All posts by David Ude

Daily Devotions

A Living Hope

A Living Hope
 
1 Peter 1:3, ” 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
 
Emily Dickinson wrote, “Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm.”
 
While there is real beauty in her words, she is not writing about the same thing that Peter writes about. What he speaks of is something much sweeter. Miss Dickinson is speaking about human hope, it’s something God created us with, a certain perseverance and joy in trials looking forward to a time when things will be better. It’s that thought “Maybe things won’t always be like this.”
 
Peter is speaking about Jesus. He is the one who arose. He sings the song of salvation. He never stops because He died and rose and never dies again. His voice which speaks “Peace!” Is the sweetest song on earth and it continues on even the sorest storm and even in the greatest gale. Nothing can stop it. For it isn’t a “maybe things will be better” it’s “I know that my redeemer lives.” It’s “He lives and grants me daily breath, He lives and I shall conquer death.” It’s the certainty “shall I grieve or could the head, rise and leave his members dead?” It’s proof, a sure knowing, an unbreakable, undimmable, unstoppable hope which lives on forever because He lives. We have been born again to this hope. We have been connected to it in Baptism. Christ beats eternal in the Christian breast.
 
In Christ
Pastor Ude
Daily Devotions

Elect Exiles

1 Peter 1:1-2, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”
If you have ever been exiled, it probably made you feel rather the opposite of elected. The other day I was at the park with my daughters. There was a group of older children there and one of them, a boy, was upset because the others had said he was out of their “club” because he had refused to swear. He had not been chosen, he had been exiled.
The Jewish Christians Peter was writing too would have understood this quite well. They had been scattered abroad to other countries that were not their home. They lived, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did – as sojourners and wanderers in foreign lands. Peter uses that here to remind them of the fact that ultimately wherever they live on this earth, they are strangers here. For Christians might be in the world, but must not be of it. And no matter where we live, we are sojourners for heaven is our home. We are exiles. Exiles from the world because we are not like them, are not of them, and do not belong with them. That is not really because they have exiled us though, it is because we have been chosen and called out from among them by God. That is what the word “elect” means, that God has chosen you out of the world and called you out from them. This is what the Church is. The greek word “ἐκλεκτοῖς” (translated here as “elect”) has the same root as the word used of the Church. And so the Church has always been. We are at one and the same time, called away from the world, to be with God. We are called in the foreknowledge of the Father who decided in His own grace and good pleasure that He wanted us. We are called for sanctification by the Spirit to live differently than the world lives. We are called to obey Jesus Christ, to believe in Him and follow Him until death. We are called out to have our sins washed away in His blood.
And so we are different. And that might seem at times to be lonely. We might long in our sinfulness to be more like the world. But remember you are not just exiles, you are elect exiles! You are not different because the world has exiled you but because God has called you out from the world, to something much better. You are chosen. Remember it. Live it. Amen. In Christ Pastor Ude
Daily Devotions

You Are What You Worship

Isaiah 44:1-22 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+44%3A1-22&version=ESV
 
“You are what you eat” is a trite and yet rather true phrase. If you eat too many carrots, your skin really will turn orange. If you eat nothing but fast food, you’ll probably have a fast life (and I don’t mean that you’ll just drive a fast car). What you consume has a major impact on you. It shapes you.
 
The same is true of the God you worship. Isaiah points out here the foolishness of false gods, particularly the practice of worshiping idols. He says to the idolator, “Umm…you literally just made that yourself. It is deaf, dumb, blind, and dead.” As the psalmist said “all who worship them become like them.” And that is true of every false religion. Those who worship the god that Mohammed made up will become like him – nothing. Their lives will be useless. All their laws and “good works” as non-existent as their man-made god. Those who worship money will become like it: cruel, untrustworthy, treacherous and vain. Those who worship themselves will be like a dog chasing it’s tail.
 
But those who worship the true God? Those who believe in Jesus Christ Son of God and savior of the world? They become like Him. For He has chosen them. They become Sons of God in Baptism. Their sins are forgiven, blotted out at the cross (V. 22) and they are declared holy and righteous just as He is. His Spirit is given to them (V. 3) and unites them with the Eternal Trinity. He sanctifies them and leads them to be transformed into the image of the Son. And when He comes again, they beholding His fully glory will be transformed to be just like Him, for they will see Him as He is. All who thus hope in Him purify themselves just as He is pure! You are what you worship. Worship Christ.
 
In Christ
Pastor Ude
Daily Devotions

Salty Talk

Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
 
Usually the phrase “salty” as applied to how a person talks is not really a good thing. The way a sailor might talk, for instance, would be known as “salty.” Paul has something different in mind here. Salt makes everything taste better doesn’t it? I hope I never have to cut back on salt for blood pressure reasons cause man would meat, eggs, pasta, cereal (wait, not cereal), soup all taste so much blander. Salt is the spice of life! Most of the time, I find myself sprinkling a little salt on a dish before I even taste it!
 
Grace is the salt of a Christian’s speaking. Here the translators used the english adjective “Gracious” but really in the greek it’s a noun “grace.” Paul is telling us that grace is our go to word. It’s what we should be steering every conversation towards, it is what should be on the tip of our tongue, ready like a salt shaker to sprinkle on every conversation we have. We should speak because of God’s grace toward us, about God’s grace toward us, and in a way which is consistent with God’s grace to us. Then we will know how to answer anyone we could ever meet. Because in the end, grace is what everyone needs. It is the grace of Christ Jesus who shed his blood for us which is the salt that preserves and gives flavor to our lives. His forgiveness is the salt which makes everything better. And the doctor will never advise you to cut it out!
 
In Christ
Pastor Ude
Daily Devotions

Redeeming the Time

Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”

In the season of Epiphany we remember that Jesus is the light of the world. And the light once said “Work while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.” We often hear people encourage us to “seize the day” to live life while you can. Paul encourages us to “redeem” or “make the best use of” the time. And by that he means ‘Walk in wisdom towards outsiders.” That would be the wisdom we heard of in the sermon from 1 Cor. 1:18-31 yesterday – the Wisdom of the Cross. It is foolishness to those perishing but the power of God to those who believe. It is that which redeems us. And it is that which can redeem those who are outside the Church of Christ. It is that which can bring them in. Live then in wisdom towards them. Looking for opportunities to redeem the time by telling others how Christ has redeemed the world!

In Christ
Pastor Ude

Daily Devotions

But Nothing

“But Nothing”

I’m sure you’ve heard the buts. It’s inevitable. It’s not that hard to prove that Abortion is a moral evil. So what follows is the buts. “But what about cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger.” There are a large number of people who claim to be Pro-Life still say it’s ok to have an abortion in such cases. And of course the hardcore abortion activists paint anyone who opposes abortion in such cases as “dangerous extremists.” But consider:

Let’s take cases of rape and incest first. I suppose that there are a few reasons someone would bring these up. The first is that people often suppose the reason why someone shouldn’t have an abortion is because it was their own fault that they got pregnant to begin with. While this is a factor, it is not the reason. The reason people shouldn’t have abortion is because a child is a child. Life is precious. Obviously when someone has been raped, it’s not as if they are at fault for anything. They have been the victim of a terrible crime and they need love and compassion. But anyone who would therefore argue that it should be ok for them to have an abortion is clearly insane. Did the child rape someone? Liberals are often opposed to the death penalty because they think killing is wrong even when the person deserves it. But they’re ok with killing a baby because of something it’s father did? This makes no sense. Further, it’s not helpful to the mother. Violence isn’t going to help cure the scars of violence. That’s like saying “Oh hey, someone punched you in the gut? Here I’ll make that better by punching you again and harder.”

As a society we should have options, resources, and all the help there is to have available for those who find themselves in such a terrible position. But Abortion is not help. It’s murder.

The idea that abortion is ok in cases of incest is an even more untenable position. There was actually consent there! The only reason for this argument is something very akin to Hitler’s ideas about eugenics. Sadly that kind of logic is all too often acceptable in the abortion crowd. It is not uncommon for abortions to be sought for children who aren’t what their parents or society wants them to be – wrong gender, wrong genes, wrong disability. How very noble. How very helpful. Your baby has down syndrome? Abort it right? Your baby isn’t the gender you want? Why not abort it? Why don’t you just paste on a Hitler moustache while you’re at it.

Finally, when there are cases where it truly is a matter of life and death, it should be left to the couple and doctor. Those cases are few and rare. And I don’t mean where the mother might die. I mean where if the baby is not aborted the mother will die. Or if the mother might die and the baby certainly will. I can’t say what I would choose in that situation and it would be terribly difficult but in that situation and in that situation alone should abortion be allowed. Only because there you are left with the choice of one life or another.

In summary, let there be no buts, no rationalizations, no excuses, after all Christ made none when He obeyed His Father’s will even unto death.

Daily Devotions

“My Body, My Choice” – Is it Though?

“My body, my choice.” It’s what a group of radical pro-abortion activists shouted at a group of pro-life women the other day. It’s a phrase you’ve undoubtedly heard because it’s kind of the bread and butter/meat and potatoes/be-all-end-all of pro-abortion arguments. For a lot of people it seems to settle the question. They think, “hey I don’t want anyone to think that I’m so mean as to tell other people what to do with their own body, so I guess they’re right.” See, this phrase speaks into the American cultural catch-basin of “freedom.”

But there are two big problems with this argument. The first is scriptural and the second both scriptural and scientific.

Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to a group of Christians who were saying basically the exact same thing in regard to sexual sins. They were bragging about their “Christian liberty” and how it meant they were free to do whatever they want including using their bodies for sexual immorality. Paul writes “You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:18).

I wouldn’t expect an unbeliever to understand or accept this because unbelief is by nature completely self-centered. But a Christian should know better. Even though the Christian still has a sinful nature which is totally bent in on itself, the Christian who does not know that nothing they have really belongs to them has not understood any part of Christian doctrine. The ten commandments teach us how we should use all we are for God and for our neighbor. The creed teaches us how the Father created us, how the Son bought us with His blood, how the Spirit sanctifies us. The whole catechism parades before us this constant theme “You are not your own. You were bought at a price.” For the Christian therefore, the argument “my body, my choice” is illegitimate from the get-go. It’s not your body. It’s not up to you to decide what is best. It’s up to God. Because only He knows. And only He can be trusted to care for you and love you. Only He died to redeem you, body and soul, from sin death and hell. Why would you listen to the lies of men and women who do not know what is best for you, who could not, just because they have a catchy phrase that you feel, somewhere deep down in your freedomy place, is good?

The second reason is both scriptural and scientific, and also…just a duh. That baby is not your body. It is, to be sure, in your body. But that is not the same thing. Luke Skywalker once slept inside the guts of some weird alien creature, but he was not the weird alien creature. Duh. That baby has different genes than you do. A different brain. Different dreams. Different fingerprints. A different soul. Different everything. Every time that someone screams “my body, my choice” they are adamantly denying that exact right to the child inside them.

That’s science. That’s common sense. It’s also scriptural because Scripture clearly teaches (Psalm 139:13) that the child in the womb is a person. It clearly teaches in the second table of the law that our lives, our bodies, our energy, our voices should be given to the service of our neighbor. “And who is my neighbor?” Anyone who is near to you. Anyone who needs your help. Is there anyone who needs your help more than the baby in the womb? Is there anyone nearer to you? That’s not your body in there. It’s your baby’s body. It’s your neighbor’s body. And that body, like your own, was bought with the inestimable cost of the holy precious blood of Christ. Do you really think it’s ok to kill it?