Good morning: Noisy chaos fills the classroom until the door opens and the teacher walks in. A courtroom is a buzz of conversation until the judge takes his seat on the bench. Authority has a way of quieting extraneous noise and commanding silent attention. There is no higher authority than the Lord who sacrificed Himself on the cross and rose in glory on Easter. Now at the right hand of the Father, He is over all things “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given...And God placed all things under his feet” (Eph. 1:21-22). That is our comfort in this noisy, chaotic world. There are all kinds of experts claiming that they know how the world works and how we fit into it. Loud assertions are made about the origins of life and what it means. Opposing versions of “truth” are endlessly debated. Does it feel like you’re caught in the crossfire with no escape? Does speaking up with God’s Word only seem to make matters worse? The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk could relate. He said, “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Hab. 1:2). Read in his book of the Bible about the boastful claims of his world and the difficulties faced by believers. But then at the close of chapter 2, Habakkuk says, “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (2:20). When the Lord enters the room with His divine authority, there is silence. All the boasts of humankind are stifled. Defiance toward Him is crushed. Excuses are stopped before they can be uttered. That holy silence is then filled by the praises of those who trust in Jesus as their Savior. “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev. 7:10). May your day be one of praise and thanks to the crucified, risen, and ruling Lord! Yours in Christ, Pastor Services tomorrow are 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday school meets at 9:15 a.m. and adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. The Bible class will continue the review and discussion of the hymnal, Lutheran Service Book. Voters, please remember that the quarterly meeting gets underway after second service. Before the meeting is called to order, opportunity will be given for anyone to voice comments regarding the possible change to the use of the ESV Bible translation and the LSB hymnal. Along with the usual reports, there are a number of other matters for the voters to consider: The hiring of an administrative aide, purchase of a video projector, an extra-budgetary offering to the CLC, and the startup of a K-4 program. The full agenda is in your mailbox.
