We Lutherans do get squeamish when we talk about exorcisms. Heck, many don’t even like the bulletin cover this morning. But an exorcism? It sounds so full of evil and darkness.

But Martin Luther did not share this belief; he believed demonic possession to be as real as the devil. He once wrote to a fellow pastor engaged with a woman who was demon-possessed,

The first thing you and your congregation ought to do is this: pray fervently and oppose Satan with your faith, no matter how stubbornly he resists. About ten years ago, we had an experience in this neighborhood with a very wicked demon, but we succeeded in subduing him by perseverance and by unceasing prayer and unquestioning faith. The same will happen among you if you continue in Christ’s name to despise that derisive and arrogant spirit and do not cease praying. By this means, I have restrained many similar spirits in different places, for the prayer of the church prevails at last.

Luther’s belief, and the church’s belief today, is that where the Word of Jesus is preached, the sacraments are administered, and the forgiveness of sins exists, Satan cannot remain. Instead, he must be expelled and driven out from that place, the assembly, and the Christian – the Church.

As we learn in the book of Proverbs,

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

In the end, we are little Davids, conceived in sin, and often enough, becoming blind to the ways we hurt and harm the people God has placed into our lives to love and care for.

We must keep working to strengthen our relationships so we can have difficult conversations with each other and call one another to repentance, when necessary, in charity and love. 

But we also need to learn to be humble and vulnerable, to be open to God’s call to repentance, through the people He sends into our lives, because in confessing our sin, we exercise a faith of humility and dependence on our Father in heaven, we recognize that there is no sin that we can hide, and acknowledge that we require a change of heart.

While I was on vicarage, there was a lady who lived in a nursing home; one day, she asked the pastor for a picture of Jesus to hang on her wall. My supervisor brought her an image of Jesus, one of the Olan Mills style portraits. But it was not right, she told us. She did not want a feminine-looking Jesus but a strong Jesus, a Savior – that’s what she was looking for.

This got me thinking – there are numerous images of Jesus throughout the church, but how does his appearance strike you? What does his facial demeanor confess to you?

Isn’t it interesting how the true subjectiveness of art influences not only how we see the world, but also how we want Jesus to appear to us and within our own hearts? What Jesus do you want? The masculine Jesus? A serious Jesus? Or a happy Jesus? Well, the Canaanite woman doesn’t get a choice, and neither do you. 

Now the service of Compline dates back to the fourth century as a sort of bedtime prayer, and for this reason, Compline means completion, to pray at the completion of the day and one of the most important aspects of this service is the rite of Confession and Absolution, that there would be peace within the home and among one another before laying one’s head down to sleep, especially since no one truly knows if they would awake the next morning.

For this reason, a verse from the Psalms that comes to mind is that of Psalm 4,

Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. (Psalm 4:4)

The Apostle Paul builds upon the verse by writing to the Ephesians,

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

Reflect upon this: how often do you go to bed angry?

Jesus does what your first father, Adam, did not—He obeyed His heavenly Father’s voice.

In fact, Jesus obeyed His Father’s voice and will, even to the cross of Calvary, where He not only won the battle, but won the war for you.

In His death and resurrection, He defeated sin, death, and the devil.

So, what should you do with all the battles and conflicts in your life this Lenten season? Bring them to where the spoils of war and the benefits of the cross are present for you. Bring them to the font of Holy Baptism, where Christ drowns the temptations of the Old Adam within you, unites you in the peace of Christ’s forgiveness in the absolution as you stand side by side with your brothers and sisters, and feeds your souls in the holy supper of your Lord, receiving eternal life. 

Come to the cross this Lenten season, my friends, and receive God’s precious Word, a Word that will sustain you and put an end to all the battles of your heart and lead you to new life in Christ. +INJ+

This Lenten season, don’t be a contrarian, don’t be opposed to Scripture just because other churches or people observe the same traditions, but instead be Scriptural, be a Christian.

As you approach this season of Lent, it will begin with the sign of ash and dust, a reminder that all mortals will return to the earth: “Memento Mori!”

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I am beginning to examine how I manage my time, money, and the tasks of daily life. This blog has mainly been used to publish my sermons so members who are traveling can read them; however, I’ve also begun podcasting the sermons for my congregation, and now I’m wondering if it makes sense to keep this blog going.

There is a need to simplify life, so my question to you is: Do you read this blog? Is it helpful to you?

Write in the comments, drop me a line, and let me know. Is this blog helpful to you?

God’s Peace,

Pastor Noah Rogness

Email: rognessontap@gmail.com

Now, I share with couples who are getting married in premarital counseling a rather lengthy quote from the Church Father St. John Chrysostom, who died in the 5^th century; his words speak to the purpose of their journey. But it remains worth hearing in its entirety. He writes,

Some say that marriage was ordained by God as a blessing to the human race. Others say that marriage is a necessary evil for those who cannot restrain their sexual appetites. In truth it is impossible to speak in such ways about marriage in general; we can only make judgments about particular marriages. There are some marriages which bring great blessings to the husband and the wife, to their children, and to all their neighbors. But there are other marriages which seem to bring few blessings to anyone. The difference between these two types of marriages lies in the spirit with which the bond was forged and is maintained. If a man and a woman marry to satisfy their sexual appetites, or to further the material aims of themselves or their families, then their union is unlikely to bring blessings. But if a man and a woman marry in order to be companions on the journey through earth to heaven, then their union will bring great joy to themselves and to others.

With this lens, Chrysostom saw marriage as a gift for man and woman to forge and maintain, to journey and be led through this valley of life on earth to the eternal joys of heaven, to the Lamb’s High Feast, and this changes the lens in which we view marriage, doesn’t it?

In a wonderful way, you walk the same path as Sharon every Sunday as you gather here for the Divine Service. As you remember your Baptism and confess your sins, it’s here you entrust the burdens and crosses of this life to Jesus, and He takes them to Himself—drowning them and the Old Adam within your hearts in Baptism—so a new man might arise. 

Prayer is not only the voice of faith but also the exercise of one’s faith and the baptismal life. When you stop praying, you neglect to exercise your faith, and your faith grows cold, indifference to Christ grows, and sadly, your baptism becomes just a moment in time.

In these instances, the devil succeeds in his goal of leading God’s children away from Him. 

But see today how your life is called to follow the pattern of Jesus, how after receiving the gift of Baptism, you will, like Him, enter the wildernesses of this life.

But also remember how Jesus exercises faith and clings to His Father’s Word in every confrontation with the devil.

This is an image of the baptized life; therefore, parents, grandparents, godparents, sponsors, congregations, and even pastors must not only sit down and pray for the faith of the children baptized in the name of Jesus but also teach them how to pray.

Because no one’s baptism is meant to be just a moment in time, but rather the ongoing gift and exercise of faith that delivers your heavenly Father’s forgiveness, peace, and eternal life.

So go ahead, pray and tell the devil and this world, “I am baptized.”

On this Epiphany, we rejoice because God’s Word continues to come to us, just as it entered a world darkened by sin and disbelief—salvation is revealed to all through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Magi searched for a king in Bethlehem, but what they discovered was God.

It’s truly remarkable that each week, as Doug gathered here in this sanctuary with Ruth and all his brothers and sisters in Christ, he took part in the story of Christ. He walked past the font, confessed his sins, and asked God for forgiveness. In fact, Doug joined the angels in singing the Gloria in Excelsis at Christmas, and he traveled through Holy Week by singing the Sanctus before hearing the Words of Institution from the night of Jesus’ betrayal, just before approaching this altar to receive the blessings of Christ’s cross in the Lord’s Supper. 

Being a Lutheran is pretty cool, I’m not going to lie, because every week we, like Doug, don’t only hear the story of Jesus, but become real-life participants as the Good Shepherd speaks to us through His Word and leads us to His nearer presence.

It’s time for the men of the Church to rise and follow in the steps of Joseph, the prophets, and patriarchs.  

It’s time for us to arise and prepare the coming generations so they might withstand the hardships of this life with the help of the Lord.

And look, this is why Joseph is the perfect icon and image for us to follow, as he received the Word of the Lord, and in a very awesome way, he became the guardian and protector of this, the Word made flesh.

Mothers and fathers, fathers and mothers, have an enormous responsibility in raising their child in the faith, and the greatest joy they will receive is by presenting them to the Lord, where He shall place His name, granting them not only consolation now, but eternal peace when they leave this world and enter the heavenly courts.

Remember this, because there’s no greater joy than receiving the peace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and being made ready by Him to live with Him forever.

If the world around you feels like it’s crumbling, or God seems distant and uninterested in you, don’t listen to the flesh or the lies of the serpent. Instead, listen to this Word of God. Hear the promise made to send a Seed, an offspring to conquer sin in this world, to defeat and destroy the devil, and to undo death with life. This child does not abandon you in your struggles or leave you in loneliness. Rather, this promise has been fulfilled in the Word that became flesh, the Word incarnate that was nailed to a tree and became a curse for you and every child. 

The Church is His manger, because it’s here the true Spirit, the Holy Spirit, gathers, creates, and sustains faith in the hearts of all God’s children. 

How great this is that Christmas and the Church do not depend on you, but they are for you.

Remember this….

Christmas and the Church do not depend on you, but they are for you.

Throughout this season of Advent, have you permitted your heart to be transformed? Have you cast aside the Bah! Humbugs! of your life for joy in Christ? Have you learned to pray regularly and faithfully, so that the anxiety of your heart might receive the peace of God that surpasses your understanding of this mortal life on earth, the peace that guards your hearts and minds from the cold, miserable, selfish, and cynical ways of old Scrooge? 

If not, the time is now; hear the words of John the Baptist from today’s Gospel,

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’”

Throughout these instances, Jesus was and is His Immanuel; He was with him. He is the  Savior, who entered the great darkness of the cross that first Good Friday, taking David’s place in order to grant him the forgiveness of his sin so he might receive eternal life.

In a beautiful way, we confessed the eternal life David received and how Jesus has abided with him through all his days, as the funeral pall was placed over David’s casket at the beginning of the service today, to acknowledge the Baptismal life he received in Christ.

As we conclude our meditations on the Angels of Advent, remember that the definition of an angel is to be a messenger of God. While you are not angels, nor will you ever be, you are called to be messengers of God—to take the great news the shepherds heard and make it known to all who will hear.