Month: March 2017

Yesterday afternoon, I had a dream.

It wasn’t a daydream, either – which means I was taking a nap – a full blown, under the covers, racked out, dead-to-the-world snore fest. I’ve heard it said, that when you dream during such a daytime nap, you can have the craziest dreams. True to that saying, my dream was vivid and powerful; but I’ll leave it up to you to decide how crazy it really was.

It began as what I normally refer to as a “church dream.” Having worked for over twenty years in the high-stress (ahem) world of pastoring, I often had such dreams, which usually happened on Saturday nights and which followed a common pattern. My typical church dream would have me running around a church (always a different church) with the worship service about to begin. The problem in each dream is that I’m not ready to lead the service or to preach. I’m always looking for something I need: a hymnal, a robe, my sermon (which I haven’t started writing!), or even my pants. I become more and more frantic as people get restless waiting for the service to start. By the time I get up front and try to wing it, most of the people have left. Those who stay wish they hadn’t, as it all goes downhill from there. Then I wake up screaming! (Okay, that last part’s not true, but it sure makes it sound more dramatic!) Actually, sometimes I force myself awake, and am relieved to find out it was only a dream.

Yesterday’s dream was my first “church dream” since retiring, and like other such dreams, it too began in a strange church at the start of a worship service. But that’s where the similarity ended, because this time   I was not up front, frantic to get the service started; this time I was sitting in the back row as a member of the congregation, and the other two guys were up front, frantic to get the service started (one benefit of retiring!). During this time I was talking with some other members until the service began, at which time I slipped out because I had attended an earlier service. So far, this dream just reflected my new status of being retired.

But now it got interesting, and powerful. Once outside I crossed a courtyard and passed some people standing near a wall with arches or open windows in it. As I walked by, I could hear them talking – arguing or complaining – about one of the biggest questions of all time: the existence of evil in the world, particularly the fact that bad things happen to good or innocent people. They spoke about children who had birth defects (see John 9:23) or who die young, which troubled them greatly. They asked how there could be a God who allowed bad things like this to happen.

They asked how there could be a God who allowed bad things like this to happen.

Hearing that, I stopped in my tracks and began to speak to them. I can’t remember word-for-word all that I said, but it went something like this: “When you ask the question of how these things can happen when there is a God, you are talking about what theologians call, the ‘Problem of Evil,’ or P.O.E. The problem is stated like this: If God is all-loving, he wants to stop evil from happening; if he is all-powerful, he is able to stop evil from happening. Therefore, since evil exists, God is either not all-loving, or not all-powerful. Or there is no God.”

I continued, “Bad things do happen, but instead of talking about the P.O.E., I prefer to call it “the Reality of Evil,” or R.O.E., because sin and death and evil things do exist. They are real, and they affect and harm everything in our lives, even our lives themselves.  Evil is real: bad things happen to us, we do bad things, and there is a very real being named Satan who actively seeks to destroy us. We can’t wish evil away or pretend it doesn’t exist, or isolate ourselves in a protective bubble. Evil is real, including what happened to those little children you were talking about.

The P.O.E. for someone who denies the existence, power, or love of God is that their problems don’t go away; they face the same evils we do, but do so alone without the presence or protection of God. The evils are still real, for them and for us. But don’t despair, because there is an even greater reality! That greater reality is the ‘Reality of God,’ or R.O.G.

That greater reality is the Reality of God

“I believe totally that God is real and that he loves us with a love that overcomes all temporary evil that we face. He is not defeated! He is more powerful and will achieve the ultimate goodness for all who believe in him. People challenge God and our faith in him by asking, ‘If there is a God, why doesn’t he do something about all the evil in the world?’ Well, he has! That’s what the Bible is all about, telling us about God and his great love and his great power, and about what he did to save us from all evil by sending his Son into the world to bear our sins on the Cross. By his death and resurrection, Christ defeated sin, death, and the devil and won for us joyful, eternal life free forever from the Reality of Evil. The Reality of God has overcome!”

As I went on, my words flowed faster and bolder and louder, though I was not shouting or arguing or speaking angrily. I just sensed a filling of the Holy Spirit directing me in what I said and holding the people’s attention to hear me. I went on:

“For now, we do experience evil things, but even while we wait for this age to pass away, we are not left alone in our hurts and sorrows, because the Reality of God means that he is with us every moment no matter what we are going through. God is here to give us strength, courage, comfort, guidance, and faith to face whatever comes . . .”

I said more things which I can’t remember, and then I woke up. It was an intense dream, but instead of feeling drained I felt good and right, as if something significant had happened. Maybe it was the contrast between earlier church dreams with missing sermons and this dream with an inspired, spontaneous outpouring. Maybe it was being relaxed in a church service and not having to make sure everything went well. Maybe it was the sense that God still has work for me to do by bringing his word to people who need to hear it – maybe as a blogger, maybe as a “supply” pastor (preaching during pastoral absences), maybe as an author, maybe even as a televangelist! Or maybe it will be the suggestion of my fellow preaching-class students at seminary who, after hearing me preach, suggested I could host one of those late-night radio shows where they play soft music and the DJ helps people relax and fall asleep to his sonorous and dulcet tones . . .

Whatever paths the Lord has for me, whether the dream was a message from God (“Your old men shall dream dreams . . .” Joel 2:28), or the result of a daytime nap (a postprandial repose),  I will feel compelled by faith and obedience to Christ to proclaim the Good News even in times of evil, because I know what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross: Jesus was the ultimate good person who suffered the ultimate evil to achieve the ultimate good for our sake.

Jesus was the ultimate good person who suffered the ultimate evil to achieve the ultimate good for our sake.

And that is the Reality of God. The true God who is all-powerful, all- loving, and with us always. May he comfort and strengthen you through whatever you may face, and may he deliver you from all evil. And may all your naps be refreshing!

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord may his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: John 9:1-41

 

 

Happy St. Richard’s Day!

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: Rich has lost it again. His ego has taken over and he has become what the Bible calls, “puffed up” (as in 1 Timothy 6:4 – “he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. . .”). Why else would I call today “St. Richard’s Day” when it clearly is a day named after a real saint, Saint Patrick? Well, I can call it that for a couple reasons.

1. First, because the Bible refers to all Christians as saints. Paul writes to the believers in various churches and addresses them as saints, hagioi in Greek, which can also be translated as “holy ones.” He writes to the saints at Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae, and refers to others at Rome, Corinth, and Thessalonica. Sainthood is not something earned by living a perfect life, or being better than others, but is on account of their faith in Christ. For it is not their own righteousness that is recognized, but the holiness of Jesus Christ himself. You and I are saints by faith in Christ, not by our good works. Sainthood is not a title conferred by a pope or by the vote of a church committee, but a reality lived out in Christ.

Sainthood is not a title conferred by a pope or by the vote of a church committee, but a reality lived out in Christ.

So why do Lutherans still refer to saints such as St. Patrick and, dare I ask it, St. Peter? There are a couple practical answers: the tradition of Church history, and the need to distinguish guys like the biblical Peter from the Peter who works at the fast-food place down the street (or for you fellow Boomers, from “Peter, Paul, and Mary”. . .). But there is also a theological basis. Although our Lutheran Confessions forbid worshiping the saints or praying to them, since there is only one mediator between God and man, who is Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5), they do recognize the value of honoring people who lived lives of exceptional grace and dedication to the Lord. The Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Article XXI, 4-7 states that we honor the saints for three reasons: 1. To thank God for examples of his mercy, 2. To use the saints as examples for strengthening our faith, and 3. To imitate their faith and other virtues.

Properly understood, then, we are all saints by the grace of God through faith in Christ, and it is good to honor our fellow saints who lived or are still living exemplary lives of faith and service in Christ’s name. So kudos to Patrick and thanks to God for Patrick’s service to the good people of Ireland!

2. There is a second reason I can piggy-back on St. Patrick’s Day and call it St. Richard’s Day, and that is because Ancestry.com has confirmed by my recent DNA test that some of my ancestors were Irish! (Erin go Bragh!) The first Eddys to come to America arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1630 on the last of the Pilgrim ships, The Handmaid. They were from Salisbury, England (maybe that’s why I like Salisbury steak?). But further research indicated our particular branch of the family arrived in the late 1600s from County Antrim in Ireland. This branch settled in New Jersey before moving further west each generation. The DNA test seems to confirm that Irish connection.

But before you picture me wearing green socks and hats or eating corned beef and green cabbage (never green corned beef!), or rooting for the Boston Celtics, I should point out that County Antrim is in Northern Ireland. That’s right: my ancestors were what is called Scotch-Irish, and they were Protestants. And they wore orange, not green.

So now you are likely asking, how can I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day if I’m not actually fully Irish or Roman Catholic? The answer: it’s not Patrick’s or anyone else’s ethnicity I celebrate, but rather his accomplishments of bringing the Gospel to Ireland and, against great opposition, converting almost the entire nation. Oh yeah, and beside that, Patrick wasn’t Irish, nor was he Roman Catholic.

Patrick wasn’t Irish, nor was he Roman Catholic.

There are plenty of sources where you can find the details of his amazing story, but the basic outline is this: Patrick was a Roman-Briton named Patricius who lived in the 5th Century AD. At age 16 he was captured by Irish raiders who took him to Ireland to work as a slave in a pig farm. While slaving, he became a Christian and after six years he escaped and found passage on a boat back to England. He then studied and was ordained as a missionary, and having received a call from God to save the Irish, he returned to the land and people of his slavery and brought them the freedom of Jesus Christ. He became their bishop and spent the rest of his life preaching, teaching, and baptizing them. He wrote his life story, called the Declaration, and a hymn known as “St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” which is #188 in our Lutheran hymnal (LBW).

So while this was the first St. Patrick’s Day I could celebrate with the assurance I am part Irish (and yes, I did eat some corned beef today – though in keeping with the Germans on my mom’s side, it was with sauerkraut in a Reuben sandwich!), I more importantly I celebrate the assurance I have of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ, whose name and Gospel was proclaimed by a guy named Patrick to the blessing of a nation which remembers him this day – St. Richard’s Day!

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Ephesians 1

We’re now beginning the second full week of Lent, that 40-day period of self-examination, repentance, and preparation for the Church’s public remembrance of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is a time to focus on the purpose and cost of Christ’s sacrifice to save us from our sins and their consequences by his taking those sins and their consequences upon himself. In general, Lent is a somber and reflective time.

In general, Lent is a somber and reflective time.

The day before this year’s first Lenten service – Ash Wednesday – I had received word that an old friend had died. His death was not unexpected; in fact he and his wife had asked me to do the service when the time came, and I had met with them twice in preparation for that service. Before those visits, it had been a while since we had met and though he had real difficulty talking due to his illness, the time we spent together was very meaningful to me. I was able to share with him good memories of times we had worked together in several church ministries, and of the impact he had made on me over the years. His death and my memories of him were very much on my mind when I entered the sanctuary to worship on Ash Wednesday.

Worship began with a hymn, followed by silent, public confession of our sins. Then, in keeping with Ash Wednesday traditions around the world, the pastors called us forward to do what gave “Ash Wednesday” its name: they imposed ashes on our foreheads in the shape of a cross. As each one received his or her mark, the pastors proclaimed the words which God spoke in Genesis 3:19, “. . . you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

“. . . you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

As I waited my turn, I watched the pastors impose the ashes and heard them repeat their somber litany. Almost all 300+ people present received the ashes, including infants, toddlers, kids, teens, young adults, and all ages of mature adults up to those in their 90s. As I watched them go forward and heard the pastors pronounce “dustship” (my own word, not a correct Lenten term) on each person, it struck me that every one of them, me included, will one day have his or her own funeral. The passing of my friend and his impending memorial service would not be unique events; the pastors were reminding us that the day will come for all of us when we will return to the dust from which we were formed.

Even though the knowledge of death’s universality was not new to me, and as a pastor I had often preached or read scriptures which proclaimed this fact, on this night it struck me differently. There was something about each person, regardless of age, being reminded of their mortality that was powerful. For an instant I pictured a multitude of funerals, with each person’s life being remembered and grieved over, and I felt overwhelmed with the enormity (look it up) of death and its impact.

It was similar to the feeling I had when I imposed ashes on two previous Ash Wednesdays (once at St. Peter’s in Elk Grove and once at St. George Lutheran in Indiana). On both occasions I found it difficult to get through the ritual: each time it was very moving to stand face-to-face with people who came forward, people of faith, friends and loved ones, and to tell each one, basically, “You’re going to die.” Now, even though this year I didn’t have to say those words, the thought of each person having a funeral was still quite sobering.

Even if I were called upon to conduct funerals for everyone there that night (at least until my own service!) it would be just a fraction of what another Lutheran pastor once actually did. The Rev. Martin Rinkart was pastor in Eilenburg, Germany during the Thirty Years’ War. In 1637 a severe plague struck the town and thousands died. Even though many – including the other pastors – fled to escape the disease, Martin Rinkart stayed behind, ministering to the people in their distress and burying over 4,000 of them, including his own wife and daughter. I can’t imagine his grief or his spiritual strength to endure what he did. Yet in spite of what he went through, he wrote the hymn, “Now thank we all our God”!

How could Pastor Rinkart endure what he did? The same way we can accept the ashes on our foreheads and hear, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It’s about faith. We can accept the challenge of death because we know there is a lot more to the story.

We can accept the challenge of death because we know there is a lot more to the story.

If Genesis 3 is where death is pronounced on mankind because of our sin, the entire remainder of the Bible is about God’s plan of salvation to redeem us from the curse of the Law and its sentence of death and judgment.

Lent begins with the reality of sin and death, but it doesn’t end there. For after this period of recognizing our sinfulness and mortality, the season ends with God himself doing what only he could do – and sacrifice his own Son on the Cross for our forgiveness and immortality. The Christian faith is not a cult of death; it is a movement that proclaims life – new life, eternal life – as a gift from the God who created us and gave us life in the first place. Through faith in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice we receive forgiveness and become children of God (John 1:12).

Therefore, no matter what happens to us now, no matter when our own memorial is held or when we return to the dust which we once were, we will live again. On the way to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus told Lazarus’ sister Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes and me, though he dies, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) When Jesus arrived at his friend’s grave, he wept briefly, and then called out with authority, “Lazarus, come out!” and out walked the man who had been dead.

The day will come when Jesus will call out the names of those who went forward on Ash Wednesday

The day will come when Jesus will call out the names of those who went forward on Ash Wednesday – me included – along with all who hope in the Lord, and we too will rise from the dead, never more to be dust, fully clothed in immortality. For if we were anointed with ashes to remind us of our deaths, so also at our baptisms we were anointed with the water of life. As you go forward through the coming weeks, may you remember even in your most somber moments, that those who live and believe in Jesus Christ will never truly die, but will have eternal life!

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: John 11:1-44

Language is important. Whether spoken, written, or signed, it is how we understand ourselves and the world around us, and it is what we use to convey meaning to each other. Language is how God communicates with us, as evident in the Holy Scriptures. When God wanted to stop mankind’s building of the Tower of Babel, he confused their language; when he poured out his Spirit on the believers at Pentecost He empowered them to speak other languages. Yes, language is very important; it is an essential part of being human.

In the Church, language is very important, as well. We use language in the Scripture lessons, in our music, in the announcements, and in our sermons (sometimes, we use a lot of language in our sermons!). We also have a number of special words and terms which we traditionally use in the Church to designate concepts and things that are important to the faith. Examples of theological words we use are: grace, faith, works, salvation, propitiation, expiation, vicarious atonement, incarnation, etc. This terminology (sometimes called “Churchese” or “Christianese”) also extends to seasons in the Church year. Whereas the world talks about spring, summer, fall and winter, we speak of different seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

This special language is good and useful, in that it helps us remember and understand God’s saving work for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the work of His Holy Spirit in sanctifying us (another Church word!). It also provides stability and comfort through the meaning of those terms. But sometimes those terms can confuse or hide the truths to which they refer, especially when they are used without explanation. New Christians may be baffled by our using terms which we know but they have not yet learned, as might people who come from Christian churches and traditions that don’t use such terminology.

We are now in the Church season of Lent, a season that is full of such special language. While I enjoy hearing and using those old, familiar terms, I realize that not everyone is familiar with them. Several people have asked what certain words mean, so I decided it might be good to use my first blog article in this year’s Lenten season to explain some terms:

Lent: The season of the Church year which begins 46 days before Easter. It consists of 40 days of Lent and the six Sundays during that period. Technically, the Sundays are not part of Lent. The 40 days mirror the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and being tempted by Satan. For Christians, this is a season for self-examination, repentance (see below), and prayer as we consider Christ’s death for our sins. The name, “Lent,” comes from the word, “lengthen,” which refers to this time of year when we move from winter to spring. The daylight portion of our days “lengthens” and the darkness retreats, which is also symbolic of Christ whose light has come into the world. As Scripture says about Christ’s coming, “The people living in darkness have seen a great light.” (Matthew 4:16 quoting Isaiah 9:2) and Jesus said about himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Fasting: To give up or go without something for a period of time as a spiritual discipline. This also reflects what Jesus did in the wilderness when he went without eating or drinking for those 40 days. Common things people fast from include: smoking, drinking, chocolate, other foods, watching TV, etc. Things not to fast from include work, school, going to church, bathing, etc. I considered fasting from my blog during Lent, but there are just too many things to write about!

Repentance: A change in attitude and behavior in which one turns from sin and turns to God. This deserves further comment another time.

Ash Wednesday: The first day of Lent, which this year was March 1st, is traditionally observed by the “imposition” (putting on) of ashes on worshipers’ foreheads as a sign of sorrow and penitence for one’s sins. The pastor says to the people as they receive the ashes, “Dust you are and to dust you will return,” (Genesis 3:19) as a reminder of their mortality. “Stay tuned” for more about this year’s Ash Wednesday in my next post.

Maundy Thursday: (Not Monday-Thursday!) Maundy comes from the Latin word, “Mandatum” which means “commandment,” in honor of Jesus saying at the Last Supper, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another.” This is the Thursday just before Easter and commemorates Christ’s final meal with his disciples before he was crucified. It was at this supper that Jesus instituted Holy Communion.

Good Friday: This was the day Jesus Christ “was crucified, died, and was buried” for our sake, taking our sins upon himself that we might be forgiven.  By his death, Christ won the victory over sin, death, and the devil and won for us eternal life. This was what made it “Good” Friday: it was good for us.

The Lenten Sentence: Throughout most of the year, we sing the “Alleluia” just before the reading of the Gospel. During Lent we sing the “Lenten Sentence,” which quotes Joel 2:13, “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”

I hope this helps clarify some of the language of Lent for you. But above all, remember that the true language of Lent is love;

Remember that the true language of Lent is love.

it is God’s great love for you and me that provided us with a Savior in the person of his own Son. May you be blessed by God’s love in your Lenten journey!

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, may the Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Matthew 4:1-11