<> Ask the Pastor The Rev. Walter P. Snyder Q: I'm a Catholic with a question that I hope you can answer. Why does a priest call his congregation his "brothers and sisters" when we call him "Father?" A: It is the same in many other churches. "Father" comes from Paul speaking as "father in the faith" in his writing. Lutherans use "Pastor" (shepherd) more than "Father," but either title shows us set aside as "different" from the congregation. This is not to honor the individual, but to honor the Christ-created office. It is not because the pastor or priest is a "better" Christian, but because God calls some to minister (literally, to "serve" or be his slaves) to his flock in a specific location. The oneness spoken of by Paul in Galatians is according to our redemption. Yet there are differences based upon "vocation," our station or calling in life. I often call my parishioners "brothers and sisters," even though as "Pastor," I am "shepherd" of the flocks where I am called. Actually, "sisters" is redundant. We are all (male and female) brothers, since it is a brotherhood established through God's eternal Son Jesus Christ. Using this form of address reminds both the Father/Pastor types and our congregations that even though God has placed us in different offices and vocations, in Christ we are "sons of God" and heirs to eternal life. We are all brothers and sisters. You might compare this on a secular level with American society. We would normally address the Chief Executive as "Mr. President," yet he might call us "my fellow Americans." Q: Pastor, What must I do to be born again? Or to get to heaven? Are they the same? Is there only one way to God? Is that way Jesus and Jesus alone? Thank-you. A: There is nothing we can do: Being born again is what God does to us through water and the Word (Holy Baptism and the Gospel of the Forgiveness of Sins). Likewise, being saved unto eternal life is not our work but the result of God-created faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Being born again is the Holy Spirit converting us from unbelief to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He works the change in older hearers often first through the proclamation of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins, then baptism into Christ's holy family, the Christian Church. Infants often are born again of water and the Word (the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit) and then are taught as they grow and mature. Again, being born again means that you have been given faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice and thus, as a believer, you are saved and resurrected on the Last Day to live forever with him in heaven. Q: Did any Apostles or other followers of Christ ever start their own sect, separate from Peter's Church? A: None of the apostles, Peter included, started their own church. All were Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaimed Christ as Lord God and Savior. The Church is not Peter's, but Christ's. Paul emphasizes this when he addresses those people who were comparing who baptized them in 1 Corinthians 1. However, there were sects and cults that claimed to follow one or another of the disciples or others, but which were not truly Christian. Some who boasted in John the Baptist's baptism had not actually received it, but had established a cult based upon his name. That they were not truly followers of John is clear when we read of Paul confronting them (Acts 19). They claimed to be baptized of John, yet had no clue as to the existence of the Holy Spirit, even though the Spirit was an essential part of John's teaching about the coming Messiah. Q: Where do I look in the Bible for the following passage: "Be still and know that I am God"? A: It is from Psalm 46:10. Literally, we might translate it, "collapse, give up, surrender" or such, as well as "be still." It means more than merely being quiet, but an entire surrender of self to the Holy One of Israel. The information then doesn't come through special utterances and revelations, but through God placing our rebellious selves captive to his Word, remaking us as believers (see the "born again" question above), and sustaining us in the true Faith through Word, Lord's Supper, and the forgiveness of sins. Finally, what it speaks of is absolute adherence to the First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods." This is only possible when God makes himself the central part of our lives, creating and sustaining faith in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit by means of Word and Sacrament. Any time we try to tell God what's good for us, act out of selfishness or fear, or otherwise sin against the Holy Commandments, we are raising a racket that attempts to drown out the Triune God's demand to be our one, true God. That's it for now. You can submit questions by mail to "Ask the Pastor," PO Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or just stop me on the street. Walter Snyder is the pastor of St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches in Jasper and Woodville, Texas and coauthor of the book "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1999 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.