A Place of Refuge

(Striking-out text reflects what was crossed out by the author in the original manuscripts to maintain historical and contextual precision.)

I Cor 11

Trinity 10

August 6, 1961

Communion Sermon

A Place of Refuge

For some time now, we have

A week or so ago I had just driven out of my garage and turned the corner, and I heard a loud bang. Oh no I thought – another flat tire – I’ve had about 3 flats in the last month. I then got out and looked – but no flat. Sheepishly I then looked up into the sky and saw some jet trails. It was a sonic boom, and I felt rather silly that I had thought it was a tire. These sonic booms really can scare you, you can be sitting in the house and the whole house will shake from a sonic boom – but it a sonic boom does serve a purpose – it helps remind us of the world struggle and the dangers of atomic war.

This business of Berlin has us all a little scared frightened, and we feel even if we don't get war over Berlin now – we may get war over some cause in the next 5 or 10 years. But then we tend to shrug it off at times. There was an article in the Argus Leads last week about civil defense drills and how the sirens wail, but people just go about their business – housewives do their cooking and cleaning – motorists drive on and most do not even hear the sirens. In the same The idea or the feeling seems to be if it comes it will come so let’s keep on living as usual. Well, this is the attitude most of us take – but still that sonic blast and constant articles in the paper about the dangers of atomic war make us edgy and touchy – especially if we have children, young men who may be sent off to war.

There is an uneasy age – as the one hand we fear destruction – and on the other hand we blasts rockets off with men

We even notice this uneasiness in novels like "On the Beach" which tells of the experience of a group of people living in Australia after an atomic war. America and Europe and most of the world had been hit by atomic war & past there were no people left – just a big empty continent – and these people down in Australia wait for the radiation to come and finally it does come and they take a pill and that's it.

In the light of all of this our Gospel record seems to be quite unpractical at times. Here today we are considering the text on the Lord's Supper, and it seems so unrealistic compared to atomic bombs. We face the breakup of our world, and all the church does is preach the same old stuff we have always heard. I am certain that most of us have the vague feeling that really – the Bible, the Church and the Gospel is quite unpractical.

What were the circumstances of the Last Supper. As you will remember it was the evening before the crucifixion of Jesus. It was the night on which he was betrayed. It was a dark and gloomy night for the disciples. They had followed Jesus for 3 years and now he was willingly handing himself over to the authorities and sure death. Jesus knew what was in store for him, and his disciples must have had an idea of what was coming. It must have seemed like the end for the disciples – 3 years wasted. They had followed Jesus for 3 years and they had thought he was going to set up an earthly kingdom or at least in the golden age prophesied of in the O.T. The world was breaking apart for the disciples – and even though they didn't know it, ~~most~~ all the rest of them would be killed in the next 30 years or so.

You see – the situation at the Last Supper wasn't so different than ours – it was a time of great crisis. For Jesus could have escaped and avoided the Cross – but he chose it and he chose to give the Last Supper also.

What value did our Lord feel the Last Supper – Holy Communion would have for his disciples and future generations – was it practical – I would say – yes – it is practical – especially so even in an atomic age.

For you see – each time we partake of this meal – we in the words of our text "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Thus the 1st point that I want to emphasize this morning is that the Lord's Supper is a meal of anticipation – it is an anticipation – a looking forward to the time when we shall eat together with our Lord in Heaven. It is a visible reminder which we can see and feel that someday we shall have eternal fellowship with our Lord.

After the Lord's death the disciples and early Christians underwent many hardships and persecutions; they were stoned, crucified, feed to the lions and the wolves and battered from part country to country. And yet – each Sunday – oftentimes in hiding they would gather early in the morning and have communion together anticipating the coming again of Jesus. The Lord's Supper gave the early Christians great encouragement because it was a visible reminder of eternal bliss with Jesus.

You see our situation in an atomic age is about the same as that of early Christians – they too awaited death and persecution – their world too was falling apart – and yet they took great comfort in of Jesus. You can live life 2 ways – you can live as one who has no hope of an afterlife. You can say the true realities of life are what you can see and feel and taste and then you can live for the here and now. With such a faith I do not know how you one could have much hope – you would be a pure materialist, and an atomic bomb would be an immense problem for you. If you take this road, you will be like the characters in the novel "On the Beach," which novel I just mentioned. You will simply live for the present and you will see no hope in the future. As the characters in the book wait for atomic radiation to kill them they simply put up a brave front, keep on living making love, say a few brave empty phrases and then as the end comes they take a pill and that's it – all is a vague – empty poltergeist, in fact, one of the characters ends his life by simply getting in his sports car which he loves very well and there his life ends. That is the view of how life should end to one modern author.

But this should not be the way of the Christian – Paul states; we are not as those who have no hope – For a Christian life is not a line that goes up to 30 or 40 and then swings down. For a Christian life should be a line that moves up all the time. For a Christian there is no downhill life going 30, 50, 70 and the climax comes when one meets the Lord and then life unfolds in all splendors. In fact, it may well be that our present life is like the cocoon stage and the hereafter is the true unfolding into a glorious life where we shall so to speak really flutter our wings.

As often as you drink you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. The first point I want to make this morning is that the Lord's Supper is off anticipation – a foretaste and reminder of eternal life with God – and in a day of jets and atomic bombs – this should bring great hope to a jittery world reminding us Christians that no matter what happen we have God. Our Lord's Supper is a practical thing – it gives up hope – eternal hope in grave danger – since it gave early Christian hope while they were in grave danger or a for early Christians looked forward to the coming of Jesus to the extent

Remember – our situation is about the same as that of early Christians – they either faced death by martyrdom, or they expected that the end of the world would come and Jesus would come in their day.

As you read your newspaper beside the constant debate over war, you will note constant articles about mental hospitals, mental ills and the like, you read articles on frustration, anxiety complexes, you see updates on mental help, you see articles on how to live with your anxieties, you hear advertisements on Sominex or some other drug that is supposed to calm your next nerves. Now I am no expert or even a minor authority on mental problems, but in most of I pass on what I have read and heard, and so even though in the word sin was once shunned by scientists, it seems that today psychologists feel that there may be such a thing and it seems that psychologists and psychiatrists find that one thing that bothers many people is a deep sense of guilt. There seems to be something gnawing, eating at the soul of many men and this is that they have committed wrongs, that they have offended God and man and because men cannot hold too much guilt, they chose pleasures, or get drunk, or drown themselves in some drug or suffer mentally.

Now is it so strange that men should have guilt and mental problems because of it. If there is a God as we claim, men are naturally going to face guilt for according to our Bible men have consciences and when they do wrong, they are bothered. You see there is an ought to life – Thou shalt not steal – thou shalt not commit adultery – thou Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy – love thy neighbor as thyself. These are the laws of God and often men act as if there were no such laws – Thou shalt not steal and men cheat on taxes – thou shalt not commit adultery – and who hasn't looked on another with lust – thou Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy – and about ~~300~~ most of 80 or 90 million Americans stay away from Church on Sunday – Guilt – mental problems, is it so wonder that these situation exist when men act as if there were not God and openly break His commandments – guilt – and anxiety, our sin have existed since the time of Adam and it still exists today. Even we Christians we have guilt at times too, who among us hasn't committed some sins or many sins in the past for which we are sorry – or maybe we think we have forgotten about them and then some picture in the paper, or some word or some event calls the deed to memory – guilt – we'll have guilt at one time or another.

But the message of the Bible is that God will take care of this guilt – God will forgive and accept if we turn to Him. And here in the Lord's Supper God offers His forgiveness this morning "For this my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Guilt – deep anxiety over sin can be your problem – but here Jesus offers His visible body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Many might think the Gospel is for the horse and buggy days – men might think a machine and a gay whirl after pleasure is more sophisticated. But the message of the Bible is that only God can handle sin – only God can handle guilt – only God can give men self-acceptance for a man can't really have self-acceptance until until his sin and guilt is handled – and only God can forgive man's sin. Or men chase pleasures after some new thrill, some new trinket and move restlessly about uneasy and edgy because of guilt and as men even have breakdown because of guilt over sin – Jesus stands ready to forgive and forget. Here this morning Christ offers his body and blood for that sin you committed ten o 20 years ago or yesterday and for those sins we commit every moment – the message of the Bible is that we don't have to carry the burden of our sin because God will do it for us.

Practical – is the gospel practical – we Christians should know the answer, because for us here this morning Holy Communion gives us a visible reminder that despite the world tensions, we have God here and now and we have a hope for the future. And we also know that despite our sin – God stands ready to forgive – what can be more practical for a sick and edgy world.

So In closing which – who may partake of Holy Communion – the answer those who have needs. – those who sin – those who want forgiveness. If you're perfect if you have no sin – stay away from communion for its only for sinners who want forgiveness. Some feel they have to get in the right mood – they have to be sinless before they go to the sacrament to this Luther says in the Large Catechism: "If you chose to fix your eyes on how good and pure you are, to work toward the time when nothing will prick your conscience, you will never go." Again, Luther says: "If you are heavy laden and feel your weakness, go joyfully to the sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort and strength." As to who should not go Luther says: "He only is unsuited is the person who desires no grace and absolution and has no intention to amend his life.

If you believe Christ here offers his forgiveness, if you want forgiveness, if you have guilt, if you are distressed here come and receive forgiveness and here we have forgiveness and peace even though we live in a world oppressed by fears and tension we Christians are reminded that we have an anchor in the storm and an eternal home.

A Father’s Day Tribute to My Idol, Joseph Nance

Dear Dad,

Happy Father’s Day.

To be completely honest, as men, we are often conditioned to guard our hearts, to swallow our words, and to view vulnerability as a form of weakness. But today, I am casting that conditioning aside. If I let silence win, I would rob you of the "flowers" you so deeply deserve. You raised an incredible family and showed every single one of us what it truly means to be a pillar of strength, love, and decency to those around us.

When I was a boy, people told me to look at the world, find someone successful, and mimic them. They wanted me to look at CEOs or celebrities. But I chose you. (You and The Undertaker, of course, but that’s a story for another day.)

Growing up, I was mesmerized by you. You were the absolute definition of the classic, hard-working American man. You had biceps like Hulk Hogan, forearms that rivaled Stallone in Over the Top, and a frame so thick and powerful it made wearing a button-up shirt or a tie look nearly impossible. You had hands of steel forged from years of brutal, unforgiving labor.

Yet, those grueling hours never managed to break your spirit. You would come home from a grueling shift and, without even changing out of your work clothes, head straight to the park to shoot hoops or play catch with me. Though my older siblings have an 8 and 9-year age gap on me, the old photos don't lie—the smiles on their faces and yours tell the exact same story. You were always there.

Through every broken bone, every traumatic moment, every headache, and every heartbreak—you were my anchor. From blown engines and dead transmissions to being stranded on the side of the road, through every move, every financial crisis, and every mid-life panic, you showed up. No matter how much pain you were in, you helped. And it wasn't just for us; you were always fixing a neighbor’s car or helping someone with a home project. For you, it has always been family first. No exceptions.

There is something else that doesn't get spoken about enough: the sheer depth of your heart. God damn, Dad, you love with everything you have. I know I lived under your roof for more years than you probably hoped I would, but I cherish every single extra minute I got to share with you.

The greatest gift of those extra years was watching how you loved Mom. It is the purest, most selfless love I have ever witnessed. You gave me a masterclass in loyalty, empathy, and passion. Nobody ever sat me down to teach me how to treat a woman, so I simply watched you.

• I watched you buy her flowers and kiss her every morning, every afternoon when you walked through the door, and every night before bed.

• I watched you do the dishes and cook dinner when she was working late.

• I watched you do the grocery shopping, or take over her deliveries when she had an emergency.

• I watched you sit patiently in the car all day long while she worked, either because you were down to one vehicle or simply because you couldn't bear to be away from her.

• I watched you carry her equipment inside the very second she got home.

Even after 45—now 48—years of marriage, you still look at her like she is the most beautiful woman in the world. You have never been harsh with her. You treated her as your one and only true love, teaching me exactly how forgiveness works and how real love perseveres.

Yet, as I reflect on everything you’ve taught me, I believe the thing God looks most highly upon is the way you have navigated your health. For the last twenty years, my deepest prayer has been for God to grant you relief from the relentless struggles you face. We almost lost you two decades ago, and watching you fight your way back, only to be met with ongoing seizures and digestive battles, has been profound.

Most people would have broken. Most people would have surrendered to bitterness and learned to hate the world. But not you.

I am still amazed by your resilience. I have watched doctors poke, prod, test, and restrain you in ways that felt cruel and unimaginable to me. Yet, you walked through that fire with a level of grace, dignity, and positivity that I didn’t know was humanly possible. As I have grown deeper in my own faith recently, I have come to realize the kind of man God asks us to be. And then I look at you, and I realize you have been living that exact life all along.

The Ultimate Compliment

Mom once told me that I have my father’s heart, and I hold that as one of the three greatest compliments I will ever receive in this life. Grandma K used to tell me the same thing—that she saw so much of you in the way I helped her with her projects, and in the way I father Malayna. When she said she could see you in me, it felt like the highest praise imaginable.

I hold those compliments closest to my soul because they mean I am successfully mimicking the man I chose as my idol all those years ago.

Thank you for the sacrifices, the strength, the lessons, and the endless love. I love you, Dad.

With all my pride and respect,

Your Son