Sun Cups

I was impulse-shopping at World Market today when I came across an interesting candy concept: Sun Cups. Made in the USA, they are exactly like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups... except that, instead of peanut-butter-flavored filling surrounded by a milk chocolate shell, Sun Cups have sunflower-butter and dark chocolate. Plus, it's organic! It's nut free! It's gluten free! And it's fair traded!!!

Nevertheless, I decided to try one. It seemed like an acceptable risk at $1.50. But now I must express my regret. It really wasn't to my taste. It does for RPBCs what those candy-shell-coated sunflower seeds did for Reese's Pieces... which isn't much, really. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Sunflower seeds have never exactly lit up my taste buds.

If they light up yours, however, let me emphasize that there was nothing unpleasant in the flavor of this candy. You might actually like it. But I doubt that there's a big commercial future in store for Sun Cups. Not at their current price, anyway.

Of Sheep and Shepherds

I preached this sermon for Wednesday of Easter 3, a.k.a. "Good Shepherd" Week, tonight at a St. Louis church's midweek Divine Service. While the exegesis is broad rather than deep, it is primarily based on the one-year lectionary's lessons from Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, and John 10, particularly the following verses (emphasis added):

For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing ground, and they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord God. "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment" (Ezekiel 34:11-16).

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd" (John 10:11-16).

The Lord is our Shepherd. We are God’s flock. This truth runs like a wood grain through both Testaments of Scripture, is depicted in a large body of religious art. It is embodied in one of Christendom’s favorite psalms. It is familiar from being read and discussed in church services, and not just on Good Shepherd Sunday (or Wednesday), but at every Christian funeral as well. This imagery of sheep and Shepherd is so deeply embedded in our hearts that we may sometimes forget that it is just that: imagery. Metaphor. Figurative language. We sometimes visualize it quite literally, as when we look at a painting of a bearded man leading a flock and we instantly know that he’s Jesus. Perhaps the Biblical imagery of Jesus as our Shepherd has become so familiar that it has lost all meaning for us. This would be unfortunate. The Good Shepherd image of Christ is really an important revelation, and it has a powerful meaning for the whole church, and for each of us.

Yes, we are God’s flock. As our Good Shepherd, Christ is concerned for our care and protection. But to say the Church is God’s flock, and that Jesus is its Shepherd, could be meaningless unless we understand how we are His flock, and what it means for Him to shepherd us.

How did we become Jesus’ flock? Surprisingly, the best answer to that question comes where the Bible describes Jesus as a Lamb! In Revelation 5, John describes Jesus as “a Lamb standing as if slain.” This is to say, Jesus was put to death as a sacrifice, but now He has come back to life again. Then John records the song by which the saints in heaven worship the Lamb: “Worthy art Thou [who] wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God.” This complements the way John the Baptist introduced Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” And so Revelation 13 says those who are saved have their names written in “the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”

So, how did we become Jesus’ flock? He purchased us, that’s how. With what did He purchase us? With His blood, shed on the sacrificial altar of the cross. For whom was He sacrificed? For all mankind. And what is the result of His dying and rising again? He has caused people from every nation on earth to become God’s property. Even as we serve in our lowly station in life, we are royalty in God’s kingdom, reigning on earth but subject to God in heaven. Even as infants, at the Baptismal font we have been gathered into Christ’s priesthood. Revelation 1 says Jesus “has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.”

Note this well: We did not come into this kingdom by our works or our choice. He chose us before we knew Him. He purchased us with His own blood. He made us His own, in the same way a shepherd makes lambs his own. The lamb does not choose the shepherd. A sheep comes into the flock either by being purchased or by being born, and it has no control over either process. In the same way, Jesus became our Shepherd by right of the purchase price He paid, the ultimate price of His innocent death. And we become members of this flock by the new birth that Jesus gives, through the faith-giving power of Baptism and the Word.

So Peter tells us that God has ordained us as a “royal priesthood” to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Paul tells us that, as God’s priests, we are qualified to present our bodies to Him as “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Peter also tells us that as a spiritual house of God’s building, we can “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Why? Because Jesus has made us such a royal priesthood. He unconditionally delivered us from the kingdom of Satan to God’s kingdom. He set us free from the unending cycle of sin and atonement by the once-for-all sacrifice of Himself. Now, therefore, we serve Him with such spiritual sacrifices as prayer, patient suffering, love for one another, and above all faith.

So much for how Jesus became our Shepherd. Now, what does it mean for Him to shepherd us? What does all this pretty imagery about sheep munching grass in a pasture have to do with us? It has to do with the way Jesus keeps your faith alive through all the pressures and trials of life. It has to do with how He protects you from spiritual harm and keeps you from going astray.

In Matthew 18 and Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd leaving ninety-nine sheep in the pasture to search for one lost sheep; when he finds it he rejoices. This parable is about bringing a sinner to repentance. So, first of all, Jesus shepherds us by seeking us out when we stray into sin and error. He would have us repent and be comforted by His forgiveness. How? By sending ministers to apply His bitter medicine of Law and His sweet, soothing Gospel.

It isn’t always politic to speak of ministers as shepherds. But that is how Scripture describes them. When the apostles talk about the ministry, the word “shepherd” (pastor) is one of the terms they use, together with “elder” (presbyter) and “overseer” (bishop). Peter declares: “I exhort the elders among you... shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight... [and] proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” Paul also urged the elders of the Ephesian church: “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Jesus Himself instructs Peter in John 21: “Tend My lambs, shepherd My sheep, tend My sheep.” Which is to say, feed them, protect them.

What do we need to be protected from? False teachers, for one thing. In Matthew 7, Jesus warns us about wolves in sheep’s clothing, by whom He means false teachers. Paul echoes this concern in Acts 20: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert . . . ” False teachers aren’t the only danger to Jesus’ flock, nor the only threat that He describes as wolves. According to Matthew 10 and Luke 10, Jesus tells His apostles: “Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves,” meaning that they would be persecuted for His sake. In Matthew 9 and Mark 6, we read that Jesus took pity on the multitudes “because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.”

Discouragement, sadness, and affliction can be our enemies, just like the devil and his temptations, which try to lead us away from Christ. Ignorance, being without the Word of God to light our way or to show us God’s mercy in Christ, can make us like sheep without a shepherd. Being led by a faithless or spineless teachers who crumple under pressure, or who run away at every sign of trouble, puts us in the same danger as sheep shepherded by a hireling who runs away when the wolves approach. And in John 10, Jesus talks about a thief who climbs over the fence rather than going through the gate. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy the sheep. This is like a false minister whose teaching is not from God, or who operates on his own authority. “I am the door of the Sheep,” Jesus says; only through Him do we come to salvation and abundant life. “I am the Good Shepherd,” He says, “and I lay down My life for the sheep.” Because He gives His life for us and to us, the flock follows the sound of His voice—that is, His divine teaching.

Jesus laid down His life for us. This is what He meant when He warned the apostles before His arrest and crucifixion: “I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” Scattered indeed: when the soldiers showed up to clap Jesus in irons, the disciples ran for it. Since then, there have been times when believers were divided and confused by conflict and trouble, or when affliction and distress sent their faith into a tailspin. But however scattered God’s people may seem to be, we are never without our Shepherd. More importantly, we are never without Jesus’ comforting promise: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

Listen to Jesus’ voice. Listen to the voice of your Shepherd, warning you against danger and calling to His lost and straying lambs. Where do you hear that voice? In the ministry of preaching Law and Gospel, which Christ has given to the church. Listen to the voice of your Shepherd, leading you to nourishing pastures and refreshing streams. What pastures and streams are these? They are the ministry of Word and Sacrament, cleansing you inside and out with the pure water of Baptism and Absolution, and giving Christ’s sin-atoning body and blood for you to eat and drink. Rejoice that Your Shepherd protects you from false teachers who would destroy your faith, like thieves who break in to steal, maim, and kill. Rejoice that He sends you strong shepherds to watch over you by teaching you faithfully and resisting pressure to desert their duties. Rejoice that your Shepherd has gathered you from the nations to feed on the pasture of Israel, namely the prophetic Scriptures. Rejoice that He has laid down His life for you, bearing your sins in His body on the cross so that you might die to sin and live to righteousness; rejoice also that God has raised up the Shepherd of the Sheep, and brought you back to Him by the power of His Holy Spirit.

We join David this day in rejoicing in the Shepherd who abundantly supplies all that we need. With Christ as our Shepherd, we lack nothing. In the pastures and streams of Word and Sacrament, He restores our souls. With God’s forgiveness won for us on Jesus’ cross, we can face the valley of the shadow of death without fear. With Jesus’ promise to give us His kingdom and to be with us, we will fear no evil. With the rod of the Law to correct us, with the staff of the Gospel to lead us, with the anointing of the Spirit to assure us that God has indeed chosen us to be His kingdom-priests forever, our cup truly overflows. Whatever we may face in this life, we face knowing that God’s goodness and lovingkindness are behind us, and an eternal dwelling in His house is ahead. Shall we not therefore rejoice? For by the incomprehensible grace of God, He has chosen to make us His flock by the dying blood of the Lamb, who is Christ. And that same blood continually covers us, fills us, cleanses us, and anoints us through the ministry of Word and Sacrament. In this very real and powerful way, Jesus shepherds us. Is He a Good Shepherd? Yes, indeed: we could not ask for a better!

What Do I Care?

I am now ramping up to my eighth anniversary as a recovering TV addict. I stopped regularly watching commercially broadcast TV in the summer of 2002. Which is to say, I stopped using an antenna (I've never had cable or satellite) to catch TV programs when they're aired. I still watch a few shows on DVD, and sometimes I stare vacantly at a TV if I happen to be near one in a restaurant, a bar, the laundromat, or someone else's house. I find that I'm missing less and less as the years go by. The programming is going downhill, and the more time I spend free of its spell, the less I care about it. Plus, as I've said before, there's still the reason I stopped watching TV in the first place... life is too short to spend 25% of it looking at commercial advertisements.

If there's one thing I'm concerned about missing, it's the news. Even that seems increasingly overhyped as I look on from the TV-free fringes. I catch a few headlines on CNN radio every morning at 6 a.m. while I'm driving to work. Some afternoons I get another snort of CNN coming home. Articles from various periodicals cross my desk and my computer screen daily. Increasingly, the better part of what I know about the world and its doings comes from the half-dozen headlines on the first screen I see when I check my web-based email.

Funnily enough, I never noticed until recently that I can click little buttons to switch this headline-digest from "top stories" to "world," "entertainment," "sports," or "local" news. Today I noticed that the "entertainment" button had somehow been selected, even though I am normally more interested in "top stories." This explains why all the headlines lately were about who's going to be a guest on The View, who has been eliminated from and Dancing with the Stars and American Idol, which celebrity's grown-up son is in serious trouble, and the daytime-TV catfight du jour. I was starting to think the world had gone insane.

Before I noticed that thing about the "Entertainment" button, I actually tried to read an article about Kate Gosselin, late of Jon & Kate Plus 8, being eliminated from Dancing With the Stars. I just had to know why this was world-shaking, breaking news. Mind you, I have seen about 1.5 episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8. Most of what I know about it, I picked up from the front pages of tabloids at the supermarket. My impression based on 1.5 episodes was that divorce couldn't have happened to a more deserving couple. I pity those 8 kids for having such a pair of narcissistic twits as parents. As for poor Kate being voted off the ballroom island, what do I care?

I decided to look up who the other "stars" on this seasons DWTS are, what makes them so special. Well, the first "star" to be eliminated was Shannon Doherty. She's an actress, right? As far as I know, I have never watched a single thing she was in. So what do I care?

The second axe to fall, felled Buzz Aldrin, the second astronaut to plant his footprint on the moon. Well, it's nice that he made it that far. Maybe gravity was working against him.

The third victim was former All My Children star Aiden Turner. I've never knowingly watched AMC and I certainly can't recall seeing anything else with Aiden Turner in it. He looks like a nice enough chap, but really... what do I care?

The still surviving contestants include Pamela Anderson. I do know who she is. I just hope she takes it easy and doesn't rupture something filled with silicone.

Then there's cute ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews. I mostly know her from watching the big screen TV behind a bar with the sound turned down, but she does give football a certain je ne sais quoi. On the other hand, I couldn't give a rip whether she can do a foxtrot.

Another survivor (so far) is Olympic skater Evan Lysacek. Dude, if you want to be a star, you seriously have to change your name to something Joe Sixpack can spell. But is it really fair to have a figure skater competing in a dance competition against, like, Buzz Aldrin?

Another contestant is TV personality Niecy Nash. I've never heard of her until today. So really, what do I care?

Football player Chad Ochocinco is still in play. It would be interesting to see him and Erin hook up, right? Let's just hope he doesn't get his two chosen sports mixed up. Well, actually, what do I care?

Jake Pavelka is a "star" for being on another reality show. Gee, they sure are setting the "star" bar low these days. This guy is a celebrity just for being a celebrity, and now this show comes along and gives him another reason to make me ask What do I care?

And finally, there's Nicole Scherzinger, the lead singer of... Oh, wait. I think I get it now. Look at this babe. Mmm-humm! Could somebody send me the phone number for Charter Cable?

The Universe Borrows My Car

As I was leaving for work this morning, I scanned the row of parking spaces in front of my building and couldn't find my car. Huh! I thought. I was sure I parked out front last night. It was a noteworthy memory, because I usually park behind the building. But not seeing my car there, I walked round to the back lot and looked for it. It definitely wasn't there, either.

So I walked up the sidewalk where a row of 12 parking spots begins in front of my building. I had a mental picture of my car being parked just past the middle of this group of spaces. But as I walked along, I looked at every single car parked there - and there was one in every space - but I did not see my car. I did not see anything remotely like my car - not the year, make, or model; not even the color or body type.

I kept walking, thinking perhaps I had parked in the next group of spaces down the street, perhaps my memory wasn't as sharp as it should be. My car wasn't there either. I was starting to plan what to say to my boss to ask him for the morning off due to car theft, when I thought: "With all these nicer, newer, bigger cars here, who would swipe my old piece of junk?"

Despondent and baffled, I stepped out into the street and started walking home. This more direct route from the second, farther-off parking area, took me past the other side of the same parking spaces I had passed earlier. This time, I spotted my car, parked exactly where I had expected it to be, in the seventh of twelve spaces counting from the front of my building.

I can't explain how I could fail to recognize the car I have owned for the past eight years when I was looking right at it. Either I walked right past where it was supposed to be, where it actually was, and ignored it even while I was very carefully looking for it... or the universe borrowed it for a quick spin, and returned it while my back was turned. You be the judge!

Fishing for Faith

Coming this Sunday to a church that may or may not be near you: my first sermon in a good, healthy summer full of pulpit supply. The text is John 2:1-14.

After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out, and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." And so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. And so when they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid, and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread, and gave them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

Let’s talk fish stories. Jesus performed not one but two fishing miracles—three if you count the coin in the fish’s mouth! The first great catch of fish came early in Jesus’ ministry, according to Luke chapter 5. Peter, James, and John were already acquainted with Jesus. He had recently cleansed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. But now He preached a sermon from their boat, now He told them to stand out into deeper water and let down their nets, and now they caught so many fish that their nets began to break. Only then did Peter recognize Jesus as the Lord. Peter fell down at Jesus’ feet and cried, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” That’s when Jesus’ reassured him, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” And so the fishermen left their boats and their nets, their business and their homes, and went off after Jesus. That miracle catch in Luke 5 was the beginning of their journey as Jesus’ disciples.

And now, some weeks after Jesus rose from the dead, He does another fishing miracle. Not too much later, He ascended into heaven. Their journey with the visible Lord Jesus was almost over. It’s almost the last lesson He would teach them face-to-face. And with a very similar miracle, He makes it a varied repeat of their first lesson. The symmetry of it is interesting. It’s like bookends! When a lesson is worth teaching, Jesus often repeats it. Twice He fed a crowd of thousands, and later He reminded His disciples of both miracles, feeding the four thousand and feeding the five thousand, in order to impress His point upon them. Twice He cleansed the temple in Jerusalem, so that no one could be mistaken about what He meant. And twice He tells His disciples to let down their nets, and at His word they land a great catch of fish. So their instruction begins, and so it ends.

But is Jesus teaching them the same lesson in both miracles? In the first miracle, the disciples are amazed. Peter is even afraid. Knowing he is in the presence of the Lord, he falls down in fear and trembling. He says, “Go away, Lord! I’m a sinner!” He cannot face the presence of the Righteous One who judges sins. He is all but screaming, “I can’t do what you demand of me! I can’t live up to your expectations! Leave me alone!” But Jesus says: “Don’t be afraid.” Which is to say, “Take courage, my son. Your sins are forgiven.” And then Jesus says, “From now on, you will be catching men.” Which is to say, “I have a job for you. Does this great catch of fish impress you? Soon you’re going to be hauling souls into the ship of faith. You’re going to drag the nets of God’s kingdom until they’re bursting-full.”

There are some differences between the two fishing miracles, though. In Luke 5, the nets started to break under the strain of all those fish. In the great catch of John 21, we are specifically told the nets were not torn. This is almost as miraculous as catching 153 large fish just by throwing the nets over the other side. In Luke 5, Jesus gets things happening by telling them to sail into deeper water and let down the nets; Peter agrees to do this even though they have been at it all night without catching anything. But in John 21, there’s no discussion, no sailing maneuvers, no time to prepare. The disciples, weary after a long night of catching nothing, have closed within a hundred yards of shore when this figure in the morning dimness shouts an absurd suggestion: throw the nets over the right side of the boat! In Luke 5 they know Jesus from hearing Him preach and seeing Him do miracles. But by John 21, they have already seen Jesus die and rise again. Yet even though they are close enough for John to recognize Him, they don’t know it’s Jesus until after the miracle.

Why is this? Why are these people so slow to get the point? How many times must Jesus show Himself to them before they believe He is risen? How many times must they hear His voice and see His face before they recognize Him? Has Jesus changed? Does He hide Himself from their eyes? Well, consider the two disciples from Emmaus. They walked and talked with Jesus for miles, but only recognized Him in the breaking of bread. It is the same with Peter, John, and the other five disciples. They have seen Him; they have heard His voice; they have already believed in His resurrection. Yet on this morning by the sea, it is not given them to know who He is until the miracle has taken place.

Notice this, and ponder it well. They did not find Jesus by searching for Him with a spyglass. They did not recognize him by the keenness of their eyes or the sharpness of their hearing. Neither the knowledge of their heads, nor the love in their hearts, nor their powers of reasoning and deduction revealed Him to them. It wasn’t that their senses were dull. It wasn’t that their memory was dim. It was simply that Christ in His glory cannot be known unless He reveals Himself in Word and Sign. We can look right at Him; we can hear the sound of His voice, we can even do what He tells us to do, but apart from His Word and Sign we cannot know Him or His truth.

In the Luke 5 catch of fish, Jesus assures the troubled Peter that he has nothing to fear, that he himself will catch men and bring them to faith. That’s a big promise for a blue-collar, second-career preacher. But in the great catch of John 21, we see a different ending. This catch of fish doesn’t symbolize people that Peter will catch for the kingdom. Instead, it is Peter who gets caught. Jesus hooks him and reels him in like an Atlantic cod. As soon as John gasps, “It’s the Lord!” Peter puts on his shirt, throws himself into the sea, and swims for the shore.

This impulsiveness is “all Peter,” and you have to love him for it. He couldn’t wait to get to Jesus, even the Jesus he had deserted and denied a couple weeks back. But this is a different Peter from the one we met in Luke 5. It isn’t a “Get away from me” Peter, who can’t bear to face God because of his sin. This is a joyful Peter who runs to Jesus, or rather swims to Him, because He can’t wait for the good things in store for him.

This is what Jesus’ Word and Sign did for Peter. A moment ago, he didn’t know who that figure on the shore was. But now that Jesus has made Himself known by Word and Sign, He draws Peter to Himself like a fisherman reeling in the catch. Peter is hooked. Jesus has caught Him. And by the time the rest of the disciples reach the shore, Jesus is ready to serve breakfast. Who provided the food? He asked them for some of the fish they had caught, but who had given them the catch?

At times, we think too much of what we bring to God. We think our reasoning can grasp Him, but His thoughts are so far above ours that He is constantly surprising us. We think we can reach Him with our feelings, senses, or experiences, but even in plain view, within shouting distance of the shore, His closest friends mistook Him for someone else. We may think our efforts to lead a holy life will bridge the distance that separates us from Him, but consider how little the disciples accomplished through a long night of toil. It is God who enables us to will and work for His good pleasure.

We may even think our faith is something we bring to the table—as if we can make a choice or decision that matters, or as if faith is an act of the will that qualifies us for God’s kingdom. But faith is the work of God, a seed that He plants and nurtures in our heart. When we have done all the thinking, feeling, working, and believing that lies in our power, we are no closer to knowing Christ or His blessings. But when He reveals Himself by Word and Sign, we instantly know Him and have all His grace and forgiveness, all His righteousness, all His life.

Jesus draws us to Himself through the waters of Baptism, just as He reeled Peter in through the waters of Lake Galilee. Jesus restores us with His Word of forgiveness, like He restored wayward Peter in the “Do you love me? Feed my sheep” speech that followed breakfast. Jesus shares a meal with us, just as He invited His disciples to breakfast on the beach. And though we may bring bread and wine to the table, He nourishes us with His own body and blood, just as the food the disciples brought to the fireside was not from them, but from Him. Both meals are miraculous. Both are times of fellowship when Jesus smiles fondly and speaks words of peace. But our meal is even more special than theirs. Instead of mere bread and fish, we get the body broken and the blood shed for our salvation.

At that beach breakfast, nobody asked Jesus, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Still, still, they do not seem quite able to match what their eyes see to what Jesus’ Word and Sign reveal to them. Yet they believe to a certainty that it is He. In the same way, we look at little flakes of crispy bread and a cupful of wine—and I don’t care what anyone says, these food items don’t resemble “body and blood” in the slightest! Yet in them, by the miracle-working power of Jesus’ Word, we recognize the body and blood of our crucified and risen Savior. And by this Word and Sign, Jesus kindles faith to receive His forgiveness.

We are not the ones fishing for Jesus. He is fishing for us. We bring Him nothing He has not first given to us. We understand nothing He has not first revealed—and more often, we believe even without fully understanding. We experience nothing with our senses and emotions but what His Gospel stirs up in us—and more often, we cling to faith even when our feelings betray us. We accomplish nothing but the works He created us to do when He caused us to be born again through water and the Word—and still we must repent of our sins daily. We achieve nothing but what He does in us and through us, including faith itself, which is His gift—and still we need His constant help through Word and Sign to keep that flame kindled. We cannot live without the spiritual food He gives us, food that sustains both our bodies and souls as we struggle with sin and the powers of evil. We cannot hope to rise from the dead without the power of His resurrection. We cannot reach the shore unless Jesus reels us in.

Thanks be to God, we have all these things right here. Thanks be to God, we hear His voice calling over the waters of Baptism, and we recognize Him as our Lord. Thanks be to Jesus, we recognize Him in the breaking of bread, as He invites us to eat and drink the New Testament in His body and blood. We thank Him for fishing for us. We thank Him for catching us. We thank Him for gathering us in and numbering us as His own. We thank Him for being present in such a down-to-earth way, as close and specifically real as the charcoal fire on the beach. We don’t have to search the outer limits of the cosmos or the inner limits of our soul. We can find Him the same way the disciples did: by Word and Sign, where He has promised to be. There He is, with present comfort and forgiveness drawn from His once-for-all death on the cross. We thank our Lord Jesus Christ for calling us His children and drawing us into His net of faith. And now we will run with joy to meet our Savior and receive His gifts.

More Springummies

Here are some more cheapo snaps that I took, using a couple of different disposable cameras, during a very long walk on Sunday, April 11. I spotted these lovely sights while outward bound around 1-2 p.m., stopped at Walgreens and grabbed a camera, and hurried home in hopes of cathing the sights I had seen. Unfortunately, by then the light had changed, and what had been perfectly lit on the way out was now either in shadow or lit at a harsh angle on the way in. Alas.

But with a bit of imagination, you may be able to glimpse the gorgeousness that made me feel like floating away on a bubble of happiness -- all a part of a remarkable stretch of perfect, clear-blue-sky, warm, sunny weather around St. Louis in the past couple of weeks.

To start with, here is some yard art I spotted on a residential street in "historic Dogtown."

These characters live in the same yard. I marvel at their verisimilitude. OK, I just wish I could be so creative with my junk!

Mining the depths of my taxonomic knowledge, I believe this is the, er, Watchamacallit. Thought it was nice, though.

OK now... tulips, right?

Are you sure?

Why did I think this shot was worth saving? Because that one flower kept bravely and beautifully blooming, even after the rest of the bed got scorched by the sun. Everybody loves a survivor!

I didn't exactly think this was attractive. I simply thought it was interesting, in a public-nuisance kind of way.

Here's the public-nuisance part.

These red... thingies... grow in a greenway in the center of South Hampton Ave. Lots of them. And even more white thingies, all smelling quite good. I didn't have enough film to do them justice, and by now they probably aren't in such good shape. But on April 11, that median looked awesome!

This lawn near my apartment is turning purple. Can anyone tell me why? Is this bird seed run wild? Or would someone plant something like this on purpose?

Here's more of the purple living lawn ornament, from another part of the same yard. Again, the light was better when I didn't have a camera, and this is as good as it got when I did, but hopefully someone can still identify this. Come on, people! Help me out here!

Here is the furry tree outside my front window. I thin it looks pretty cool, except there is something disturbingly fungal about the way the flowers grow all the way up the limbs. Or maybe lichen-like?

More purple furry stuff.

These trees were in bloom in front of some town houses in a quiet neighborhood last Sunday. I thought it looked pretty nice. I think it might have been one of those trees whose flowers smell like Grape Nehi. That was a perfect day for catching that scent on the breeze.

Those same townhouses were fronted by several of these trees. I thought they had an impressive quality to them, combining light- and dark-colored thingummies on the same branch.

Here, for sure, is a Grape Nehi Tree, situated across the street from a local hospital. I think they should take cuttings up to the patients. It would sure cheer them up!

More Grape Nehi blossoms. Boy, do I regret losing the best light on these! They really are as nice to look at as they are to smell. In St. Louis, there is a certain time of year - like, this week - when those flowers pull heroic duty combating the odor of air pollution. Thank God for them!

Finally, shot from a bridge where Hampton Ave. passes over a railroad, a drainage ditch, and Manchester Rd., I was moved to record this beautiful piece of graffiti off the side of a warehouse. It's clear that some people can make real art with spray paint. I don't know what it means, but I like it.

Efficacious Tackiness

Currently shining forth on the lighted sign at a local (City of St. Louis) ELCA church near my digs:

PLAY LIKE A CARDINAL
PRAY LIKE A BELIEVER

Well, seeing that the Cardinals won 5-0 at today's home opener, the believers' prayers must have been answered!