Vocation in the Valley

I often wonder if my kinder graduate listens to me. I may say, “Dinner is ready, put your toys away and wash your hands.” When she doesn’t move I ask her what I just said and she’ll reply “I don’t know” or “Dinner is ready” at best. So I had a most joyful experience when I was putting her to bed last night.

She asked me if I love her even when she makes a mistake and I said, “Of course, and God does too.” Then I asked her how she knows that God loves her. She said, without prompting, “Because He died on the cross to forgive my sins… He sent Jesus to die on the cross to forgive my sins.” So she’s knows the Gospel and she has some understanding of the Trinity. So I’m really happy to know she listens to what is truly important, but sometimes I wish she’d listen to the mundane as well.

Since the cancellation of Issues, Etc. the show archives have been up and down with the latest news being that the files are being re-compressed and will be made available after the process is finished. There is a site that is rebuilding the entire archive, http://www.issuesetcarchive.org. Quite a large undertaking and they are currently only linking to the KFUO archives which aren’t available.

My response was to start a blog and podcast called Wittenberg Media. I am taking past shows and not simply reposting them, but repackaging them so that topics and subjects are available in a single episode. If a guest on the original show was held over during the top of the hour break, you would have to grab 2 files. I will combine these into a single episode and remove any extraneous commercials as well.

I’m starting this project by releasing a series on the historic liturgy. The first 3 parts are up. Go check them out - Wittenberg Media (http://wittenbergmedia.org).

I’ve been saddened and contemplative since the recent action of the LCMS to cancel my favorite radio program “Issues, Etc.” That act in combination with some other events and conversations I’ve had at church have me deeply concerned about the direction of the LCMS and to a lesser extent, my local congregation (Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church ). In this frame of mind and after listening to an old episode of “Issues” I thought of a poem. I am obviously no poet, but it’s just something that came from inside me and I decided I’d have the balls to post it. So here it is:

Is God’s Word Enough?

Small is the service that is divine
Empty is the pew that is next to mine
Sinners hear of a Cross hewn rough
Wondering, “Is God’s Word enough?”

Drums and bands, they’ll bring the crowd
On their feet they’ll all sing loud
The dancers spin, soloist hot stuff
Does anyone notice; Is God’s Word enough?

The preacher has 5 tips for life
She certainly knows how to deal with strife
And when she asks if I want my stuff
Will I still ask, “Is God’s Word enough?”

Back to the service that is small yet true
Hearing of the sin that I still do
The answer was always on the Cross hewn rough
Who could still ask, “Is God’s Word enough?”

Yes, I am.

Some might take that is me being arrogant. Those who know me have told me that I can give off an air of superiority or that I can seem aloof. My wife even does this thing when we’re in a discussion and I make some assertion, she’ll say with this superior tone, “Of course, I’m Brian Yamabe.” However, my assurance that I am going to Heaven doesn’t come from arrogance, it comes from confidence in the perfect life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins.

So what would happen if I was killed in a car accident after speeding and making an obscene gesture before I had a chance to repent of these sins? I’d still be going to Heaven. Why? Would God look at my heart and know that I meant to be good? Shouldn’t I be a little concerned about what God thinks of me? No way! I don’t want God looking at me for any part of my salvation. My heart? Its wicked. Christ is who I trust in for salvation.

My blogging has gotten a little lax and I forgot to post something very exciting. On August 19th, my 3 girls were baptized into the body of Christ. A good number of our family and friend were there to witness God’s work of Holy Baptism.

It seems that my Wikipedia entries for “The Wilken Diagnostic” and Pastor Todd Wilken were deleted via their deletion process. I saw that the deletion process was initiated and tried to take steps to keep it up, but I don’t have that much time to get into their world. What was interesting was the deletion discussion. One comment was:

Non-notable (11 google hits) and hopelessly simplistic (why does a sermon have to mention Jesus at all?) method of evaluating a sermon.

I wish I had know about this discussion earlier. “Why does a sermon have to mention Jesus at all?” I guess that’s the state of what people think of Christianity. It doesn’t need Jesus. I’m just stunned and saddened.

A couple of years ago, we joined ALCF. Over the past few months, my wife and I had noticed a focus on tithing which was bothersome. With the focus on tithing had come a de-emphasis of sin and Savior. We were both concerned about this, but moving away from ALCF would move us away from many of our friends. After another disappointing service, I decided I had to find a church that was going to teach about our sin and our only hope, Jesus Christ.

My favorite radio show, Issues, Etc., has a list of sponsoring congregations. We had been to Our Savior and didn’t have the best experience, so I decided to visit another sponsoring congregation, Shepherd of the Valley (SOTV). One Sunday morning, Mari and I went to scout things out. The service used the liturgy which, while unsurprising, was a big change. It’s been a while since I’ve regularly attended a church that used the liturgy, but what stood out to me was that I’d get sin and Savior even without the sermon. The pastor introduced himself and so did other congregants which really made me feel comfortable.

The following Sunday, the whole family went. This was a big change for Emi, because her “Sunday School” was mostly playing and watching Veggie Tales. Erin liked the service and the pastor but had some concerns. Her first concern was leaving our friends and the sense of community at ALCF. SOTV is a much smaller congregation than ALCF so there aren’t all the Mother’s TIme-out, Couple’s Night-out, etc. Her second concern was something that is both an issue and a non-issue and that is race. We have very different perspectives on this issue because of where we grew up (me in San Francisco,as mixed race as you can get, and her in Moraga, vast majority white). SOTV, like the other Lutheran congregations I’ve seen, has very few minorities and her concern was that the girls might grow up feeling inferior (her experience). I think the girls will learn that, through the work of Jesus Christ, God sees them the same as everyone else in the congregation and that this will help them in the Left-hand Kingdom where they will be minorities not only because they are Japanese-American, but also because they are Christians.

Finally, last Sunday we went to service and then to Bible study after. Pastor Weller lead a discussion about how Scientology and Unitarian Universalism are not Biblical. Erin said she learned more about her faith in that one Bible study than she had at ALCF. She also said she gained some understanding into how I think. I’ve never really consciously thought about how my faith affects my life, but discussing this with her has opened my eyes.

I made my first Wikipedia entry! I added “The Wilken Diagnostic.”. This is Pastor Todd Wilken’s method for analyzing a sermon. I also added an entry for Todd Wilken himself. Both are minimalist pages and I hope others will flesh them out.

Just for anyone who is still having trouble accepting that they didn’t choose Jesus, please listen to His own words in John 6:65 - And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. —Ephesians 2:8-9

What this says is that we are saved (go to Heaven) by grace (the free and unmerited favor of God) through faith. Further, that faith isn’t from ourselves, it also is a gift from God and not because of any works we have done. Those works would include good deeds, being nice, or even professing that you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. I know a lot of Christians will have a problem with the last statement because they believe you have to do something to do be a Christian. But that would counter the notion that Jesus’ work at the cross was sufficient for salvation (Jesus + your acceptance vs. Jesus alone). To put it simply, put all your trust in Jesus’ work on the Cross.