Matt Richard

Hubby | Dad | Sacramental Minion (i.e., Pastor) | Author | DMin | Knife, Whisky, Martial Arts, & Philosophy Acolyte

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

Philosophy 101 is the summer continuing education opportunity at St. Paul's Lutheran, held on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. Here is our first session on "The Nature of Philosophy." https://t.co/CkXUL32qjN

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

There's a certain kind of Christian who loves our Epistle reading from James for all the wrong reasons. When they hear James say, “Be doers of the word, and not only hearers,” well… they become excited. When they hear, “Be doers of the word, and not only hearers,” they become excited because they think to themselves,

“Finally, here is a verse that calls out other Christians who are just not measuring up. It is about time those second-class lazy Christians hear God’s Word and learn to try harder!”

And so then, using the verses from the Epistle of James, the excited Christian immediately reaches for a clipboard. They sharpen their pencils, adjust their glasses, and begin looking down the pews and examining the church roster. They even begin to consider their Christian neighbors across the street and family members, with the intent of handing out spiritual grades. But this is not what is meant to be a 'doer of the Word.'

https://t.co/NzhdgktwyS

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

Doers of the Word: Not Spiritual Auditors With Clipboards https://t.co/EjYYSOhhb6

There's a certain kind of Christian who loves our Epistle reading from James for all the wrong reasons.  When they hear James say, “Be doers of the word, and not only hearers,” well… they become excited.  When they hear, “Be doers of the word, and not only hearers,” they become excited because they think to themselves,

“Finally, here is a verse that calls out other Christians who are just not measuring up.  It is about time those second-class lazy Christians hear God’s Word and learn to try harder!”

And so then, using the verses from the Epistle of James, the excited Christian immediately reaches for a clipboard. They sharpen their pencils, adjust their glasses, and begin looking down the pews and examining the church roster.  They even begin to consider their Christian neighbors across the street and family members, with the intent of handing out spiritual grades.

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

Please remember, pastors come and go. Pastors are but mere breaths. They are grass that withers and fades. They retire, move, receive calls elsewhere, and eventually die. But the Word of the Lord that proceeds out of the mouth of the preacher—that is what endures forever. Think of it this way: the church does not rest upon the personalities of the pastors. The church does not rest on the word of the man in the office, but upon the Word preached by the man in the office.
https://t.co/sDoDFVN6fE

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

We must be careful not to reorient worship toward ourselves, assuming that worship is primarily our act of reaching upward or that worship is about how well we feel afterward. Mark this well: a good worship experience is not based on the amount of emotional satisfaction you obtain. It is not about whether the music made your foot tap. It is not about how well the hymns were sung. It is not about whether the sermon entertained you. Christian worship is not about musical preferences, familiarity, or emotional intensity. It is not about self-expression or human performance. Worship has nothing to do with a consumer mentality — the demands, entitlement, and self-centeredness of a Karen mindset.

Instead, worship is tied to the presence of Christ among His people through the preached Word and the Holy Sacraments. Worship is primarily a posture of receiving and kneeling, not of emotional projection. In the Divine Service, Christ serves you. He speaks absolution. He gives His true body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. He feeds beggars, and beggars worship – they kneel, they bow, and they receive.

https://t.co/qlsKXBUziO

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

What does this mean, though?  This means English-speaking LCMS Lutherans in 2026 have access to theological resources that many English-speaking LCMS Lutherans in the 1960s and 1970s did not have. A layperson can read Luther in English. A pastor can study Martin Chemnitz (one of the authors of the Book of Concord). A student can read Gerhard. A congregation can study the Book of Concord in a readable edition through a Confessions Study. The language curtain is being pulled back.

This recovery matters. Not because German is sacred. But instead, it connects the Lutheran Church of today to the Lutheran Church of the Reformation.  Today’s American Lutheran Church has always possessed a theological inheritance that is like a treasure chest, but with no key – that is, until now. Therefore, in some LCMS Congregations, there has been a subtle shift (not necessarily a rejection) away from LCMS Auxiliary organizations, as some women’s groups are choosing to study the Book of Concord rather than the LWML Quarterly.  Or some parishioners are choosing to read Luther’s Postil Sermons (Published in 2000) instead of listening to The Lutheran Hour.  And some parishioners are reading Sacred Meditations by Johann Gerhard instead of Portals of Prayer. Simply stated, the subtle shift is not toward something new or foreign, but a return to something old and inherited.
https://t.co/AxsMhdg42h

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

The Devil often hides in piety. Yes, you heard that correctly: the devil often hides in religious piety. Take our reading from the Gospel of Matthew as an example. The Devil does not come before Jesus in a red coat and a pitchfork. He does not arrive with fire and blood. Instead, the Devil comes before Jesus in a holy way. Get this: the Devil quotes Psalm 91 to Jesus. Furthermore, the Devil speaks of angels while sounding devout and pious. Indeed, in Matthew chapter 4, the Devil sounds religious, reverent, and pious.

Now, if this makes you a bit uncomfortable — good.  You see, hearing that the Devil covers his temptations and deceit with religious devotion and scriptural language should rattle your cage a bit.

Tragically, we Christians often imagine the Devil’s tactics as overt and obvious. We imagine that the Devil’s tactics openly rebel and openly promote evil.  And while such rebellion and evil certainly do exist, the Devil’s style is often far more subtle. You see, the Devil knows Scripture. He knows the Bible better than most Christians — and he can quote it. But here is the key: the Devil does not apply Scripture correctly. That’s right; one of the Devil’s primary ways of attacking is the twisting of theology, and he does this subtly.

https://t.co/8bCi3CABNP

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

https://t.co/v1KyMFpuXK

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

"If an LCMS pastor was in the Charismatic and/or Pentecostal churches BEFORE becoming an LCMS pastor OR if an LCMS pastor is in close relationship with an LCMS pastor who was Charismatic/Pentecostal, he knows and recognizes the dangers of popular contemporary worship, especially Bethel and Elevation.

If a pastor is lifelong Lutheran, born and raised with no experience in the Charismatic or Pentecostal movements and/or doesn't have a strong relationship with an LCMS pastor from these movements, that LCMS pastor tends to minimize or dismiss the dangers.

To summarize, a Charismatic church background and experience help explain why many non-lifelong LCMS pastors are against contemporary worship. Simply put, if you haven't been in it, you tend not to understand.

Trust those who've been in it and are warning the rest of us."

- Jon Penk

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

Clear sins do not need to be debated. They do not need focus groups. They do not need to be sent to conventions with overtures for votes. They simply need to be rejected. The reason why… some things are not fitting for Christian discussion to begin with. They belong to the kingdom of darkness. They belong to sin and not to Christ. So, what does this mean? It means there are certain sins and corrupt ideas that are so contrary to Christianity that entertaining them as legitimate possibilities is foolish. For example, same-sex marriage is not marriage. It is a myth. For the Christian, it does not exist. There is nothing to debate about same-sex marriage; Scripture clearly condemns it as sin. Abortion is not compassion. It is the taking of a human life. There is nothing to debate as well. The same is true for important teachings of the faith. Salvation does not depend on human works, merit, or decision but Christ alone. We do not need a voters’ meeting or synodical overture to settle this. The pastoral office is not a platform for social experiments – we will not transgender the office of pastor with the ordination of women or justify it in the name of equality – full stop.

Baptized Saints, Christians do not dabble with intellectual curiosity about darkness. Our posture toward sin is intentionally closed. Once something is clearly condemned by God, it does not become a matter for endless speculation, conversation, or debate.

https://t.co/DPwjndX6Fj

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

Clear sins do not need to be debated. They do not need focus groups. They do not need to be sent to conventions with overtures for votes. They simply need to be rejected. The reason why… some things are not fitting for Christian discussion to begin with. They belong to the kingdom of darkness. They belong to sin and not to Christ. So, what does this mean? It means there are certain sins and corrupt ideas that are so contrary to Christianity that entertaining them as legitimate possibilities is foolish. For example, same-sex marriage is not marriage. It is a myth. For the Christian, it does not exist. There is nothing to debate about same-sex marriage; Scripture clearly condemns it as sin. Abortion is not compassion. It is the taking of a human life. There is nothing to debate as well. The same is true for important teachings of the faith. Salvation does not depend on human works, merit, or decision but Christ alone. We do not need a voters’ meeting or synodical overture to settle this. The pastoral office is not a platform for social experiments – we will not transgender the office of pastor with the ordination of women or justify it in the name of equality – full stop.

Baptized Saints, Christians do not dabble with intellectual curiosity about darkness. Our posture toward sin is intentionally closed. Once something is clearly condemned by God, it does not become a matter for endless speculation, conversation, or debate. https://t.co/8IHwLT50So

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

I can say that, after being a pastor for over 20 years, Christians grieve differently at funerals.  It saddens my heart to say this, but unbelievers literally fall apart at the death of a loved one.  Now, please know that I am not saying that Christians do not grieve at the loss of a loved one.  Christians and pagans both grieve.  However, Christians grieve with hope, while pagans grieve with no hope.  The pagan’s grief is often unhinged, lost, frantic, and overwhelmed with the terrors and horrors of death.  For the pagan, death is total and complete bitterness.  It is nothing but a sting.  But for the Christian, death still bears its sting according to the flesh, but in Christ, it is no longer ultimate bitterness. Rather, the death of a Christian is the passage from this difficult life into the blessed peace of Christ.
https://t.co/MvS6BugV3F

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

These seven deadly sins are not random sins floating around independently. They are the visible fruit of the Old Adam. They are what happens when the sinful nature bends inward to live for self. In other words, these seven sins are what the Old Adam looks like when he speaks, thinks, desires, and acts. For example, pride is the dangerous selfishness that exalts the self above God and neighbor. Wrath is the Old Adam lashing out when the self is threatened. Sloth is the Old Adam despising God’s gifts and refusing to do good works in a vocation. Greed is the Old Adam grasping for more. Gluttony is the Old Adam consuming without restraint. Lust is the Old Adam seeking possession and pleasure apart from God’s will. Envy is the Old Adam grieving the good of the neighbor because the self must be first.

Do you hear the thread, dear friends? Every one of these sins is the sinful nature curving back upon itself. Again, these are not seven isolated moral failures, but seven manifestations of the same diseased root.
https://t.co/CJKMran0Eb

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

When we hear the word ‘lust,’ we immediately think about sexual sins. However, sexual sins are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to lust. You see, lust is not just a sexual sin.  Instead, lust is the intense longing - the uncontrolled desire - to get someone or something. That is to say, a person can lust for sex. They can also lust for power. Or, they can lust for money. And so, while greed is the sin of getting and gluttony is the sin of overconsuming, lust is the sin of unhinged desire to get something or someone at all costs. It is the opposite of self-control. It is the opposite of chastity.

Perhaps a better way to think about lust is like this:

Lust is our desire to have something or someone that is contrary to God’s will.

https://t.co/vYSwrq05O8

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

Good Friday confronts everything that the ideology of the world would rather avoid. The world wants comfort without confession, blessing without burden, and spirituality without religion. It wants Easter Sunday without Good Friday. It wants the glory of the empty tomb without the scandal of the bloody cross.

But Christianity is not vague sentiment, empty spirituality, or a cost-free faith. Christianity is Christ crucified.

There is a means: the Son of God sent into our misery, sin, and death.

There is a price: His holy and precious blood shed for sinners.

And mark this well: without the cross, there is no Gospel. Without the price paid, there is no salvation.

https://t.co/VYoQaQ6hQQ

https://t.co/rAGOvN1Z2V

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

Good Friday confronts everything that the ideology of the world would rather avoid. The world wants comfort without confession, blessing without burden, and spirituality without religion. It wants Easter Sunday without Good Friday. It wants the glory of the empty tomb without the scandal of the bloody cross.

But Christianity is not vague sentiment, empty spirituality, or a cost-free faith. Christianity is Christ crucified.

There is a means: the Son of God sent into our misery, sin, and death.

There is a price: His holy and precious blood shed for sinners.

And mark this well: without the cross, there is no Gospel. Without the price paid, there is no salvation.

https://t.co/VxZGKNos6k

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

The Lord's Supper is a Sacrament not by faith or work of man, but only through the institution and command of our Lord.

"We have reached the following unanimous, amicable agreement among ourselves, namely, that no human words or works create the true presence of Christ's body and blood in the Supper, whether it be the merit or speaking of the minister or the eating and drinking or the faith of the communicants. Instead, all this should be ascribed solely to the almighty power of God and to the words, institution, and arrangement of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Faith does not make the sacrament, but only the true Word and institution of our almighty God and Savior Jesus Christ, which Word is always powerful and remains efficacious in Christendom."

- Formula of Concord: VII 74, 89.

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

@RealTimHarris Not quite sure where I stated that using a cloth is irreverent. The contrast was not between a cloth and a tongue. The contrast was between seeing the spill as ordinary wine or something holy.

[Matt Richard @RevMattRichard]

In 1542, when communion wine was accidentally spilled at St. Mary’s in Wittenberg, Martin Luther and Rev. Bugenhagen rushed forward, wept, cried out, “O God help,” and even licked up the spilled wine from the rail.

To many modern Christians, that sounds extreme. But perhaps that reaction reveals something uncomfortable. Maybe the problem is not Luther. Maybe the problem is us.

If this account strikes us as excessive, does it reveal that we no longer truly understand—or perhaps no longer truly believe—the real presence of Christ in the Holy Supper?
https://t.co/DQbO6W85MN