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Articles by Rick Schmitt
The message of the Cross
The message of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners is scandalous. It’s a huge stumbling block, deemed worthy of ridicule, and it’s the hammer of judgment. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1 that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. In Philippians 2, Paul wrote that Jesus humbled Himself to death, even the death of the cross. The message of the cross was and still is not popular.
'Who do you say that I am?'
Jesus has His disciples in Gentile country. The distractions of the Pharisees and scribes won’t be there. It’s here that Jesus asks His disciples a simple question, “Who do you say that I am? The disciples hear things. Their response is the latest intel on Jesus. Some keep on saying “you’re John the Baptist” (who had been beheaded by Herod), some keep on saying Elijah, who was taken into heaven by a whirlwind. Jesus has already dealt with that.
Petting a cat the wrong way?
A past seminary professor once said, “The preaching of God’s Law is like petting a cat the wrong way!” That sounds funny but stay with me on this. When petting a cat the wrong way, the more it’s done, the more irritated the cat becomes. The Law of God, preached in all its fury, first, we resonate with it. The further it goes, the more it starts to irritate…. like petting a cat the wrong way.
Our Inheritance in Jesus
It’s the Octave of Easter, the first day of the week after the first day of the week when the tomb of our Lord Jesus was found empty. On Friday, Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified. He was dead. He had been placed in a tomb with a large stone covering the entrance. After the Sabbath, on the first day of the week, the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty. Angels announced that Jesus who was crucified was risen, just as He promised.
The reality of evil and the power of faith
When we talk about the devil, we must not do so as if the tempter were an imagination or a work of fiction or a delusion. We know Satan through his evil works. We know him as the tempter and the accuser of our brothers and sisters. He is an evil, destructive monster who wants nothing but death for God’s creation. The devil motivates conduct that is disruptive and evil. We might think we can feel or sometimes even see some actions as being of the devil.
From division to redemption
In Ephesians 3:1-12, there was a division in the house. On one side are the Jews. These are the messianic people, God’s Old Testament people who were descendants of Abraham, whose forefather was Judah, the son of Jacob. The covenant of circumcision was a mainstay. Their heritage as the Lord’s people goes way back. According to the Law of Moses, besides circumcision, they were to keep themselves ritually clean and separate from Gentiles. Those people, the Gentiles, were on the other side.
Adopted as sons and daughters
Today’s text, Galatians 4:4-5. The saying goes: You can pick your friends, but you’re stuck with your family. We’re born or adopted into our families. At this time of year, really at any time, there are those moments of family happiness. Just as certainly, we can be hurt, and we can hurt each other in families. Dysfunctional families can damage the members in ways that aren’t pretty. We’ve known some of those, and we have all had episodes of being dysfunctional ourselves, too.
In tough times, there is hope
Unravelings – they happen with relationships, circles of friends, places of employment and the communities in which people live. Futures, dreams and goals stripped away without warning. The way our world is now, it seems like a continuous unraveling. Jesus tells us in Luke 21, that there would be wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, famines, and the list could go on. The Church isn’t immune to this, either. Congregations struggle, some become divided, and some close.
The baptized life
Colossians 3:3, "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Did you ever notice that, when we hear those words, the holy name of God, with the sign of the cross, this all points to our baptism? God begins everything we do in Him. Every prayer we pray, we approach the Triune God in the promise of our baptism. Paul tells us what needs to happen to that Old Adam in today’s text. He needs to die.
God’s promise
Luke 11:1-13, prayer…as believers in Jesus, we talk about prayer often. Please pray for me, I’ll be praying for you, we sing songs of prayer and they’re called hymns and worship songs. Children’s songs like, “What a friend we have in Jesus,” is a prayer. In today’s text, Jesus teaches about God’s promise. The whole of the Lord’s Prayer is about God’s promise! God’s promise in His Word…God’s promise in Christ…trusting in God’s promise, we pray.
Restored: How one man’s healing became his testimony
The text for today is Luke 8:38-39, Jesus takes a shattered life, one where the shards and splinters can’t be gathered and reassembled. He takes that life and, with a word, restores the poor, demon-possessed fellow. Here Jesus’ full power is on full display. Jesus has power over the devil and his angels. Jesus has power over sin and death. Jesus has power to restore life. That power is displayed with just a simple word. Jesus departs from the country of the Gerasenes.
John’s vision given to us
The text for today is Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27. John has brought us through the appearing of Christ and the judgment of all wickedness. With sin and death and the devil now locked away in the abyss forever, John gives us a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the promise given to Father Abraham. As Paul writes in Galatians, “We are all children of Abraham through faith in Christ who was crucified.” When John was given this vision, it was a fearful time; the Church was struggling for survival.
Endure for the name of Christ
Revelation 7:13-14, our hope is in the Word Made Flesh who was crucified. The Great Tribulation as described in this text, is persecution and rejection and more because of the name of Jesus. What’s more, it’s not that believers are delivered from it. Rather, they are strengthened to endure in the name of Christ. We don’t escape the reality of this tribulation, but endure, bearing up under it. There is a certain amount of fear that goes with this.
Jesus is the first and the last
Revelation 1:12-18, John is astounded, knowing He is in the presence of God. He falls and becomes like a dead man. Jesus reaches out with His right hand…stop fearing, Jesus says. I am the living one, the first and the last, the one who was dead and now is alive forevermore…that’s what we just celebrated Easter Sunday, right? As He appears to John, Jesus’ words reveal Himself as the only true God.
Shedding tears for those who don’t believe
Philippians 3:17-4:1: Paul tells us our citizenship is in Heaven. The truth is that we were enemies of God, but now we have been justified by His grace, His favor, on account of Jesus Christ who was crucified. Paul knew well those who rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There were Jews, Paul’s countrymen, who wanted nothing better than to put the apostle of Jesus Christ to death. Most of Paul’s sufferings came at the hands of the Jews.
The struggle against temptation
Luke 4:1-2, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” In today’s Gospel, we see the leading of the Spirit and the misleading of the devil. Every one of us, every Christian in the whole Christian Church on earth wants to be led by the Spirit. That’s Jesus’ desire, and it’s what we as baptized Christians want to do.
God’s baptismal promise
1 Corinthians 15:21-22, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” Paul gives us the paradox of Adam and Jesus. Through Adam and his sin and his rebellion, sin came into the world, and with sin came death, because that’s the punishment for sin. Every one of us has that Adam. We call it the old Adam, our flesh, our sinful nature.
The great story
What we have in 1 Corinthians 15 is like a crescendo of the entire letter. Everything else in the letter is important and needs to be heard and heeded. Now, we get to perhaps the most critical part, the basis and foundation of the Christian faith.
You are forgiven
In Isaiah 6, Isaiah is filled with shame. He is terrified. He cried out: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” In Luke 5, Simon Peter is given an audience with the same Lord of Hosts in the flesh, Jesus. With the miraculous catch of fish, Peter’s shame is evident. He knows where he stands when confronted by Jesus.
One body in Christ Jesus
We continue reading through 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a. Apostle Paul reminds Christians that they are all baptized into one body, the body of Christ, the Church. It’s the one holy Christian and apostolic church. It's the one body of Christ in which the Holy Spirit brings Christians to confess that Christ Jesus is Lord, building us together in our baptism, holding us together in the common confession of Jesus as Lord.
All gifts are from God
Today’s text is 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. A major issue plaguing the congregation at Corinth has been trust, or maybe misplaced trust. As the Church, we’d be quick to point out that trust in God is paramount, first at the line of whom we trust, but, as we read through 1 Corinthians, there was an unhealthy reliance on human wisdom and that causes all kinds of problems. If any of us ever thinks this problem doesn’t plague any modern-day church, it’s time to take a look in the mirror.
God’s promise to us
Malachi 3:1-7b, Malachi preaches the Word of the Lord, giving us the promise of the Lord in today’s Old Testament lesson. What was the promise from the Lord? His promise: I will refine. I will purify. There’s something really important to know. We don’t purify anything unless it’s valuable to us. We don’t try to get the stains out of stuff unless it’s important to us. The same is true for our Father in heaven. His desire is to refine and purify what He loves, what is valuable to Him...and that is you.
The widow gives everything
Mark 12:41-48: Jesus stands in the temple court where offerings were placed into the offering boxes. Worshipers were coming along and dropping in large sums out of the abundance God had given them. A widow, in that society, a helpless, hopeless woman with no means of support, drops in a couple of copper coins. Now, this would probably be one more knock against the scribes, who would have shown great flattery to those giving much.
We’re all beggars
Mark 10:46-47, beggar…what comes to mind when you read that word? Probably all of us have a mental image. Maybe someone on the street corner or in a store parking lot, holding a sign. On that sign is a short message. If a beggar approaches you and engages you, there’s usually a story to be told. It’s a story that’s intended to tug on your heartstrings, to justify the request that’s being made. In today’s text we have a beggar. His name is Bartimaeus. There is no back story. He has nothing.
Jesus still bears the marks for our sin
Hebrews 4:11-16 tells us how God has done what we cannot. God is holy, meaning He not only is sinless, but He does not tolerate sin. See, we have the great High Priest who has passed through the heavens. We have the great High Priest who has offered the blood of the atoning sacrifice, His holy, precious blood. His is the blood which appeases the wrath of God against our sin. Our High Priest is Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God who was crucified.
Marriage is God’s gift
Today’s text, Mark 10:2-12. This text is about God’s view of marriage, beginning to end. Marriage is God’s gift, and He takes it seriously. His desire is that His human creatures cherish it and take it seriously, too. That gift of marriage…In the marriage of man and woman, God displays to the world His marriage to His Church. That’s why we stand up when the bride enters a wedding. With the marriage of the man and the woman, God is showing us His marriage to His bride, the Church.
The Lord loves leftovers
Amos 5:15: "Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." In today’s Old Testament lesson, the Lord God speaks through the prophet Amos about the remnant of Joseph, they were considered the leftovers. Leftovers were being trodden down and cast out. Our society has a bad practice of doing the same thing to those less fortunate, less well off.
God's angels
Today’s text, Matthew 18:10-11. What’s so different about God’s angels is, not one of His angels falls in battle. As they are dispatched from the throne of God, they accomplish their Master’s bidding for the good of His people. In fact, there is only one time when angels were not dispatched. The call was never sounded to send angels into battle.
God’s promise given in Jesus
Mark 9:14-29, the boy’s father, in his confession of faith and prayer, simply calls to mind the promise Jesus has just spoken. That’s what prayer does. Prayer confesses that the true God is in charge and brings to mind the promises He's given in Christ. For prayer, we begin at the cross. God is in charge. What has He done? He has become man, real flesh and blood. He has rendered perfect obedience to His Father. He has suffered the sinless death at the cross.
To those with anxious hearts
From the Prophet Isaiah 35:4, “Say to those who have an anxious heart, Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” If you are suffering, Jesus knows all that you suffer, for He Himself has suffered it. Jesus walks with you through the valley of sorrow. The promise of His anointing in Holy Baptism and His table, go with you. Jesus has come for you. Jesus comes to us today with the promise of restoration.
Marriage, Christ and the Church
Ephesians 5:25b-27, “As Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Talking about marriage can be a minefield. It’s even a minefield for Christians. Cram two people of sinful flesh into one house, one apartment, and the fireworks begin.
Rescued from desolation
The text for today is Mark 6:31: And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. So Jesus gets His disciples together in a boat and they depart for a place for rest. The crowds…they’re like paparazzi! The crowds on land follow the speck of a boat with Jesus and His disciples onboard. The boat arrives at the desolate place. Jesus and His disciples disembark and are greeted by the crowds.
Dependent on our Lord
Mark 4:35-41, In the middle of Jesus’ earthly ministry, in the boat with the disciples He has called to follow Him… This One who has been with you, whom you just awakened, He speaks to the wind and waves. Literally, Jesus speaks: Peace! Be still! The sea and the winds hear and obey Jesus’ authority. With waves breaking into the boat, with the real fear of their boat breaking up on the sea, the disciples go to Jesus. In antiquity, the sea was a symbol for chaos.
Abide in Me
From John 15:7-8, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” Jesus tells His disciples to abide in Him. He is the true vine which has sprung forth from death. There is no life apart from the true vine who is Jesus. Yet, being grafted into the true vine is not the work of the branch.
His chosen means
From Luke 24:44-53: “Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.” We celebrated the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Law doesn’t change!
Acts 2:36, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”God’s Law doesn’t change. It can’t change.
Dry bones can live again
Ezekiel 37:3: And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Dealing with dry bones isn’t a favorite task. These are bones which have been claimed by death because of sin. As Paul writes in Romans 5:12, “Through one man, sin came into the world.” That man is Adam. All children of Adam share in Adam’s rebellion. That includes us. Sharing in Adam’s rebellion, we share in its consequences. “The wages of sin is death.” Dry bones. Can these bones live?
Everyone needs Jesus!
From Acts 10, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.” Now, all of us believers here would agree with Simon Peter that everyone needs Jesus.
Are we indispensable people?
From Luke 24:36-49: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” There is a common thread among worldly thoughts. It’s the thread that somehow, in some way, the disciples, the women who first came to the tomb, even we ourselves are indispensable.
Pandemic's Virtual Courts - Cover Story - Stanford Lawyer Magazine - Stanford Law School
Debbie Mukamal, Stanford Criminal Justice Center executive director and Robert Weisberg, JD ’79, Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr. Professor of Law and faculty co-director of the center A new study by the Stanford Criminal Justice Center looks at the effect of video technology and virtual interactions on criminal proceedings during the pandemic—and the feedback from defense lawyers was grim.
And Justice For All | Stanford Law School
Judicial and state bar leaders in Utah took note, and last August, they established a sandbox under the state supreme court that allows lawyers and nonlawyers to offer services and business models that would otherwise violate professional rules. The entities are still regulated but through periodic reports and audits that are tailored to the risks they pose to consumers; the court’s Office of Legal Services Innovation oversees the process.
Ivan Fong: From Homeland Security to 3M | Stanford Law School
In early spring, with the coronavirus pandemic gaining strength, 3M Company and its general counsel, Ivan Fong, JD ’87, were facing an unprecedented challenge. The nation’s largest maker of N95 respirators had responded early and rapidly to the COVID-19 outbreak in January and was producing more respirators than ever before.
Robert Charrow - In Focus - Stanford Lawyer Magazine - Stanford Law School
The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus has triggered an outbreak of legal issues, with Robert Charrow, the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,at the epicenter. In January, HHS dusted off the federal quarantine law, to justify the confinement of 195 Americans to a California military base, after they had been exposed to the virus in China.The last large-scale quarantine in the U.S. was during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918.
Voting in America | Stanford Law School
The long arc of history of American democracy has bent toward extending voting—the country’s most basic and possibly most-taken-for-granted right. Today, 150 years after ratification of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the number of African-Americans registered to vote and actually voting in the U.S. has dramatically increased. In some parts of the South, turnout by blacks is greater than whites.
Nate Persily Guarding Democracy | Stanford Law School
In early spring, with the novel corona-virus shutting down many aspects of American life and buffeting the primary election season in states across the country, widespread concern arose that the November presidential election might become the pandemic’s next victim. Nate Persily, James B. McClatchy Professor of Law, formulated a plan to keep the most basic of democratic institutions functioning.
Years of Talking, Kids Still Dying - FairWarning
Erin Shero and her youngest son, Colton Shero, in the spring of 2013, about five months before the toddler was fatally strangled by a window blind cord. “My son died in less time than it takes to pop a bag of popcorn,” Shero said. After fixing a quick snack for her children one day in October 2013, Erin Shero returned to the downstairs playroom of her suburban Chattanooga, Tenn., home. She wanted to check on the youngest of her five kids, Colton, who was two days away from his second birthday.
Prophet and Loss
Shortly after she was named to head the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 1996, Brooksley E. Born was invited to lunch by Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. The influential Greenspan was an ardent proponent of unfettered markets. Born was a powerful Washington lawyer with a track record for activist causes. Over lunch, in his private dining room at the stately headquarters of the Fed in Washington, Greenspan probed their differences.
Dean Jenny Martinez: SLS Insider Takes the Helm, Brings Global Perspective | Stanford Law School
Donna Newman had been appointed by a federal court in New York to represent an accused terrorist in a high-stakes lawsuit on the rights of detainees after the attacks of September 11, 2001. A local lawyer who had long worked in the trenches representing criminal defendants, Newman, by her own admission, needed help. The case was on a fast track to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was flooded with calls from prominent lawyers and law firms. But Newman refused them all—except the one from Jenny Martinez.
Air war: A relentless whistleblower once more girds for battle over aviation safety
Robert MacLean, a former federal air marshal, carries a lot of baggage. Twice dismissed by his bosses at the Transportation Security Administration, he has been criticized for being “paranoid” and not being a team player. But you don’t get to be the nation’s most prolific aviation safety whistleblower without having a track record. And today, MacLean says, warning signs of ineffectual air safety regulation are blinking red.
Bernadette Meyler and Theaters of Pardoning | Stanford Law School
In 17th-century England, when modern views about the pardon power took root, pardoning was also a common literary device. In a new book, Theaters of Pardoning, Bernadette Meyler, JD ’03, the Carl and Sheila Spaeth Professor of Law and associate dean for research and intellectual life, uses the lens of Shakespeare and other writers of that long-ago era to address contemporary issues surrounding pardoning, amnesty, and political forgiveness.
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