October 1, 2024

Today's Reading: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 2:16-37; Matthew 6:16-34

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You don’t have to be around Lutheranism very long before you start to hear arguments about who can do what in the church. You might even hear references to the fourteenth article of the Augsburg Confession. We even speak about it in shorthand, saying simply, “AC XIV.” We even say it in such a way that you can hear the Roman numerals. The Confessions are clear in this matter: no one is to preach or teach in the church without a proper call. Unfortunately, this has become overinterpreted to mean that only the pastor can speak the gospel or that only the pastor can speak in a theological way. This is simply not what the article says. While there are things that are reserved only for the office of the ministry, there is plenty of theological speaking that any Christian can do. The Spirit is not given only to pastors. 

You can see this in our reading from Numbers. Moses refuses to punish Eldad and Medad for prophesying in the camp when they were supposed to be with the rest of the elders. Instead, he says, “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them.” Other Old Testament passages will speak about the Spirit being poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28). In fact, the Spirit being poured out on all people was one of the signs that would signal the arrival of the Messianic Age. This is the pouring out of the Spirit that took place on the first Pentecost that resulted in a large number of people hearing the mighty works of God in their own language. 

This is the same Spirit that is given to all Christians. This is the same Spirit that you received in your Baptism. This is the same Spirit that allows you to hear His Word, receive His Gifts, and proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. This is the same Spirit that allows you to speak the gospel to your friends, family, and anyone that God has placed into your life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.