw the ancient architecture, that is the Church, he did not want to tear the whole thing down and start from scratch, like some others wanted to do.  Instead he wanted to clean it up and restore what was being done by the saints of old.  He didn’t throw out the liturgy.  He removed the errors and brought the church back into connection with what the saints had done.  He didn’t remove the robes and the church year.  He brought it back to a place where the Gospel was made clear and the life of the Church in Christ was evident day by day and year by year.  What was old had become new again in the Reformation for the sake of the Gospel.

Today we are told that we need to amp up our Church service in order to cater to the appetite of the culture.  We are told that the worship service needs to be in tandem with the cultural pendulum in order to save souls.  Yet time and again history shows us that the pendulum is ready to come off its hinges.  The Church should not parrot or cater to the culture.  When She does, She is not heard because she is just another voice in a chorus of people who want to sing the tune of the day.  Although it will sound radical to a culture in a state of change, the Church sings to her own ancient tune.  We continue to use these antiquated liturgies because they have been carefully and lovingly passed on to us from one generation of saints to the next.  They are woven together by the enduring Word of God and not by fading fads.  They point to Christ and His forgiveness generation after generation.  By God’s grace, each age realizes these ageless truths are theirs too.  Each generation is reformed from individual cravings into the image of Christ’s Body.  Each generation needs to clean the ancient architecture from the gaudy yearnings of the world and submit to something so much greater, so much older than anything else this world can offer.  Sometimes that means that when something is introduced we hear that words, “Well, that’s new to me.”  even when it has been done by the Church for hundreds upon hundreds of years.

I don’t mean to claim that old ways are better because they are old.  What we must ask in our day are these questions together; is this consistent with what the bride of Christ has always done? Does this make the Gospel clear?  Will this endure for our children and grandchildren?  The Divine Service we use answers yes to all of these questions.  Yet we discover this for ourselves generation after generation.  What is old, ancient even, is made new, rediscovered, reformed by Christian after Christian and it will continually be made new in each generation until Christ returns.

1 Peter 1:24-25 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Rev. Nava

Our very own Pastor Nava was on KFUO’s Reformation Rush Hour with Rev. Craig Donofrio.  He plugged the Catechism Convocation and shared some insights on the office of widows in the Church.  He begins his interview at around the 18 minute mark.  You can find the audio file online here:

Everyone is different. Even so, the information included here applies to all men (and heck, even women). We will first begin with what being a man is not. Then we will venture in true manliness. I hope you’re taking notes (taking notes of manly things is, in fact, manly).

                What makes an un-man? There are a multitude of characteristics that change a man into an un-man. The first characteristic is passing the blame. For example, when a man says something like, “My wife drove me to this point” or even, “The devil made me do it” that makes what should be a man into an un-man. Another characteristic is bullying. An un-man will see someone who is “lesser” and proceed to bully that person with language, indirect action or inaction, or even physical aggression for a false sense of superiority.  The list of the un-man is virtually limitless when one begins to consider these characteristics. A fair way to sum up the un-man is a person who places himself above all others. This infantile and selfish human being does not look to the good of his neighbor but rather sees the neighbor as a means to his own end. The un-man is essentially a spoiled, entitled brat.

Now we proceed to the characteristics of being a real man. The real man is humble. He does not toot his own horn but rather regards others as greater than himself. The real man is one who is sacrificial. He lives to provide for others. He is even willing to die to protect them. He will give the shirt off his back and go the extra mile even for a stranger. The real man is able to take it on the chin and move on. He does not go looking for a fight nor does he react to a cheap shot in kind. When he does fight, he does so for those who are unable to fight for themselves. He is not afraid to speak the truth. He does not speak the truth in a way to build himself up or tear others down. He speaks the truth to defend what is good, right, and salutary. The real man is truly a role model for the young and un-man to follow. He is respectfully remembered by all.

Reality reveals that you are an un-man. You have not been faithful with your time, your money, or your thoughts. You have sought out praise from others. You have schemed a comfortable life for yourself above all. You have not been a good role model. You do not go the extra mile. Instead you speed on the freeway to get home as soon as you can and all those others on the road are “in your way”. When someone rails against you, maybe even in the comment section of the local newspaper, you respond with even more negativity to justify yourself. You, yes you, are the un-man.

The un-man started with Adam. When caught by God with forbidden fruit he points to his wife and says, “This wife, the one you gave me, she made me do it” and then in turn she says, “the devil made me do it”. Since that Fall we have all been un-men, un-women. It is inherent in our Fallen DNA. All men, all women, we are all totally unreal.  We are not perfect.

In the person of Jesus the uncreated second person of the Trinity entered humanity as a human being; fully God and fully man. This God-Man had to eat like you. He had to sleep like you. He was even tempted like you in every way. Unlike you, He did not sin. He was humble. He spoke the truth in love. He healed and fed and brought back from the dead. Jesus was more human than even we. Jesus is a real man. What did this perfect human do? He sacrificed His own perfection to take on your ungodliness, the very thing that makes you an un-man. He took it on the chin, in His hands, and His feet. He suffered and died so you don’t have to suffer eternal punishment. He descended into hell to proclaim victory (Colossians 2:15; 1 Peter 3:18-19). He rose from death with His body still showing the marks of His sacrifice. He spearheads the way into the Real World. What does He require of you, O un-man? Nothing. There is nothing you can offer that He doesn’t already have. He is God in the flesh who died and rose to make you a real (hu)man too. By His own gift of faith you will trust this promise.  Jesus is not only a role model. Good men will come and go. Jesus is the real man who pays for all of humanities un-manliness to make even us into real men & women too.

Rev. Jaime Nava

Imagery written by the young Johann Gerhard produced an image in my mind.  He says, because we, the Church, have been clothed with the Sun of righteousness, “see to it then that you tread the moon, that is, all the earthly things, underfoot and esteem all these things little in comparison to the good things of heaven.”  As I meditated on this a thought occurred to me.  We do not stand from the lofty height of the moon to peer down on the world from time to time.  Although we are no longer of the world, we are still in it.  And yet, at the same time, we tread the moon.  By grace, we overlook the constant change with our eyes fixed on the Author and Perfector of our faith.  So we stand in a peculiar way.  It’s a foolish stance.  Our feet are on the moon and our head is in the earth.  Although we tread the moon we ponder the earth.  Although we dwell in heaven through the sacrifice of Christ we work and die in ashes and dust.  By the Holy Spirit, we are flipped on our heads, upside-down to the looks of this world, and yet our feet are washed by the servant who sits at the right hand of God.

We do not live fully on the moon alone.  We do not purchase a secluded island, gather only Christians, and live in seclusion from the cares of earth.  We do not dwell in heaven alone where we are lords of all subject to none.  If we attempt to tread the moon with our head in the clouds of heaven our neighbor suffers.  God’s will is not done.

If we tread only where there is ash and dust, to which we return, then there is a danger to confuse the cares of this world with everlasting realities.  The Gospel merely becomes a message to help the hungry and the incarnation, God condescending to us, is not considered.  Then we end up seeking our best life in the shifting sands of this wilderness.

So we see a woman who has children out of wedlock.  She has had many husbands and yet none are around to help.  Her life is flipped upside by the Word of God and she receives peace beyond comprehension through the foolishness of what was preached to her.  Her care and concern is for her children.  She works multiple jobs in the nitty gritty of this ashen world so that her children will eat.  More often than not her mind is in the earth where her daily concerns dwell, those looming trolls that that turn to stone in the light of God’s truth and become a story from our past.  And there’s the beauty.  The ash and dust to which we return, the daily concerns, that is not where we tread.  Instead we tread the moon, the heavenly places far above the world.  So this same woman can find comfort as she treads.  She can find hope that her feet are led by God’s light.  She can rest, even in darkness, that the light of the World is with her always.  Although the transitory world looms so large her feet are planted secure in the heavens where she can tread in peace.

Be of courage.  Although the grit of this world sticks in our minds we tread a place far above it all.  Although it seems upside down to be sacrificial, to gain courage from suffering, to turn the other cheek, we stand secure in God’s realm and tread that place with Him.  As Johann Gerhard said, “see to it then that you tread the moon…and esteem all these things little in comparison to the good things of heaven.”

Rev. Jaime Nava

quote from:

Sacred Meditations by Johann Gerhard

A nice post on the same stuff:

Picture this! Johann Gerhard and the Church

The Roman Catholic Church has what is called Canon Law.  It is the laws by which that church body is governed.  It defines the hierarchy.  It regulates the people.  It administrates and oversees the polity of the church.  What’s the point? Canon Law is meant for the common good of people.  It guides the people on how to live.  It governs who is in and who is out.  How does the Roman church enforce this kind of law?  To be honest, I have no idea.  I guess they eventually kick you out after so many strikes.  Maybe they make people feel really guilty.

The Roman Church does not have a monopoly on Canon Law.  You can find it in pulpits across America, across denominations.  One church body denounces all things that even resemble a Roman Catholic Church because of Canon Law and then they turn around and throw their own Canon Law at people.  Sadly, from so many pulpits, the emphasis is law, law, law.  “To be a Good Christian you have to quit smoking.” Law. “To be a good Christian you have to quit drinking.” Law. “Be a better spouse.” Law.  “Be on fire for God.”  Law. “Give your life to Jesus.” Law. “Feel the Spirit in your heart.”  Law.  Who is the subject of every sentence of the Law? YOU.  What are the verbs?  DO. HAVE. BE. FEEL.  The Law is good but the Church is not about what you do for God.  You should not be going to church to hear how to fix your marriage.  You can find a secular psychologist to do as good or, sadly, an even better job.  You should not be going to church to find seven ways to control your anger.  You can count to ten for that.  So why do so many pulpits laud Canon Law?  Canon Law is misused to give reassurance of salvation.  People look to Canon Law for comfort, to see if they are “in”.  We wrongly trust that somehow we can keep ourselves in the Church.  If Canon Law is what the Church gives, we are pitiable and lost.

What is it that the Law does according to God’s Word?  It curbs us from making poor decisions.  It reveals our sin.  It guides us as Christians.  Jesus says that all the Law and the prophets are summed up in this, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”  The Law is good.  It is God’s will.  It is meant to govern and guide mankind.  It defines the hierarchy.  It regulates the people.  It protects the weak and the poor.  An honest gaze into the mirror of the Law reveals, with crystal clarity, that you and I do not measure up (Romans 2:12, 3:23).  Here’s the problem, by nature you hate God (Ephesians 2:3; James 4:4).  By nature you hate your neighbor.  By nature you are guilty of breaking all of God’s Law.  You do not measure up to what God demands.  On your own, you never will.  If you think you do measure up, you’re deluded.  That’s the problem when the Law is the center and end of theology.  We end up deluded or depressed.

Law comes naturally because the work of the Law is written on our hearts (Romans 2:15).  The church is not without Law because God’s Word is not without Law.  In fact, true and bitter Law leads us to desire real and sweet Gospel.  This is the reality; the Law serves the Gospel.  It points to the Gospel.  It kidnaps you, in terror, into the van of condemnation only to drive you to the freedom of the Gospel.  The center of the Church is not the Law.

The Gospel is the center and circumference of the Church.  The Good News of Jesus Christ who was born into the world, who was tempted in every way we have been tempted yet is without sin (Hebrews 4:15), who obediently suffered on the cross, who died, who proclaimed to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19), who was raised to life and by His authority now sends men into the world to baptize and teach (Matthew 28:19-20), this is the axle around which we hang our spokes.  This is the ruler we use to measure the Bride of Christ.  This Canon Gospel is what Sunday morning is all about.  Every Sunday we publicly confess our sins because we are condemned by the Law.  God declares you forgiven through your pastor.  Canon Gospel.  We watch as an infant feels the compassion of God in liquid form received by faith alone.  Canon Gospel.  We swallow down, whole, the body and blood of Christ in bread and wine so that, despite our rebellion, we have no doubt that we are forgiven, that we are “in”.  Canon Gospel.  There is no canon that can measure up to this one.  It is what defines the Church.  By God’s mercy, it is what you called your pastor to declare.  It defines who we are solely by what Jesus Christ has done and finished for us (John 19:30).  Canon Gospel, the central message of the Church, is how an external God, His external Word, His external promise of forgiveness is made internal through the blood of Jesus by God’s gift of faith.  He does it over and over and over again.  In Canon Gospel, the subject of the verb is always God.  He forgives.  He loves.  He provides. He does.  We are passive recipients.  Church is Canon Gospel; weighed, measured and found forgiven by Jesus Christ.  To be a good Christian Jesus Christ has to forgive you, period.

Do not go to church to hear how to be a better doer.  That Canon Law can be done by anyone.  Go to church because God forgives even you.  Canon Gospel is for you.

on November 10, 2013

What’s in a name?  Well, the second commandment thinks there’s something important in a name.  Don’t take the name of the Lord your God in vain.  God’s name is not a curse word.  It is not intended to be used to damn this or that.  I’m also pretty sure Jesus’ middle name did not start with H.  This commandment goes a bit deeper, too.  We don’t make a thoughtless oath in God’s name.  We don’t lie and use God’s name to back it up.  These are all ways we can break this second commandment.

Let’s get back to the name thing really quick.  Why is God’s name such a big deal?  It was how God blessed His people. (Number 6:22-27)  It is how God answers prayer. (John 16:23)  Where God’s name is, there God is also. (Matthew 18:20)  God’s name is a big deal.  We should treat is with the honor it is due.

We should not only refrain from misusing God’s name.  We should use it the right way.  How shall we do that?  We call upon God in trouble.  (Psalm 50:15) We pray in His name.  (John 16:23) We praise Him.  (Psalm 103:1) We give thanks to Him.  (Ephesians 5:20)  There is a wrong way and a right way to use the Lord’s name.  If we neglect either way we break this commandment.

We misuse God’s name all the time.  God knows our failures and inability to keep His commandments.  Jesus Christ (which means anointed one) kept this commandment perfectly.  He kept it so well that He even kept it for you.  He took your penalty for breaking this commandment on Himself.  He also rose on the third day to reveal that His Word is true.  As the bible says, “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) This salvation is God’s free gift to you.  Recognize that you do not use God’s name in the correct way.  Even so, there is forgiveness in the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9-11).  What’s in the name of Jesus?  Forgiveness.

Rev. Jaime Nava

You shall have no other gods.  Sounds easy, right?  Worship the one true God and you’ve got all the other commandments in the bag.  Who is God?  We teach that God is three in one; three persons who are all coequally eternal, uncreated, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.  At the same time God is not a three headed monster or a weird thing with three rotating faces.  God is three separate persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (or Ghost for you old timers).  So we teach that if we fear, love, and trust in God above all things, we’ve got it nailed.

Do we fear, love, and trust in God above all things?  I can’t count how many people I know or who I have heard with cancer.  I’ve ministered to people with Alzheimer’s or diabetes.  What happens when your youth, your energy, yoru ability to walk or drive, what happens when that is gone?  Is it easy to love God then?  I know people who have lost their homes around here.  They’ve sold their old ‘cuda that was in the garage for years.  Money is tight.  They wonder how they’re going to make the next payment or get groceries.  Do you trust God then?

What do you trust for peace?  Does it come in a bottle?  What do you fear the most in this world?  Does it involve a graveyard?  What gives you a sense of relief at the end of the day?  Is it in your bedroom?  In this world it is easy to fear, love, and trust the wrong stuff but those things are not God.  They all crumble and shift with time.

Christ entered into this changing world.  Miraculously born as fully human while fully God.  His life was pointed in one direction, the cross.  There God died for our lack of fear in God.  He died for our lack of trust in God.  He died for our lack of love for God.  God knew that we are fallen humans and so He literally took matters into His own hands, for you.

That eating disorder, that struggle with gambling, that messy divorce, all those things that drive us to fear, love, and trust in the wrong stuff, give them to Jesus.  Fear, love, trust in Him alone because He is God and you are not.  In Christ you are forgiven.

Rev. Jaime Nava

I put up a new calendar the other day.  As one month ticked on towards the next, I got to thinking.  This year has really flown by!  What do you remember from this year?  Was there something that was really worrying you?  Have you found some closure?  Have things gone downhill since then?   Some problems have decreased in size like watching the mountain range in your rearview mirror.  Some problems have grown larger and you may not be sure how you will weather the storm ahead.  They say the only constant is change.

There is in fact a constant that does not change.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  He makes the path straight through the valleys and mountains (Isaiah 40:4-5).  He is the solid ground when everything else is like quicksand (Psalm 19:14).  Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to enter our hectic sin-filled world.  He knows what it is to be human even to the point of death.  He shed His blood to be your constant, to declare to the world that even a sinner like you is forgiven.  His love for you will never change.  He rose from the dead.  He spearheads the way into the New Creation where pain and mourning and change will no longer be constants but rather ancient history.

Months will fold into the next.  What is a big deal today will be a memory tomorrow.  Through it all we can stand firm on Jesus Christ whose forgiveness and mercy never change.  For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”  1 Peter 2:6 (ESV)

Pastor Jaime Nava