Our Wednesday morning Bible study group has been discussing every book of the Bible in an overview format for the past year and a half. Recently, we discussed the book of Hebrews, an anonymous early church epistle which was written especially to guide Jewish Christians in their understanding of the Person of Jesus and in what it means to walk by faith in Him. We had a great discussion around one passage in particular, Hebrews 10:23-25: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

The church exists wherever the Holy Spirit calls people to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Because of this, the church can be described as “invisible” in the sense that we cannot exactly see faith in someone’s heart. At the same time, believers in Christ gather with one another as members of His Body. Immediately after Jesus’ ascension to heaven, the disciples began gathering together on a regular basis, both in the temple in Jerusalem and in an upper room where they were staying (Luke 24:53; Acts 1:13). The rest of the New Testament likewise assumes that believers will gather with one another in their communities. This first began with house churches, in which a few dozen believers could congregate at a time for Sunday services. 

The Greek word which the New Testament uses for “church,” ekklesia, refers to the “assembly.” In other words, the church, properly speaking, is the gathering of Christ’s people. It’s no wonder then that the writer to the Hebrews reminded both the early believers and Christians of all generations that we ought not neglect meeting together. It’s one of the most essential practices of the Christian faith.

In a time of history in which there is so little regard for “organized religion,” the simple message of Hebrews chapter 10 continues to speak to us. Despite the various objections we may have, its message remains. Don’t go it alone. We need one another. Join your brothers and sisters in Christ, both in the Lord’s house and in other settings throughout the week. Here are four specific reasons for our meeting together:

First, we need to hear the reading, preaching, and teaching of God’s Word. Yes, we ought to be pondering Scripture devotionally in our homes, but we also need to hear the Word proclaimed to us from outside ourselves. This is one of the main reasons that Christ provides pastors for His church, and it’s my privilege that I get to proclaim His Law and Gospel week after week. The more we take in Christ’s Word together, the more we can “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23).

Second, we need to receive Christ’s forgiveness, both through His Absolution and through His Body and Blood. The truth is, God has not promised to forgive our sins through watching TV, traveling, running errands, sleeping in, or whatever else we may do with our time. He has promised, however, to pour out His forgiveness through Confession and Absolution (John 20:22-23) and through the gifts of His Body and Blood in Holy Communion (Matthew 26:26-28). Because we continue to wrestle with sin and temptation as long as we live in this world, we need the forgiveness that Christ continues to offer through His means of grace.

Third, we meet together to be an encouragement to our fellow believers. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be complicated. Singing the hymns, sharing Christ’s peace, asking folks how they’re doing, letting someone know you are praying for him or her, meeting and welcoming a visitor, taking someone out to coffee, or having them over for a meal, and other simple actions like these are all ways in which any of us can be an encouragement. 

Fourth, we also gather so that we may receive encouragement from fellow Christians. As the writer of Hebrews mentioned, the Last Day is always drawing nearer (Hebrews 10:25). All of us as Christians need encouragement as we navigate these end times. And Christ provides. Martin Luther writes in the Smalcald Articles that one of the ways God’s grace comes to us is “through the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren.” In other words, God Himself works through our brothers and sisters in Christ as they comfort us, challenge us, listen to us, share their experiences with us, and more. As Hebrews 10:24 also says to us, we need Christian friends around us to help stir us up to continue walking in Christian love and good works.

As always, thank you for reading. I look forward to meeting together soon!

Peace in Christ,

            Pastor Kory Janneke

Have you ever asked a question like “What is God’s will for my life?” I hope that you ask this question regularly in some form. Oftentimes, though, when people are wondering about God’s will, it’s in regard to some specific crossroads in their life: should I live here or there? Should I stick with my job or seek another? Does God want me to spend the rest of my life with this potential husband or wife, or not?

Life situations like these are certainly times for seeking the Lord in prayer. However, God doesn’t necessarily hit us over the head to show us exactly how to make all of our life decisions. Instead, He gives us godly wisdom through Scripture and through trustworthy believers around us to help us choose. 

Christians in their teens and twenties may ask “What is God’s will for my life?” as they make decisions about their educational and professional development, career choices, and relationships. Again, there won’t always be a specific Bible verse to tell you precisely where to go to school or whom to marry, but God’s Word does have plenty to say to us about His will for our lives. 

No matter where you live, what you do for work, or what age you are, Jesus makes God’s will quite clear for our lives: “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day” (John 6:40). St. Paul also writes in 1 Timothy 2:3b-4, “God our Savior, … desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” You can know with certainty, then, that above all else, the Lord wants you to believe in Jesus, receive His gift of salvation, and walk in the truth of His Word. So, as we make more specific decisions in our lives, God’s will that we would live and believe in Jesus must take precedence. If those decisions might negatively affect our faith in our Savior, then we should re-examine them and seek out fellow believers for support.

As believers in Jesus, we also uphold God’s Law, which certainly shows our sins but also teaches us God’s will for faithful Christian living. Jesus famously summarized God’s Law by saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40) While Jesus briefly summarized God’s Commandments with these verses, it is no small thing to love God and love your neighbor in this way! Only Jesus fully accomplishes this, but as we live in Him and by His strength, we are called to live in Christlike love.

The Ten Commandments also summarize God’s Law and His will for our lives but in a much more comprehensive way. As we examine our daily lives, our direction, and the condition of our hearts, God’s Ten Commandments continue both to accuse us and to direct our steps and our attitudes. The explanations and various questions and answers on the Ten Commandments in Luther’s Small Catechism are a tremendously valuable resource for examining our hearts and lives and for learning and applying God’s will.

One of my personal favorite passages on this topic is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, in which Paul writes to us, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  These verses (and the surrounding passage) provide such a “short and sweet” summary of a Christian approach to life. Rejoice in Christ your Savior. Be constant in prayer. Return thanks to the Lord, both when it’s easy to do so and hard as well. This is also a passage that applies to every believer in Christ. Whether you are a young adult celebrating your graduation, in midlife juggling a host of responsibilities, or in your retirement years, the joy of the Lord is your strength. His ear is graciously open to your prayers. And His gift of salvation, along with all His daily blessings, call for thanksgiving. “This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The Lord bless you as you walk in it!

Peace in Christ,

            Pastor Kory Janneke

Is it just me or do you have trouble keeping the main things the main things? With all the responsibilities that we have to carry and all the distractions that surround us, we don’t always know what to say “yes” or “no” to. Do we even have a clear sense of what the “main things” are in our faith and life?

As we journey through this Holy Week, our Lord shows us again what the “main things” truly are! A member of St. Matthew recently shared a poem/prayer with me which is so appropriate as we consider the significance of this week and especially as we prepare our hearts for the services this Maundy Thursday and Good Friday:

As from daily toils we gather in the evening’s sweet repose,

List’ning to the Passion story, Lord, Thy saving grace disclose.

Hush the world’s loud din within us, draw, oh draw, our hearts to Thee.

Grant repentance, faith, and help us Thy redeeming love to see!

This week, if we’re paying attention, the Lord will again disclose the good news of His saving grace to us, and we’ll see and hear and even taste our Redeemer’s great love.

On Thursday, April 2nd, we observe “Maundy” or “Holy Thursday.” (I’ll share more about those names for the day in my sermon.) This was Jesus’ last night before His suffering on the cross. He shared one more Passover with His friends. He left us with one act of love that exemplified His life as our Servant-Savior (see John chapter 13). He also instituted one meal for His church to eat and to drink in remembrance of Him. 

Our 6:30pm service this Maundy Thursday will especially focus on the meaning of the Supper Jesus instituted on the night when He was betrayed. The Lord’s Supper deserves our attention and our faithful preparation. After all, this meal has been a “main thing” for Christians since the earliest days of the church.

We gather again at 6:30pm on Good Friday, April 3rd. Good Friday is a day of remembrance and thanksgiving to our Lord for His costly sacrifice upon the cross. Jesus’ death for us is the heart of our faith and our proclamation of the Gospel. As St. Paul said so straightforwardly, “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:23-24). The church has no other message than “Christ crucified” because there is no other way of salvation!

Good Friday brings us back to the “main thing” of Christ’s cross. His suffering for us on the cross reveals the true nature of our guilt, showing us what we deserve as sinners before God. Yet at the same time, Good Friday also reveals just how gracious our God is – that He would give His only Son to save a wretch like me!

Christ’s cross is such good news for us, though, not just because He died but also because He is risen! This Easter Sunday, April 5th (and throughout the Easter season) we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Join us either at 8:00 or 10:30am as we hear the angel’s announcement at Christ’s empty tomb, “He is not here, for He has risen, as He said” (Matt. 28:6).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead has truly been the “main thing” in our Christian faith ever since the first Easter morning! Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates that His sacrifice was sufficient to take away our sins. His resurrection also opens the way to our new life and our pending resurrection on the day of Christ’s return.

Romans 6:4 connects these “main things” of Christ’s death and resurrection to your Baptism: “We were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Everything Christ accomplished by His sacrificial death on Good Friday and His victorious resurrection on Easter Sunday was for your benefit, and He’s poured out all those benefits for you in Holy Baptism. This means that your sinful nature has died with Christ. Your sins were buried with Him in His tomb. And you have been raised unto this new life of faith already now – just as you will be raised and restored to enjoy everlasting life in His presence.

As Christ’s people, we observe Holy Week that the Lord might help us to keep the main things the main things, remembering that Christ’s death and resurrection are the basis of our faith, the reason for our hope, and the motivation for our Christian love and service. With those main things in mind, may God grant you a blessed Holy Week!

Peace in Christ,

            Pastor Kory Janneke