Epaphras Letters

Paul contrasts two Jerusalems: the one of this present age and the one of the age to come. The present Jerusalem corresponds to Mount Sinai, where the Law was received. The Jerusalem above corresponds to freedom; she is the mother to the children of promise. The Jerusalem above is depicted in John’s apocalypse: “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). The promise there is that God inhabits the city, the city comes down out of heaven, and God makes his dwelling place on the new earth with a resurrected humanity, the children of the promise. During these days of our baptism, while our flesh endures, we are citizens of both Jerusalems. We receive our citizenship in the present-day Jerusalem by virtue of our flesh. Since the present-day Jerusalem corresponds to Mount Sinai and the place of the law, our flesh is under the law which restrains the sin of the flesh. We receive our citizenship in the Jerusalem above by virtue of faith. The Jerusalem above corresponds to freedom; in faith, we are free for freedom’s sake (Gal. 5:1).

Prayers from one who is ever ready to confuse the freedom of faith with a freedom of the flesh…

Our Father, your Son has set us free for freedom’s sake, grant that we do not fall again under the yoke of slavery. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Our Father, your Son has set us free for freedom’s sake, lead us to live out of faith’s freedom and not the law’s slavery. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Our Father, your Son has set us free for freedom’s sake, when we do fall into slavery, send your Word, your Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us once again. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Our Father, your Son has set us free for freedom’s sake, grant me to hear my neighbors’ need for daily bread and, in my freedom, to be useful to them. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Our Father, your Son has set us free for freedom’s sake. Grant that my neighbors would see my need for daily bread and would be useful to me in my need. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Our Father, your Son has set us free for freedom’s sake. Grant to the Institute of Lutheran Theology that it, too, live out of the freedom of Christ and not the slavery of the law. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Our Father, your Son has set us free for freedom’s sake, through these days of waiting for your Son’s manifestation in glory, let me enjoy my freedom in faith. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

There is a sequence here repeated: darkness, then light… night, then day… sinners, then righteous. Luther teaches this sequence in the Small Catechism where he speaks of baptism’s use for daily living. “The old Adam in us, together with all sins and evil desires, should be drowned by daily sorrow for sin and repentance and be put to death, and that the new person should come forth every day and rise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” “Daily…” Did you catch that? “Daily!” The transition from darkness to light… from night to day… from sinner to righteous… is not a one-time transition. It is not “once and done!” Over and over, you must be returned to your baptismal promises. Christ’s life must be restored daily to the throne of your conscience. You do not “make progress” in your Christian life but the life of Christ makes progress upon you, ever and always bringing you out of the darkness you inhabit in those works of yours called “good, and right and true.” The coming of Christ through the Word of the Gospel exposes those works for what they are—that is, dead works. They belong entirely to this creation which is passing away. Christ repents you of them and delivers his own works to you. Christ, and Christ alone, is the way, and the truth, and the life. You are not. Only when he rules from the throne of your conscience do you walk as a child of the light.

Prayers from one sufficiently conceited to think their daily repentance is not a matter of death and new life—that is, ignoring the magnitude of repentance…

Father in heaven, you sent your Son as the light of the world. Deliver his light to me so that my walk in darkness will be exposed. Mark me with the cross of Christ, and seal me with the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, as your Son’s light exposes the darkness of my walk, grant that my ears are filled daily with your Word of Law and Gospel that I would know the death of my sinfulness under the law and the life of Christ delivered by the gospel. Mark me with the cross of Christ, and seal me with the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, as I come to know death under the law and life under the gospel, grant that this Word of yours be sufficient for my daily bread. Mark me with the cross of Christ, and seal me with the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, as your Word becomes sufficient for me, take away the impurity, covetousness, and idolatry that fills the darkness of my walk so that I would not partner with the “sons of disobedience.” Mark me with the cross of Christ, and seal me with the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, even as you protect me from the “sons and daughters of disobedience,” let me be useful to them and my other neighbors in their quest for daily bread. Mark me with the cross of Christ, and seal me with the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, use the Institute of Lutheran Theology to teach preachers to deliver Jesus Christ, him crucified, and him alone, handed over to be the life of dead sinners so that the light of Christ would once again fill their hearers’ lives. Mark me with the cross of Christ, and seal me with the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, as I am daily established to walk as a child of light, grant me to see that I walk as yet by faith and not by sight, for faith in Christ is the light upon my way. Mark me with the cross of Christ, and seal me with the Holy Spirit.

This is a tough verse for sinners to hear, tough for two reasons. The first reason is that sinners want to be justified in their thinking, feeling, and doing. It is tough for sinners to accept that they are justified solely because God declares them justified. Sinners want their thinking to be blameless, so they justify their thoughts with reasons and rationales. Sinners want their feelings to be blameless, so they justify their emotions by causes and effects. Sinners want their doings to be blameless, they justify their actions by appealing to authority or results. After years of wrestling with Scripture, Luther asserts, “Arrogance cannot be avoided, nor true hope be present unless the judgment of condemnation is feared in every work.” There is no excuse for sinners. Whatever attempts they make to justify their actions and remain blameless will always lead them into arrogance and failed hope.  The second reason justification by faith is tough for sinners is that sinners cannot help but make a deal. Sinners will trade their faith in God for God’s justification. Sinners’ faith, then, becomes the last “necessary work.” The reality is that God’s work comes first: in Jesus Christ, sinners are justified; they have to trust that God is true to his Word; that is to say, God does not lie.

Prayers from sinners who covet being blameless…

Holy Father, you are God, and we are not. So tell us the truth about ourselves that the blame is ours while you are held blameless. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Holy Father, you are God, and we are not. Grant that living in the reality of our blame, we can also live in the reality of being justified solely by your declaration. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Holy Father, you are God, and we are not. As we hear your declaration of justification for us, grant that our response is faith… faith alone… faith alone in you, a God who does not lie. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Holy Father, you are God, and we are not. Living, then, by faith, grant that we do not seek to be justified by blaming neighbors or friends. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Holy Father, you are God, and we are not. As we are blameless against our neighbors, grant them to be blameless against us. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Holy Father, you are God, and we are not. Grant that the Institute of Lutheran Theology point to its successes rather than offer excuses as justifications for its work. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Holy Father, you are God, and we are not. During these days of our baptism, grant that we trust your Word and its promises. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Before Paul makes this bold declaration, he quotes Isaiah 49:8—“In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Paul delivers the immediacy of the situation to the Corinthians. The favorable time… the day of salvation… these are not some future events Paul’s hearers are to wait for. The favorable time is now! The day of salvation is now! There is no more time. Usually, Christians deal with two attitudes toward time: complacency and urgency. Complacency is the dreaded attitude. Complacency means there’s no hurry and no worry. There will be time enough. Preachers exhort people to move them from complacency to urgency. Urgency is the desired attitude. Urgency means there’s just enough time… enough time to get your affairs in order… enough for right thinking, right feeling, and right doing. Urgency means you’d better hurry and start worrying. Paul goes well past those two attitudes toward time. Paul insists there’s a third: immediacy! Immediacy means there’s no more time. Time’s up! The favorable time is here already. You can’t hurry. There’s no use to worry. You’re out of time. The day of salvation has arrived. This immediacy is delivered to you every time your preacher preaches Jesus Christ, him crucified, and him alone handed over to be the life of dead sinners. That’s you! The immediacy of Jesus Christ’s presence exposes you in your sin, delivers your salvation to you, and provides your life while you endure the days of your baptism awaiting the day of your mortality.

Prayers from the complacent goaded into urgency…

Heavenly Father, you are the lord of time, confront us in the preaching of Jesus Christ so that we know the immediacy of your presence.  Lord, save us!

Heavenly Father, you are the lord of time, as you confront us in the preaching of Jesus Christ with your immediate presence, expose us in our sinful mortality that we would know our helplessness. Lord, save us!

Heavenly Father, you are the lord of time, as we are exposed in our sinful mortality and dead in our sin, give us the life of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord so that we would have faith during these days while the flesh still adheres. Lord, save us!

Heavenly Father, you are the lord of time, as we are filled with the life and faith of your Son, Jesus Christ, open our eyes to see our neighbors and their needs so that our time of mortality would be useful to them. Lord, save us!

Heavenly Father, you are the lord time, in our time of usefulness, let us not grow weary and if we do tire, grant us to rest in the Word of our Lord Jesus. Lord, save us!

Heavenly Father, you are the lord of time, grant to the Institute of Lutheran Theology its time of growth so that it, too, would prove useful to its neighbors. Lord, save us!

Heavenly Father, you are the lord of time, grant that the days of my baptism would be a time of hearing your Word and living by its promises. Lord, save us!

Jesus announces that God will have his way with his Son. This God… this Father… this God who hides himself takes hold of Satan and wears him as a mask. This God, using Satan as his tool… using the hands of sinful men… using the crowd as it believes Satan’s lies… this God has his way with Jesus. Jesus is flogged. Jesus is crucified. Jesus is raised from the dead. This is Jesus’ passion: he suffers the will of God to be done unto him. The twelve stand there listening uncomprehendingly to his words. They did not get it. You, too, suffer the will of God to be done unto you. God will have his way with you. It will be the passion of your Christian life. You, like Jesus, will have a flogging, being whipped from one thing to another. You, like Jesus, will have a cross to bear, not one of your own choosing but one that is inflicted upon you. You, like Jesus, will suffer your own peculiar crucifixion, your death, and go down to the dust like him. You, like Jesus, will be raised from the dead, called forth from the dust. This is the passion of your Christian life. Like those twelve standing before Jesus looking at him with the blank stares of incomprehension, you, too, stare. To use one of Luther’s favorite idioms, “You stare like a cow looking at a new gate.” Pray that the Holy Spirit drives you through it.

Prayers from those who need the Holy Spirit’s driving lest they merely stand and stare…

Father in heaven, have your way with me that I would suffer your will to be done upon me. Drive me, Holy Spirit, through the gate into eternal life.

Father in heaven, have your way with me that I would be conformed to the image of your Son in both life and in death. Drive me, Holy Spirit, through the gate into eternal life.

Father in heaven, have your way with me that, like my Lord Jesus, I would be humble beneath your work upon me. Drive me, Holy Spirit, through the gate into eternal life.

Father in heaven, have your way with me so that I would be useful to my neighbors and forgive their sin that you might have your way with them as well. Drive me, Holy Spirit, through the gate into eternal life.

Father in heaven, have your way with me so that I would be content with my duties in family, congregation, community, and nation. Drive me, Holy Spirit, through the gate into eternal life.

Father in heaven, have your way with me that I would look to the Institute of Lutheran Theology for the provision of a preacher who is duty bound to forgive my sin in the name of Christ. Drive me, Holy Spirit, through the gate into eternal life.

Martha asserts her confidence in Jesus: “God will give you whatever you ask?” Jesus’ responds with one of his “I am” pronouncements. You might remember Moses standing on holy ground, confronted by God in the burning bush, and demanding to know God’s name. God responds with “I am who I am.” Jesus, with his “I am” pronouncements, asserts the identity of God and claims the authority of the Torah. Over the centuries of time between the last of the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus, the Jewish practice had developed of calling the Torah such things as “the bread of life,” “the living water,” and “the light of the world.”

In answer to Martha’s prayer, Jesus gives her a person, himself. Jesus, in his person, is the resurrection and the life. In answer to our prayers, Jesus gives us a person, himself. Jesus, in his person, is the entirety of the New Creation bursting into this old, passing away world. Jesus, in his person, is the kingdom of God drawn near. In fact, it is already upon you. Jesus, in his person, is the answer to all our prayers. In him, all the promises of Scripture are delivered.

So you must ask, “How do I obtain this answered prayer? How do I receive delivery on all these promises?” The answer is “faith.” Then, you must ask, “How do I obtain such faith?” The answer given by our basic confession of faith (the Augsburg Confession) and preached and taught for five hundred years is this, “By the office of preaching—that is, by Word and Sacrament.” Faith results from the work of the Holy Spirit through the means of grace. Faith takes Jesus at his word. Faith confesses that Jesus does not lie. Faith confesses that in him we have the bread of life; we have the living water; we have the light of the world; and we have the resurrection and the life.

In these days of division and contention, prayers go up fervently for an end to these afflictions, for the recovery of those so afflicted, for the safety of both officeholders and office workers, and for our own personal safety and place in the economy. Jesus himself, in his person, will be the answer to your prayers. Faith is the hand that grasps and clings to him. Hear the word of God, listen to its preaching, and receive the work of the Holy Spirit.

In these days of strife, and also healing, the students of ILT, its faculty, and its staff are deliberate in their prayers for you and they could use your prayers. Pray that their ears are not empty of the Word of God and its preaching. Pray that its students plan with confidence their continued studies. Pray that the staff competently guides the institution through these days of trouble. Pray that the faculty continue to teach in good health and good faith. Pray in the confidence of Scripture’s concluding affirmation: “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20)!

Paul again asserts a familiar refrain. Throughout the ninth chapter, Paul has been arguing for his rights and his surrender of them in service of the gospel. Each of his arguments’ main sections concludes with a refrain: “the Lord commanded that those who preach the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (vs. 9:14); “that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel” (vs. 9:18); “I do it all for the sake of the gospel” (vs. 9:23); and “so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (vs. 9:27). All these metaphors, allusions, and references to athletic contests would have been immediately familiar to the Corinthians, the originators of many competitive and combative games. Paul’s opponent is his body… his flesh. Our ESV text claims he “subdues” his body. The older and more faithful to the Greek, RSV claims Paul “pommels” his body, giving it a “black eye.” Paul knows his flesh… with all its vices… with all its virtues… with all its desires… entices him away from the one thing needful for him to win, to receive that imperishable prize: faith alone. The body wants permission to practice its vices. The body wants a reward for practicing its virtues. The body desires proof… proof, and evidence over faith. Or, as Paul puts it elsewhere, the body covets walking by sight rather than by faith (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7). So Paul subdues the body. He enslaves it for the gospel of Jesus Christ, which must be preached (vs. 9:14), which must be preached freely (vs. 9:18), which all things must serve (vs. 9:23), and which Paul himself desires to hear and to have (vs. 9:27). Your body with all its vices, virtues, and desires must be put beneath the Good News of Jesus Christ received by faith alone.

Prayers for freedom from the flesh so that the life of faith may come forth…

Heavenly Father, you send our flesh to its decisive defeat in the dust from which it came. So hold us in the faith of Jesus Christ that we live from that faith and not by the works of our flesh. Holy Lord, make it so!

Heavenly Father, you send our flesh to its decisive defeat in the dust from which it came. As we live from the faith of Jesus Christ, lead us to that rest Jesus promised when he said, “Come unto me.” Holy Lord, make it so!

Heavenly Father, you send our flesh to its decisive defeat in the dust from which it came. While we enjoy such rest, fill us with peace and contentment, and set the table before us even in the presence of our enemies. Holy Lord, make it so!

Heavenly Father, you send our flesh to its decisive defeat in the dust from which it came. Out of the rest, peace, and contentment you provide us with, send us into our vocation that amid our various callings, we would be useful to those who are our neighbors. Holy Lord, make it so!

Heavenly Father, you send our flesh to its decisive defeat in the dust from which it came.  In being useful to our neighbors, let us take delight in delivering to them the goods of this creation. Holy Lord, make it so!

Heavenly Father, you send our flesh to its decisive defeat in the dust from which it came. Hold the Institute of Lutheran Theology conscious of its mortality so that it always defers to the gospel, which alone conveys immortality. Holy Lord, make it so!

Heavenly Father, you send our flesh to its decisive defeat in the dust from which it came. As we delight in delivering the goods of this creation to our neighbors, give us as well the delight that comes from providing the goods of the new creation to them—that is, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Holy Lord, make it so!

We all too easily imagine hearing that voice for ourselves. Hearing it in the delightful solitude of our own thoughts. Hearing its resonating tones of divinity… ringing with majestic glory… claiming Jesus as the Father’s Son in holiness and delight… and inspiring in us a coveting of Peter, John, and James’ experience. Oh, how we long for a manifestation of the divine in our lives! Those three selected disciples went to the top of the Mount of Transfiguration, and all we get is a preacher. Maybe a T-shirt would be preferable. At least we could wear, flaunt, touch, and fondle it. It would be tangible! Not like this thing called “faith.” This unseen, intangible thing which, on this side of the eschaton, is the only reality we’ll ever receive of the things hoped for… the only substance of the things we cannot see (He. 11:1) … things like Jesus glowing white… like Moses and Elijah talking with him… like the heavens opening so the voice of divine approval would pour forth. We do not get the mountain-top experience. Instead, we get a preacher with a Word, a meager bath, and a meal (crumbs of bread and sips of wine). But, since God has promised to reveal himself through this Word and these Sacraments, we can say they are better than a T-shirt.

Prayers from those who covet religious experiences.

Heavenly Father, you have chosen to reveal yourself through your Word. Cease my restless coveting of religious experience so that I will be content with your Word and the preaching of it. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Heavenly Father, you have chosen to reveal yourself through your Word. Remove my hunger for demonstrations of divine might and majesty so that I will be sated by the wonder of your creation before me. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Heavenly Father, you have chosen to reveal yourself through your Word. Quench my thirst for the miraculous and supernatural so that the new life I received through the waters of baptism can be grasped in faith. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Heavenly Father, you have chosen to reveal yourself through your Word. Grant me the enjoyment of my callings in family, church, and community so that I am satisfied in those places to which I’ve been called. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Heavenly Father, you have chosen to reveal yourself through your Word. Give me delight in my neighbors so I may serve them in joy and thanksgiving. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Heavenly Father, you have chosen to reveal yourself through your Word. Establish the Institute of Lutheran Theology to be satisfied with teaching your Word and Sacraments so its faculty, staff, and students do not pry behind the masks you wear in this creation broken by sin. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Heavenly Father, you have chosen to reveal yourself through your Word. Hold me in the faith of Jesus Christ so that during these days of my baptism, I can wait patiently in hope until your Word, Jesus Christ, manifests in visible glory. In the name of Jesus. Amen

The humanity that Jesus came to help shares in flesh and blood (He. 2:14). The common experience of flesh and blood is suffering. By sharing in the common experience of all flesh—suffering—Jesus breaks the power of death by suffering unto death. Suffering as the common experience of flesh and blood is not much in favor. True, suffering has never been popular, but it has been accepted as the common… the usual… experience of humankind. With the significant advancements made in recent years in relieving suffering, people’s expectations… our expectations… do not include suffering. Rather than being an expected and anticipated part of our human reality, suffering has come to be seen as a break in our reality, a rupture of, and imposition upon, our ongoing comfort. Moving from comfort-seeking to comfort-expecting puts us at odds with the book of Hebrews and the biblical witness. In the suffering reality of flesh and blood, Jesus brings comfort… Jesus, and Jesus only. We receive this comfort in faith… faith, and faith alone.  Suffering fills the reality of flesh and blood; there is no escaping it. Our comfort comes from Jesus, whom we have by faith. We have him no matter what the reality of our flesh and blood tells us. Faith in Christ is a new reality tearing you away from and placing you in contrast to the reality of flesh and blood. Faith in Christ is your reality of comfort and hope.

Prayers from one who expects comfort, not suffering…

Heavenly Father, your Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died for me. Grant me such faith that I see Christ’s suffering joined to me through my suffering. Father, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, your Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died for me. Let me hear your Word so that Jesus Christ’s coming to share my flesh and blood blesses and hallows all human flesh and its suffering. Father, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, your Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died for me. As I come to expect to suffer and not expect comfort, grant me the reality of comfort, which is mine, through faith in Christ. Father, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, your Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died for me. Grant to the Institute of Lutheran Theology such theologians of the cross that it will preach and teach the revelation of God through suffering and the cross. Father, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, your Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died for me. Throughout the days of my baptism, grant me such faith that I await the revelation of Jesus Christ in his glory, enduring my suffering with patience and hope because Jesus, in the reality of faith, is my comfort. Father, have mercy.

The gospel is “…God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Marcion, the second-century arch-heretic, so despised anything Jewish that not only did he preclude the Old Testament from being considered Christian scripture, but he eliminated any sense of priority that might have come to the Jews. So, he eliminated this “first” wherever he encountered it in the book of Romans. You might ask, “Why is this priority given to the Jews?” Is the answer simply because one must begin somewhere? Jesus was a Jew, and so it started with him. Or did the Jews have some inherent quality that they should be first? No, none of these explanations serve adequately and, in their inadequacy, impair a proper understanding of the entire letter. The Jews are first, not simply for chronological reasons, not for having some quality inherent to them, but solely because of God’s call. God chose the Jews because he could. His call to them was a gift, not a reward. This verse with its “…to the Jew first…” must be read in light of this letter’s ninth, tenth, and eleventh chapters. In them, Paul makes an extended argument for the Jews to be included in salvation. His argument, tinged with lament as he lays the basis for his hope, concluded with one of the great promises of scripture, “For the gifts and call of God are irrevocable” (Ro. 11:29). Just so, you have been called into the salvation worked by God’s power as delivered through the Gospel. God called you in your baptism. The gifts he gave you there (the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation) and the call certified there will not be taken back. They are irrevocable!

Prayers from one who questions the gift and the call’s irrevocability.

Heavenly Father, your Son sent forth his disciples with three commands: “Go!” “Baptize!” “Teach!” Fill my heart with thankfulness that someone who heard the command “Go!” came to me as a preacher. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, your Son sent forth his disciples with three commands: “Go!” “Baptize!” “Teach!” As my heart is filled with thankfulness for my preacher, add to that thanksgiving my baptism into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, your Son sent forth his disciples with three commands: “Go!” “Baptize!” “Teach!” As I am taught the Word of God, Jesus Christ, fill my heart with thankfulness for the gifts and call I received in that baptism. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, your Son sent forth his disciples with three commands: “Go!” “Baptize!” “Teach!” Grant that the Institute of Lutheran Theology hear those commands and place them in its students’ ears. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, your Son sent forth his disciples with three commands: “Go!” “Baptize!” “Teach!”  Give to me such a hearing of those commands that I go forth as an apostle bearing witness to Jesus Christ throughout the days of my baptism. In Jesus’ name. Amen