.....NEDM?

Funny links of the day:
Lion-O messes up his line
Optimus Prime was pissed!
Um......did this happen last season?
What in the hell?
That green blooded heathen!
LOL!
Clinton gets PWNED!

Quick note on weekly Holy Eucharist: If it's a Sacrament, and it is a central institution of Christ....why NOT have it each week when the congregation gathers.....to argue against it seems to be minimalism. I don't understand what it is with the LCMS that discussions like this NEED to go on. Yes, we understand that in order to swell our ranks we water down our traditions to the point where Lutherans feel they aren't related to the Catholic Church and that Roman Catholics go to Hell......oh wait, that's not what preaching in truth means.

I almost give up on talking about this idea. People are in such a rush to join the mainstream evangelical movements in our synod, it wouldn't surprise me if I saw a WWJD from an official synod publication or product in the next ten years................why God?

Man, I'm tired.

Who Told You You Were Naked?

Funny Links of the Day:
The Real MacGuyver
Was this in Final Fantasy?
Jesus Saves!
Science!
Martin Luther vs. Lex Luthor
Why the Late Roman Pontiff didn't speak out against rock!
Spiderman works it!
White Ninja evades being a square.
Yeah, this has a point.

The Real Presence in the Objects of Bread and Wine in the Most Holy Eucharist: A Point

Many Protestants and mainline Evangelicals will deny the presence of Christ in the bread and wine. By this I mean they do not believe that with the Word applied to them the bread does not become the body nor the blood become the blood of Christ. What does Scripture say concerning this point of disagreement?

The Gospel According to St. Mark 14:22-24-"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take it: this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 'This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many,' he said to them." NIV

St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 11:23-29-"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whowever 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 judgement on himself." NIV

Wow....and look within the second passage:
1. Drinking is done in remembrance whenever they do it, but it is not the act of drinking that is the cup of the new covenant in his blood, but the WINE itself.
2. Self Examination is required before taking Holy Communion-hence, before the Eucharist in Liturgical churches there is usually a public confession and absolution.
3. Jesus doesn't force his disciples to take and eat or take and drink, he merely provides what is a gift. Unlike circumcision which was a requirement and ordinance (and any man will tell you it isn't a gift), the Eurcharist is a gift from on high, just like Baptism.
4. Normal bread and wine would not incur the wrath of the Lord unless it were tied to something in the elements of said bread and wine.

The next comment I will say is an overgeneralization, but I am going to reply to Reformed Theology rather than each individual non-denom., Methodist, etc. theology which denies the Real Presence for one reason or another. Reformed Theology follows the tradition of John Calvin who said: "The present distribution of the body and blood of the Lord would not greatly benefit us unless they had once for all been given for our redemption and salvation. They are therefore represented under bread and wine so that we may learn not only that they are ours but that they have been destined as food for our Spiritual life. And so as we previously stated, from the physical things set forth in the Sacrament we are led by a sort of analogy to spiritual things. Thus, when bread is given as a symbol of Christ's body, we must at once grasp this comparison: as bread nourishes, sustains, and keeps the life of our body, so Christ's body is the only food to invigorate and enliven our soul" (Institutes of the Christian Religion Chapter 17 point 3 paragraphs 2-3).
Thus we see that the elements of the Holy Supper are relegated to symbols because Christ once and for all sacrificed himself for us. However, while Christ's sacrifice was once and for all, it is also a sacrifice that is not held back by time and space. Just because Christ died in the past does not mean his redemptive power and work are limited to just the future....indeed, how were the Patriarchs therefore saved??? It is the fact that Christ's sacrifice transcends time and space that we are able to say that Christ is truly present in the elements of the bread and wine ("in, with, and under") and that such eating and drinking can help you.

One more biblical quote before I go which might shed even more light on this holy Sacrament. In the Gospel where the Last Supper is not discussed (John), there is this interesting passage: "Jesus said to them,' I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is REAL food and my blood is REAL drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever'" (Gospel According to St. John 6:53-58 ).

I find it hard to accept that Scripture points to anything OTHER than the Real Presence of Christ in the elements of the bread and wine!!!!!!

Prayers:
Lord Jesus Christ (+), Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son (+) and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Blessed Theotokos, pray for us.

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

So since it's my 24th birthday today (well, the 23rd), I figured I'd put a little post here.....and comment on something. So many of the anonymous comments I get are so random...."nice site", "thanks for the useful info", and they always have a link to a loan or casino or something......wtf is that about? Does the link come with anyone who puts a comment up as anonymous or are they just groups looking to spam blogspots....if its the latter I'm going to get my sh*t kickers on and have a ball on their behinds. If its the former.......I didn't realize people could find my posts so easily.....I'll have to work better if I'm to hide from the "man." :-D.

Leaving on my birthday: This prayer from the Lutheran Prayerbook for one on their Birthday: "My Lord and my God, in You alone I have and move and have my being. Today I again mark the day of my birth and the beginning of my temporal life. In deep gratitude I also recall my spiritual birth in the waters of Holy Baptism as You reconciled me to Yourself and cleansed me of my sin. For all this I thank and praise You. This day reminds me, to Your praise, O God, my Creator, that I was not only born into this world, but also that You have bought me to a place where Your name is truly known, Your Word is taught in purity, and where, by Your means of grace, tru faith is kindled. I thank You for the benefits that You have showered upon me, both for my life here and for my life yet to come, from the day of my birth to this very hour. You have protected my life in ways I can hardly imagine, and You have provided my bodily needs of food, clothing, and shelter in rich measure. To this grace upon grace You have added your Word, through which You delive forgiveness, comfort, and peace for each day of my life. How wonderful are the works of Your hands, O Lord, and Your mercy rich beyond measure. Let me ever be mindful of my sinful beginning and my well-deserved punishment. But you have sought me out, the lost sheep, You have redeemed me, sanctified me, comforted me, governed me, and preserved me in my calling. Daily grant me forgiveness of sins as well as steadfastness in saving faith al the days You have prepared in advanced for me, that I may serve you in true faith. In Jesus' (+) name I pray. Amen."

Now with that I leave and hit the sack.....keeping up with high school kids is tough for an old guy like me :-D.

My Response to Murphy's Law.....Murphy's got about two seconds before he ends up with a severe limp!

Quick highlights since last post....before yesterdays:

1. Mom had her pacemaker put in: She is doing fine now and can drive again.
2. Dad's jeep had a broken switch for the fog lights which killed the battery. The switch was coverd under warranty, the battery wasn't.
3. The jeep sat at work for a few days because we got a ride home, then dad complained of jaw pain Friday night. We took him to the emergency room that Sunday (this is a week from last Sunday). It turned out he had a small heart attack. He had two stents put in and had a small section angioplastied. He is now eating a limited diet. We surmise this is actually his second one as a symptom of a minor heart attack is illness that can last for 3 weeks, which he had when returning from China in March (it turns out a whole artery on the back of his heart was clogged, but the other smaller arteries compensated).
4. Dad can drive again.
5. Dad hasn't returned to work yet.
6. My computer mysteriously turned off, then didn't want to turn on after several tries. Computer Deli thought it might be a short in the power supply when I called in, but when I took it in, it worked fine. I brought it home and set it up identical to how it was set up....it worked.
7. I was ill for the later part of dad's stay in the hospital. I'm better now.
8. The Sunday we took dad into the ER I was supposed to meet the Boy Scouts at Concordia to stay with them at Ingersoll for a week......they weren't at Concordia at noon.....I went home. I have not heard from them, and I have tried reaching them via email and phone.....wtf?
9. I turn 24 on Sunday.
10. God blessed us by not making this worse.

Oh, and one minor crap note: I won't be going to China.....the date for the first injection of molds was pushed back to the 23rd of August....the day classes start. I guess there's always another time :-/.

Later.

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves

The title of this post is taken from St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (15:1-ESV), and is the subject for an ideological/theological/practical discussion concerning something that seems to be lost in academia and sadly in the ecclesia, the Just War Theory.

To begin, the main idea I am proposing to defend is that the fifth commandment which states "thou shalt not murder" is in reference to premeditated acts of violence or ill will towards another human being, and not in general for self-defense and/or the defense of others from physical violence to themselves. What constitutes a just war is indeed a gray area and the major issue that the Roman Catholic Church seemed to have with the Iraq war is its preemptive nature. Similarly the Orthodox Church has a fuzzy theory on war. It can be argued from the fathers that it is allowed in times of defense, or that it is allowed and the person who fights is barred from the sacraments for three years because of his unclean state from the shedding of blood (Did these fathers forget that Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees for screaming at Him and the disciples for eating unclean food? Jesus told them that it was not what entered the body that made a man unclean, but what emerged from the spirit of man.). These fathers must have also not entirely understood the healing power of the sacraments, for surely a man who is unclean needs the sacrament more than the man who is clean....you don't wash your clean car over your dirty one. Lutherans (Mo. Syd) have not openely commented on war, they leave the decision on the justice of war to the individual Christian as part of their Christian freedom. However, they do, and indeed we all should pray for a quick end to the hostilities and that peace and justice reign.

Indeed, the current situation about Israel and Hezbollah has left me shaking my head with sadness. Here we have a known terrorist group attacking a nation with rockets indiscriminately after the nation that is being attacked withdrew from the Gaza strip which many liberals were claiming would end Israel's troubles.....that is until more land was desired by the more radical Muslims and terrorists who operate in that area. Why can't people just leave the Jews alone!? Haven't they gone through enough!? The world is claiming that Israel should show restraint.....when they clearly are. They are attacking military targets only in retaliation and defense while Hezbollah is sending rockets into the streets of Israel hoping to kill anyone at all. Collateral damage is minimalized to an extreme degree by Israel, while collateral damage is the name of the Hezbollah game! That's what we like to call genocide ladies and gentlemen. That's what the UN was initially set up to help prevent....from their inaction in Sudan, Rwanda, and now Israel....they're doing a bang-up job at sucking.....way to go UN! Boy, wouldn't it be interesting if some rockets from Israel landed in Germany or France.....and then Israel told them to show restraint......yeah, that double standard would be openly shown, but the current one is invisible.

And what of the Christian church? The Roman Catholic Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, who I have great respect for and who until now has batted a thousand in my book, claimed that Israel should show restraint.....um, Pope? The people whom the savior of the human race came from are being annihilated by terrorists.......or is this to cover the Vatican's butt for messing up with the Crusades (which could be debated somewhat)......apparently their innaction during World War II to help the Jews is being repeated. Where is the Pope Leo I who with faith approached Attila the Hun and asked him to spare Rome? Why is St. Peter's successor not standing up for the oppressed and murdered with the same faith, humility, and power that the holy apostle himself showed when he asked to be crucified upside down because he was not worthy to die in the same way Christ was? The Vatican seems to have become an impotent center for being stepped on by every group who they now seek to agree with!

What of the Orthodox? I have heard nothing but cries for peace and in some ways anger at Israel for defending itself (Greece-though the nation, not necessarily the patriarchate). It wasn't until I came across this gem that I thought no Orthodox theologian could begin to develop a theology of the two kingdoms from the holy fathers. Apparently Israel is in this with the US and possibly Britain....whoopee.

I hope the hostilities end soon. I really want there to be peace in our time, but we must never forget that true peace is not the absence of war but the presence of justice. I would like for all of you to pray for the people in the middle east, be they Muslim radical or Muslim moderate. Be they American Jew or Israeli Jew. Be they Christian pilgrims or Christian citizens. Pray for Ben Katz if he is there with his synagogue, and pray for George Saraf and his family who is in northern Lebanon (away from the hostilities somewhat).

A quick and minor side note, many might claim that war and self-defense are not allowed because Christ said "Turn the other cheek," but the context is in reference to personal indignations, of which a slap to the face was considered the ultimate insult. The idea is that you are not to insult the other person back. Jesus did not say that if someone comes at you with a knife, turn your back to help him end your existence. Also, within Romans, St. Paul does not tell Soldiers to quit the military.....instead he tells them to continue their work, for they work for an authority given by God (as long as the country doesn't make their citizens violate God's rules).

Peace

And ye Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Set ye Free

To celebrate the birth of our country in 1776, I felt this quote from the Gospel of John 8:32 to be appropriate. We may take our country for granted.....hell, we do take it for granted. Many times when I disagree(d) with people who are/were in charge....or who were in charge (a.k.a. President Clinton), I never stopped and bothered to think that in other countries I might be killed, imprisoned, etc. just for mumbling some random comment about a decision.

Today, remember, without those who fought and died for our independence and our continued freedom, we would have no representation in England (or limited representation). We would be treated like stepchildren who do the work for the parent but don't get anything in return except the roof over our headds and leftover mutton :-). When you say your opinion, even against the current war or past wars, realize what it means to really "support our troops" and what you are saying to the enemy when you slander the troops. I can say that I support the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against terrorism as just. Many would disagree with my blanket statement as wholehearted support of a party (Republican), but such is not the case. I disagree heavily with any plan that allows for uncontrolled borders (north, south, east, and west) thus allowing possible terrorists in, and as has been shown in the past, criminals. I have the freedom to state that this stance is not racism but common sense masquerading as intelligent thought with a thinly disguised veil of caution. I have nothing against individual Mexicans (or those dang Canuks :-D), but if I can't go into your country legally and expect you to speak my language and allow me to buy property with no strings attached....then I'll be damned if I'll let you come into mine ILLEGALLY and expect what your country won't even do for me when I'm LEGAL! That is pure malecowexcrement!

I have the freedom to hold the opinion that abortion is wrong and horrible and should be outlawed. I think this not because I hate women and expect them to be totally docile to me, but because the right to life of the unborn is a God-given gift, and according to our Declaration of Independence, is an inalienable right. I recently watched a video from Pat Sajak's 1990 talk show where Rush Limbaugh was guest-hosting. I was appalled that when he lamented the vetoing of a bill in a state that would place large limits on abortion, he was screamed at by several people who had no other reason to be there than to interrupt Sajak's show and call Rush a murderer because his actions cause the streets to run with the blood of innocent women (she was obviously referring to the women having the abortion). I thought it would have been awesome had Rush said, "are you referring to the women who have been aborted and can no longer offer their opinion?" Here is an idea, abortion should not be performed unless due to complications during pregnancy/delivery, it without a doubt endangers the life of the mother (and hence the life of the child). Of course I've been asked, "what about the right to privacy?" Well I have news for you, the right to privacy, while existing as an interpretation by the Supreme Court of several ammendments within the Bill of Rights cannot supercede another individual's right to live (as declared in the Declaration of Independence) if they have committed no crime. OWNED! "What about rape and incest cases?" ANSWER: Punish the vermin who raped the girl....don't punish the infant by killing it! As for the girl, she should be cared for through financial help, psychological, and social orginizations. I would like to see the church actively helping in this regard.

I have the freedom to believe that all of our Bill of Rights are equally important. I can't understand how so many media groups (like Channel One) push the 1st amendment as the end-all, be-all of rights. I asked Mr. Coleman when they would be pushing the 2nd one so much :-).

I have the freedom to believe what I want about how the world works. I have the freedom to deny naturalistic, neo-Darwinistic evolution. I have the freedom to think that humanity in general and the United States in particular are not wholly (or at all) responsible for global climate change. Is the earth heating up or cooling? If you were to ask before the 1970s what was going on, the big thing would be global cooling. Now we are told that increasing CO2 levels specifically (and occassionally H2O) will lead to more energy being trapped within the atmosphere and the increasing temperature levels will lead to melting icecaps, deadly heatwaves, disappearing wildlife, and stop Christmas from coming! In fact in several articles you can read how the high temperatures will melt ice caps and will cause global cooling indirectly. First of all, if Venus is the best example of a greenhouse planet, I'd grab the parka because that +400C is pretty damn nippy. Secondly, I'd like to know exactly how the earth will cause record heatwaves and get colder at the same time......um, WHAT?! If you are talking about more extreme temperature changes, you still haven't explained the cooling yet!

Data from several locations shows that Greenland's atmospheric temperature is decreasing at 2.2C since 1987. For those who are unfamiliar with the idea of a greenhouse, it should be getting warmer at the surface of the earth....especially if the ice sheet is melting! Weather is complicated as those who have been told it will not rain on your picnic, and lo and behold it does, know. What seems to be occurring is ocean warming. But indeed, this is a complicated issue, as it is also getting warmer above North America, but colder over the Antarctic (see the 2.2C reference). If you think I'm getting my data from random sources and nutjob righties (:-D), this might convince you that there is legitimate debate out there apart from partisan causes and Al Gore trying to appeal to the sixties generation.

I have the freedom to believe in the one triune God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I have the right and freedom to express my religion as long as I don't physically hurt, harrass or psychologically damage other people (Scientology, I'm looking your direction....and radical Islam). Richard Dawkins (though he does not reside in this country) is free to spout his atheistic nonsense and try and dress it up as legitimate science and philosophy. I have the right to believe that real science can incorporate the supernatural in a way that doesn't sacrifice its integrity and leave the only answer "God did it." Indeed, science which rejects the divine is not complete nor do I think it is good for the individual, society, and in the end, science itself. Science is a tool in a toolbox whose name should read God.

I have the right to academic freedom. If Professor Buckler of U of I can rant about the stupidity of Christians, the idiocy of the Republicans, and the dire state of the St. Louis Cardinals, then I can rant about the ignorance and closemindedness of atheists and/or Democrats! I have the right to believe what I wish without being rejected from academia (this hasn't happened to me nor do I expect it to) . For Christ's sake they allow communists to teach, why not red-blooded American males? Does it make them feel uncomfortable to be challenged?

I have the right to freedom of speach, assembly, religion, arms, trial by a jury of my peers, protection from illegal search and seizure, protection from wrongful prosecution, etc. Please, don't take these rights for granted. Sometime ago in Iraq, some Kurds (only about 100,000-yeah, our war with him wasn't just my ass!) were killed because they were Kurds and believed differently than Saddam.

Let Freedom Ring baby!