The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today is Holy Trinity Sunday, a Sunday uniquely devoted to a particular doctrine or theology—not an event in Jesus’ life, or a person, or one of God’s saving acts. But many people have no time for theology . “Abstract philosophical stuff for the libraries and ivory tower! Sounds too much like textbooks and information!” And if theology is cut off from the Living Word of God and turned into an empty pursuit, it can become sterile. But I will strive to show today how the theology of the Trinity flows from the Living Word of God and has direct relevance for our daily Christian life. So what does an average Christian need theology for? Isn’t that just for pastors and professors? Let me ask the question differently. Does the Bible speak to our everyday life and how we live? Does it have anything to teach us about life? Does God intend for the average Christian to study the Bible? And if so, ...

            In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today is Trinity Sunday. This Sunday is unique on the Christian calendar, because it doesn’t commemorate an event, miracle, or a person, but rather a doctrine. The teaching of the Trinity is central to the Christian faith. Attacked for centuries, but always defended as the orthodox or correct teaching of the Bible. From the earliest centuries the Creeds were confessed to defend against distortions of the Bible, especially about the Trinity. We could get stuck on the semantics of the word “Trinity”. The word itself is not found in the Bible, but that’s not the important question. The important question is whether the teaching is found in the Bible. We simply use “Trinity” to describe how God shows Himself in Scripture; as Three Persons, One God .             I assume most or all of you alrea...

P: The Savior is Born! C: He is born in a manger! Several weeks ago, my children and I had a very interesting conversation, about how confusing it is that God reveals Himself as the Trinity—3 in 1. Their little minds were grappling with the cosmic mystery of how 1 God can be 3 persons, and not 3 gods. How Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate to each other, and are One God. How Jesus can pray to the Father—isn’t that God praying to Himself? God made a mathematical universe, but Math cannot explain it. God has ordered His creation according to relentlessly predictable laws; but the laws of nature cannot explain it either. God has created us with our reason and all our senses—but even these cannot explain the eternal, unfathomable mystery of the Godhead—the Three in One. I related to my children the analogy of trying to empty out the ocean, or to scoop up the whole ocean in our beach buckets. Impossible! The ocean seems infinite compared to our buckets. And many have compared God’s...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. In our Old Testament reading we have a beautiful story of forgiveness and mercy. Joseph forgives his brothers the terrible sins they committed long ago against him—selling him as a slave, lying about his death to their father, and their hatred. After their father’s death, he tenderly consoles their fears and assures them that he doesn’t want revenge, but that all is truly forgiven. It pictures what Jesus commands in our Gospel reading: “ Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” The verses of our lesson explain how we become merciful like our heavenly Father, and to conform ourselves to the pattern of Jesus, so that as the reading also says, that we would be fully-trained , just like Jesus, our Great Teacher. After all, the picture of Joseph’s mercy, and all other human stories and examples of mercy, are small reflections of the perfect mercy of Jesus, who sought no vengeance against His enemies, but forgav...

The Father’s Love Meter 48 44 88 Luke 15, the Parable of the Father’s Love 1. I ran away My Father’s love I did betray As if I said “If you were dead I’d take it all and run from home I’d see the world—there I would roam” 2. He gave to me It came from His own property I spent it all I felt the fall Down to the bottom with the swine God, can it be? This life is mine? 3. If only I Could earn your love then I might try I’d work it off Redeem myself But I could never be your son Oh dear God!—what have I done? 4. But what is this? My Father welcomes with a kiss A warm embrace His smiling face This love was never earned by me Oh dear God!—Your love is free! 5. “Son welcome home! My heart finds joy you’re not alone! Please come my son We’ve just begun To celebrate the lost is found Fill up the house—and gather round!” 6. “Will you join in? Your brother has come home again. Please come my son We’ve just be...

*Please see an additional post for my hymn composition about this Parable, entitled: "The Father's Love"    In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. If you were in Jesus’ audience on the day when He first taught this parable, 2,000 years ago, there are certain things you would have just known as a Jew. You would have known that when it comes to an inheritance, the oldest son was due to get a double portion of the father’s possessions. You would have known that for the younger son to demand an inheritance before his father died, was deeply insulting and disgraceful, and would have made him the shame of the family. You would certainly never expect a good Jewish father to act in this way—conceding to the son’s request. And to take the cake, the father running out to greet his lost son on the road, was astonishing. The son can only anticipate being treated as he deserves—hopefully at best to work as a hired man, so he can at least be f...