Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

“Survival Of The Weakest” "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

On November 24, 1859, Charles Darwin published a paper entitled, "The Origin of the Species." In this paper, Darwin provided his explanation for the observations he had made while sailing among the Galapagos Islands on his boat – "The Beagle." In summary, he concluded that individual species evolved into various forms as the stronger members of that species survived and the weaker members were eliminated. It was a process he called "natural selection" and it was based on the principle of the "survival of the fittest."

The principle of the “survival of the fittest” is not exactly the starting place for where the argument between the theories of Intelligent Design (ID) and Evolution take place. “Survival of the fittest” is actually a logical explanation for why some species seem to survive and prosper while others do not. The argument between ID and Evolution is primarily over beginnings. How did those first living organisms come to be? Were they the result of random, cosmic forces that, by pure chance, produced the necessary ingredients for life on this planet? Or, was there an Intelligent Designer behind it all, creating life according to His special design and purpose?

Defending ID over Evolution is not where I want to go with this letter. Rather, (more…)

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If you didn’t know better, you might think that our gospel reading for this morning was inspired by Steven King rather than the Holy Spirit. Demon possession and exorcism and suicidal pigs. This morning, we are exposed to a dark and scary under-world. It’s all about a confrontation between the forces of good and evil where the battle is fought in the spiritual realm.

I know people who have read every Steven King novel ever published and can’t put them down, yet who can’t seem to pick up the bible because, they say, it’s boring. So, for all you Steven King fans, this gospel’s for you. And even if you’re not a Steven King fan, this gospel’s still for you. (more…)

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“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.” (Gal.2:20).

Haley, you don’t get a much more concise, yet comprehensive statement of what just happened to you through Holy Baptism than that. Three sentences, just one verse. It’s the life of faith in a nutshell. And, I’m pinning this verse on you, because I’m hoping that this verse becomes the theme song for your new life as a baptized child of God.

As we have talked together, preparing for this day, so much about understanding our life as baptized children of God comes down to a right distinction between the ‘active’ and the ‘passive.’ For the benefit of those who haven’t been a part of our discussion, let me bring them up to speed.

Haley is a basketball player, and I think, a pretty good one. (more…)

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I. The Death In Nain A. The meeting at the gate of the city. The village of Nain lies just south of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. I’ve been to Nain in 1996 when I visited Israel. It’s just the tiniest little village. Nothing at all special about it that would be worth visiting had not Jesus visited it. There’s a small Christian chapel there. No one actually worships in it, because now, the entire village is Muslim. But there is someone in charge of unlocking it when tour groups come to town. It’s good business. There was a box just inside the door with a sign that asked for donations for upkeep and repairs. From all outward appearances business had been quite slow. Even the donation box needed repair.

The wall around Nain was hip high. You could simply walk right over it if you wanted to. But the gate to the village was still there. If you’re going to have a wall around your village, you’ve got to have a way for traffic to enter and exit. A big city like Jerusalem had several gates. A little village like Nain had just one. Town gates were purposely rather narrow in order to make it hard for anyone to force their way in. Although who would have ever wanted to force their way into Nain, I can’t imagine. (more…)

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I. Who God Is “Whoever will be saved shall, above all else, hold the catholic faith. Which faith, except everyone keeps whole and undefiled, without doubt he will perish eternally.” This is how the Athanasian Creed begins.

The “catholic faith” is then spelled out in great detail. “And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God, in three persons and the three persons in one God, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance…” etc. etc. etc.

And then the Athanasian Creed concludes with these words. “This is the catholic faith which, except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” (Athanasian Creed). In other words, its do or die. (more…)