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…)

"Proper Preparation For The Lord’s Supper”

"Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself." 1 Corinthians 11:27-29.

Just as you wouldn't think of going on a dinner date without properly preparing, neither would you sit down to a family dinner without first preparing the food, setting the table and washing your hands. St. Paul warns us, that due to the nature of the Lord's Supper, we dare not come to this meal unprepared. Here, our Lord invites us to come to a meal that He Himself has prepared, and at which He Himself is the host, and the food. To come to this meal is to encounter the living God who sits as ruler and judge over all heaven and earth and who comes in peace to meet us at the railing with gracious gifts to give to us. A meeting like this one is never to be taken casually or done irreverently. (more…)

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11).

Dear Friends in Christ, The late, great theologian Erma Bombeck once wrote, “In church the other Sunday I was intent on a small child who was turning around smiling at everyone. He wasn’t gurgling, spitting, humming, kicking, tearing the hymnals, or rummaging through his mother’s handbag. He was just smiling. Finally, his mother jerked him about and in a stage whisper that could be heard in a little theater off Broadway said, ‘Stop grinning! You’re in church’ And with that she gave him a belt on his hindside and as the tears rolled down his cheeks added, ‘that’s better,’ and returned to her prayers.” She goes on to say “I wanted to grab this child with the tear-stained face and hold him close to me and tell him about my God. The God of joy. The smiling God. The God who had to have the sense of humor to have created the likes of us.” (more…)

“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’” Leviticus 19:1-2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I don't follow the cartoons in the paper very closely, although I suspect that there is a great deal of wisdom in them. I used to read Any Capp and I remember one cartoon where Andy meets his friend Julie outside the front of the church.
Andy: Hi, Julie.
Julie: Hi, Andy. Andy: You belong to this church?
Julie: Yes, You too? Andy: Yes. Julie: Strange, I've been going here for three years and I've never seen you. Andy: Well, I didn't say that I was a fanatic. (more…)

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but 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 Corinthians 1:18-24

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

While a guard was taking a prisoner from prison to the courtroom to be arraigned, he noticed a small cross around the neck of the convict. The guard took a closer look at the cross because something about it made it look unusual. When questioned, the prisoner said that it was a good luck charm. But the policeman was sure that cross looked strikingly similar to a handcuff key. By experimentation he found that the funny shape of this cross was not so funny. It would in fact open most handcuffs. The discovery led to the exposure of an attempt by prisoners in the jail to make a number of these "cross keys." (more…)

We Are More Than Conquerors – Romans 8:31-39

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Ours is a time that is filled with anxiety. The war against terrorism seems to have no end in sight because the terrorists refuse to give up. Kidnappings, murders, drugs, theft – right here in Maine. Add to that, illness, accidents and lost jobs. And the people of God are not immune to any of this. In fact we share in this discord. We also experience many of the dead ends that the people of this world face in the anxiety of these times. Where the people of the world turn for comfort and hope, I’m not sure – but I do know where the people of God turn! It is for such a time as ours that St. Paul could well have written the great words of Romans 8. They ring true and clear, sending out a word of hope and assurance to the people of God in his day and in ours.
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“Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is a gracious invitation that Jesus makes by inviting us to, “Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men.” I call it a gracious invitation because it is not one that we deserve in the least – yet one that Jesus issues simply because He loves us and wants the best for us. The invitation is quadruple grace. (That grace x 4 for us non-math types. I saw a bumper sticker awhile back that read, “There are only three kinds of people in this world. Those that can count and those who can’t.”) (more…)

“Jesus said to [Martha], ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’” John 11:25-26

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When we’re young our life is like a ship that is viewed from the shore that it departs from. As we watch the ship move away from the dock out into the open seas it gets smaller and smaller until it’s just a small dot on the horizon. And all during this phase of our life, the theme that characterizes our attitude about our life is summarized in the words, “There she goes.” (more…)

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A man was walking through a supermarket with a screaming baby in the shopping cart. A woman nearby noticed that time and gain the man would calmly say: “Keep calm, Albert. Keep calm, Albert.” Finally, in admiration for the man’s patience as the child continued to wail, the woman walked up to him and said, “Sir, I must commend you for your patience with baby Albert.” To which the man replied, “Madam, I am Albert.” (more…)

“When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left.” Luke 23:32.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Anyone who has ever visited one of the military cemeteries in the country, with all the white crosses in row after row cannot help but be touched with a sense of the tragedy it represents. I suspect that we can handle the emotions of a visit to such a place only because we hope that the supreme sacrifice which these soldiers made was not made in vain and that the war that they died in was necessary.
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