So I was thinking today, and wondering . . . did Jacob ever find out exactly what happened to Joseph? Did Joseph's brothers finally confess what they had done to their father? Did Joseph throw his brothers under the bus? Jacob must have asked Joseph what happened! How did he get to Egypt? How had he escaped from the beast that bloodied his coat of many colors? What did Joseph say? Throwing his brothers under the bus doesn't seem in character with Joseph, and covering their sin would be in keeping with his Christ-likeness. We're not told if Jacob ever found out. But I'd sure like to know how that conversation went . . .
The Sober Peasant
Martin Luther once said: “The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off on the other side.” These are the chronicles, thoughts, and questions of a Lutheran pastor just struggling to stay on his theological horse, and not fall off one side or the other.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Did Jacob Ever Find Out?
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
My Prediction . . .
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Nadab and Abihu
Who? Abi-who?
Glad you asked! Nadab and Abihu were two of the four sons of Aaron, the brother of Moses, in the Old Testament. After the people of Israel came out of Egypt and came to Mount Sinai, God gave them the instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, and the priesthood, and the sacrifices. Aaron and his four sons - along with Eleazar and Ithamar (and their sons after them), were to be the priests.
I was reading about their ordination this morning (all five of them). It took seven full days (Leviticus 10). Then, on the eighth day (that's significant!), when they were to begin their service, Nadab and Abihu decided not to do what God told them to do, not to listen to the Word of God, but do what they wanted. The took their censers and offered "unauthorized fire" before the Lord. And they were consumed by fire. Big deal? It was to God. Don't mess with God's holiness. Their priestly career didn't even last one day! I knew that story; what I did not remember was that it happened so suddenly - on their first full day of priesthood!
It reminded me of Genesis. God created all things in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. Then, right away (on the eighth day?), we read that Adam and Eve decided to do things their own way, not listen to the Word of God, and ate the forbidden fruit. And God had said, On the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. They did. Not physically (like Nadab and Abihu), but spiritually (a greater death than physical death). Their relationship with God was broken.
Both happened right away. Sin (and satan!) wastes no time. It reminded me of something GK Chesterton (I think) said: Heterodoxy cannot wait and is always in a hurry; Orthodoxy is patient and waits for the Lord. And, I would add, listens to the Word of God. A good reminder for us, this Lenten season.
Friday, February 23, 2024
Book
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Virginia State March for Life
According to the Virginia Capitol Police, approximately 3,000 - 3,500 people gathered on the State Capitol grounds in Richmond yesterday for the 6th Virginia State March for Life. The weather was perfect, the crowd energized and friendly, and the planners did a great job! Everything went well and without a hitch.
Our LCMS contingent met at Grace Lutheran Church in Chester for a pre-march Matins service.
From there we took a bus up to the Capitol for the rally . . .
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Ash Wednesday
Happy Lent!
Our new 2024 Lenten Life Calendar kicks-off today - check it out!
And . .
Monday, February 12, 2024
A Very Interesting Day!
Well, Sunday was quite the interesting day!
The day started with a gas leak! When we arrived at church, there was the smell of gas, so we called the gas company to get it checked out. They found two places where there was some amount of leaking. So they shut the gas down. Fortunately for us it was a mild day, so we could open the windows to air out the sanctuary and not be too cold. Hopefully our landlord will get this fixed quickly!
We also decided to celebrate my wife's birthday on Sunday. My daughter and I came up with a plan for a homemade dinner, but bit off a little more than we thought! Our menu: homemade ravioli (vegetable and cheese) with a cream sauce topping, green beans, fresh bread, and apple pie cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and apple compote on top. First we made the cupcakes so they would have enough time to cool - that went fine. Then we set at preparing the vegetables for the ravioli - an eggplant, zucchini, pepper, tomato, and onion combination. All that prep took us a bit longer than we anticipated. Once we got that simmering, we started on the pasta . . . and this is where it really started to bog down! Kneading the dough, letting it rest, getting it through the pasta machine, cutting the pieces for the ravioli, and then putting it all together . . . wow! That was a lot of work! But we got it done and it did taste good! We served it all with a Rose of Pinot Noir wine.
After dinner, dessert, presents, and clean-up (yeah, we made quite a mess!), we were wiped! So I actually didn't see much of the Super Bowl, just a little as I went to bed and before I quickly fell asleep. :-)