Sovereignty Archives - Pastor Rich Eddy

Unanswered Prayer?

Last night I had a dream. It was a recurring one of sorts, in which I am leading worship but am unprepared for it. I don’t have my robes, haven’t picked what hymns to sing, haven’t written a sermon – you get the idea. A pastor’s nightmare! Especially when the congregation slips away while I’m trying to get myself together.

Except, in this dream, I actually knew what I was going to preach. The sermon formed fully in my mind, so when I suddenly awoke from my dream I had a smile on my face. I knew what my next blog would be!

In my sermon, I would begin by telling you that like you, I have times that I am disappointed with God. Not that I would want any other God, but that there are times when my prayers – even fervent ones, go unanswered. I pray that someone I know will be healed of some dread disease, but they get worse, until they die. Or some handicap gets worse, crippling the person. Or even that some newborn suffers birth defects and faces multiple surgeries to lead a somewhat normal life. Or an eagerly anticipated child is stillborn.

There were times I was sure our prayers would be answered – when multiple people prayed, when we anointed the sick person with oil (as per James 5:14-15- “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.”) Once, the person went into remission, only to die soon after.

So, we complain to God “Why don’t you do what we ask! We don’t ask for much! Just this one healing!” We join with the complaints of the psalmist and cry:

Psalm 56:1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me.

Psalm 3:1-2 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.”

Psalm 6:6-7 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.

Psalm 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

Psalm 69:1-3 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.

Yes, these (and many other psalms) come to mind when God doesn’t answer our prayers as we want. But even when psalms cry out to complaints to God, they usually end with declarations like: “salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people!” (Psalm 3); “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” (Psalm 13); and “Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.” (Psalm 69). So, how do all these complaints to God end us praising him anyway?

What do the psalmists know about God that we need to keep in mind?

God is God. He is the one in charge, and he does everything according to his will. You can not make God do anything. He can not be tempted, bullied, controlled, or bargained with. James 1:13 says, “God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” and Ephesians 1:11 says, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Even the lifespan of everyone is set by God: Psalm 90 says we are to “number our days,” and Psalm 39:4 “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” Job 14:6 declares, “Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass.” And Jesus reminded us in Matthew 6:27, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?“
God sees the end of things from the beginning. He knows how everything will end, and how changes would effect everything. Isaiah 46:10, says God “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” We see what we want, but God sees the result of our getting what we want. What looks good to us, may in God’s eyes be the worst that could happen to us.
God has an eternal perspective. God may, unknown to you, use your suffering to reach other people with his gospel. The Christian martyr, Telemachus, died while trying to stop a gladiator fight, and led to the emperor outlawing future gladiatorial contests. Father Damien, a missionary to the lepers on Molokai, failed in his mission until he caught leprosy, then saw his mission succeed.
God may already be putting things in motion to answer our prayer without our knowing it. He doesn’t need to reveal all he is doing; we don’t need to see or approve all his efforts. Until we see the final results, we are to be patient and have faith.
God disciplines those he loves. Sometimes, the harsh outcomes we are experiencing comes directly from God as a blessing in disguise. This apparent contradiction is revealed in Deuteronomy 8:5: “Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.” Also, Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Hebrews 12:11 sums up the benefit of the Lord’s discipline: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.“
Only God has the power to do what we ask for. He is omnipotent. We look to him as the grantor and author of all our needs. Like the hymn, “I sing the mighty power of God who fill the earth with food”* he provides all our needs. He can creates something from nothing, as Romans 4:17 says, he “calls into existence the things that do not exist.” He knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8), and gives us good things instead of bad: “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent?” (Luke 11:11).

So we keep praying, making our needs known to God, submitting ourselves prayerfully to him, whether or not we see immediate answers to our prayers. Because he is our God, the source of our life and our salvation. To him only go our prayers. From him only come the answers! And that, is no dream!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: James 4:1-11.

* Isaac Watts, I Sing the Mighty Power of God, pub. 1715

High King of Heaven

I have always enjoyed hymns and spiritual songs that come from Celtic lands such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Songs like Praise and Thanksgiving, Lord of All Hopefulness, The King of Love My Shepherd Is, Sent Forth by God’s Blessing, Immortal Invisible God Only Wise, Let All Things Now Living, and especially, Be Thou My Vision.

Maybe my enjoyment stems from some inherited memory of ancient times when my ancestors in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales sang similar folk tunes and hymns. Maybe it comes from my own finely-tuned appreciation of the vocal arts. Or maybe, it’s the lilting tunes themselves, tied to words which proclaim God and his blessings. Whatever the reasons, these songs resonate with me in powerful ways, and I always enjoy trying to sing them.

Recently, while listening and croaking to the old Irish song, Be Thou My Vision, I came to what is my favorite part. It comes at the end of verse 4, and is repeated at the beginning of verse 5. See if you can spot what I mean:

4 Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5 High King of heaven, Thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict’ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be Thou my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Given that the title of this blog is “High King of Heaven,” you probably guessed the words I mean. For some reason, those words just thrill me and fill me with a vision of God’s glory..

One reason they appeal so much has to do with the ancient Irish custom of having one king, the High King, ruling over all of Ireland; the various tribes had their own chieftains or kings, but over them all was the High King. The tradition dates back to 1500 B.C., with various legendary kings, but the first historical record is of a High King who served between 846–860 A.D. The last High King was Ruaidhrí Ó Conchobhair (Rory O’Connor) whose reign lasted until 1166. Comparing God to the sovereign Irish High Kings is a special honor.

The second reason I love those words is that they portray the truth that the God of the Bible is the true High King, the great King over all kings, “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” (1 Timothy 6:15), and “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5).

As Americans, we read those accolades of God our King (our High King) but often dismiss it as archaic language. After all, except for a few foreign kings who have little effect on our lives, the concept of being ruled by a king is as foreign to us as are those kings. But in reality, even as Americans, we have many kings who try to assert their authority or control over our lives, and unfortunately, too often we submit to them as we would to a king.

Consider the following “kings”:

1. Our government (Federal, state, and local). The federal government alone has 53 volumes containing some 4,500 criminal statutes, spelled out in over 10 million words, regulating every aspect of our lives. And should you think that compliance is a voluntary matter, there are 708,000 officers ready to enforce those laws. In addition to laws actually passed by Congress, there are “executive orders” declared by presidents and myriad regulations decreed by government agencies.

2. Our employers. Sure, our association with employers is on a mostly voluntary basis – we could tell them “No” and walk away. But given they hold the purse-strings that provide us with our livelihoods, they have a great deal to say regarding our time and behavior. We may not like all they tell us to do, but for the sake of income and reputation, we often have to toe the line and jump when they say “Jump!”.

3. Cell phones. Admit it. . . when our cell phones call, we answer. And even if they don’t call, they hold us in bondage, promising us connections, social networking, information, and entertainment. We check them constantly, hoping for some emotional “hit”. Go to any event, or to any restaurant, (or to any traffic intersection!), and you will see everybody checking their phones constantly. The phones command, and we obey!

4. Commercial advertisements. “Go ahead! Buy it! You deserve it!” Such are the messages that try to control us by controlling our behaviors and our spending. Companies buy and sell data about our spending (and our giving), our online browsing history, and our personal demographics. And now, with advanced artificial intelligence, companies can predict and direct everything we do.

5. Bullies. There are all kinds of bullies, but basically they all have one thing in common: they want to control you and force you to do what they say. They could be at school, at work, in the government, in the neighborhood, among your “friends,” or even in your family. They think they know what is best for you, or best for them, and they dominate you by their aggressive behavior or threats (voiced or implied). As a kid, I used to live near a couple cemeteries; one day a neighborhood bully threatened to put me in one of them. So far, he hasn’t succeeded!

6. Our own passions. Probably the most difficult to deal with. Pride, greed, lust, anger. How often do we go against what we know is right for the sake of satisfying one of our urges – only to be totally unsatisfied with the aftermath of giving in. All temptations promise much, but deliver nothing but emptiness and regret. And yet, their power is great and they seek to rule over us.

Whatever the person or thing that would seek to rule us, that would crown itself as king over us, we need to remember there is a High King above all other real or self-proclaimed kings. That High King is the true King of all creation, over every power and authority. That High King is our God.

So how do we deal with our lesser kings? By following Scripture.

Government? “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13-14). But at the same time, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God, what is God’s” (Jesus’ words in Mark 12:17). God’s commandments overrule man’s laws.
Employers? “Bond-servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 2:22-23).
Cell phones? Not in the Bible. But . . . in Acts 12, an angel freed Peter from his cell, and in Acts 16:24-46, God used an earthquake to free Paul and Silas from their prison cells, so if your are in bondage to your cell, God can set you free!
Commercial advertisements? Once you recognize the manipulative tactics of such ads, you are much less likely to be influenced and directed by them. As Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Yes, I know Jesus was not talking about ads, but what he said still applies. The ads will rule you only if you let them.
Bullies? If they insult you, remember that “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Similarly, Jesus said to turn the other cheek if someone slaps you on one cheek (Matthew 5:39). Remember and pray the psalms, especially ones like Psalm 18:48, which proclaims, “who rescued me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from the man of violence.”
Our own passions? Our society praises people who follow their “passions,” but the Bible connects passions to our old, sinful flesh, and calls on Christians to subdue those passions for Christ’s sake. Galatians 5:24 tells us, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” And if the temptation of those passions is strong, remember: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

To sum it all up: the High King of heaven is ruler over all, and it is to him we owe our allegiance, above all earthly rulers and powers. Ultimately, all other rulers will submit and bow the knee to the One who allowed them to rule, to the One to whom they must give account of how they used their authority.

Today, I close with a two-fold blessing. First, as usual, the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:24, and then a video of people from 300 Irish churches singing, “Be Thou My Vision.”

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Three centuries later, a monk named Dallan Forgaill wrote the Irish poem, “Rop tú mo Baile” (“Be Thou my Vision), to remember and honor the faith of St. Patrick. Forgaill was martyred by pirates, but his poetry lived on as a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries until, in the early 20th century, Mary Elizabeth Byrne translated the poem into English, and in 1912, Eleanor Hull versified the text into what is now a well-loved hymn and prayer that at every moment of our lives, God would be our vision above all else.

Leaving mythology behind, Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid (Malachy MacMulrooney) is recognised as the first historical High King of Ireland. He served as king between 846–860 AD and died two years later. After King Máel there would be another 16 other High Kings in Ireland until the last serving King in 1166.

Humble Yourself

After going through my recent foot surgery and hospitalization, an old praise song from the 1970s started going through my head. The song*, based on James 4:10, begins with the words:

“Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord . . .”

The song’s message seems appropriate for a number of reasons, all centered on how my recent hospital experience has humbled me.

I was humbled by the nature of hospital life. It began with what they euphemistically call “a hospital gown.” As far as I can tell, they must have bought them at a half-off sale, because they were, well, half off. The backs were missing, as were the supposed ties to hold my gown together. As a result, my backside was visible to all who unfortunately looked in my direction. Not that I was embarrassed, but I’m sure the staff ran to eyewash stations after every visit to my room. Add to that the times the staff would come in while I was using my bedside “jug,” and you get the idea. The ultimate was when they had to shave a hitherto unshaved area of my body for my angiogram. I gave up my last shred of privacy, and pride, as the trimmer went to work. Hospital stays are humbling because there is no privacy whatsoever. You are at your worst, and the least presentable possible. Any illusion of pride gets carried out in the first bed pan.

2. I was humbled by losing control of the situation. Normally, we control what happens to us. We decide on something, act on it, arrange our surroundings to please us, dress as we wish, eat what we wish, and go where we want. We are in charge of our lives (right?). Although I kept control of how I reacted to what was happening, I lost control of everything else that was happening to me. I was told where to go, what to wear, what to eat, when to wake up (every two hours for blood work or shots), what was done to my foot, what medicines to take, when I could go home, etc. I was totally dependent on a team of other people who made decisions for me. I depended on them to know and do what was best for me, and depended on them to tell me what I now need to do to heal. Considering what can happen to any of us at any time, I was reminded that our idea that we control our own lives is an illusion. Things happen to us that we do not control; we do the best we can to manage what is in our control, but we cannot boast in our health, prosperity, or life situation. Ultimately, God is the one who is sovereign over our lives. He brings down and lifts up; he heals and sets the number of our days, and he redeems us beyond any ability of ours to add or subtract. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:27, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” It is humbling to give up control to other people, and humbling, but proper, to relinquish control to God.

3. I was humbled by the change in roles. As a pastor, I was the one visiting people in the hospital, hearing about their illnesses, praying with them, and hopefully giving them comfort and encouragement. I was the hero, the rescuer, who rode in on my mighty steed (sometimes my wheelchair) to bring them the Church’s loving concern and God’s blessings. Though I truly cared for each person, I felt good to walk in as their pastor, usually in my collar, doing the work that God had called me to do. Then, after each visit, I could leave and go back home. But now, things were different. Now, I was the one in the hospital bed undergoing surgery. I was the one suffering a physical ailment, lying there, hoping to heal. Only now, there were no visitors allowed, even Karen or my pastors. I lay there, understanding better how many of our members had felt over the years, feeling fear for their health and hoping someone would come to visit them. Over the years, I should have done more.

Though humility is not our desired condition, nor natural for us human beings, humility – the condition of being humble – pleases God. Scripture is full of passages teaching that we should be humble before God and toward our fellow human beings.

Toward God:

1. 1. As above: James 4: 10, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord . . .”
  2. In Daniel 10:12, an angel who appears to Daniel says to him, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”
  3. In 2 Kings 22:19 and 2 Chronicles 34:27, God hears the king of Judah’s prayers because “your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord.”
  4. Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
  5. “For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” (Psalm 138:6).
  6. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
  7. Psalm 147:6 says, “The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.”
  8. In Isaiah 66:2,God proclaims, “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Toward each other:

1. 1. Jesus told a parable that we should not seek places of prestige over others, but approach them humbly: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:8-11).
  2. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
  3. 1 Peter 5:5 says, “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'”

Humility before God and each other is only right, because the greatest and most exalted person of all eternity, the One whose Name is now exalted above every name, humbled himself by coming into the world as one of us, to die on a cross and save us from our sins (Philippians 2:5-8). So how can we be prideful? Who are we compared to him? What have we done, compared to him? What teachings should we follow regarding our attitude except those in God’s Word?

Humility is right, and it shouldn’t take a stay in the hospital or half of a hospital gown to check our pride and bring us back into line with what God desires. And when we do humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, James 4:10 concludes with the promise found in the rest of that 70’s song: “and he will lift you higher and higher.”

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Philippians 2:3-11; James 4:6-9; Matthew 8:4; Matthew 23:12.

Thanks No Matter What

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I’ve been thinking about some of the enjoyable traditions which go along with this national holiday. There’s the food, of course: turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes (or sweet potatoes), green bean casserole, and the ever-delicious pumpkin pie. Then there are the activities, including a morning church service, gatherings of friends and family, televised football games, and triptophan-induced couch comas.

Another great dinner tradition is to go around the table and have everyone share those things for which they are thankful this holiday. During this time, you are likely to hear thanks for the food, family and friends, a new job, recovery from an illness, freedoms, and among Christians, salvation in Jesus Christ. While people in general may be happy and generally thankful for the good things in their life, believers direct their gratefulness to God. It certainly is a good and proper thing to do, and it obeys the many Scriptural admonitions to recognize the source of our blessings and to thank God for them. Just a few of those passages are the following:

1 Chronicles 16:34, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Psalm 9:1, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”

Psalm 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

Isaiah 12:4, “And you will say in that day: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.'”

Revelation 7:12, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

There are so many reasons to be thankful to God, that the dinner may get cold before everyone finishes their list of blessings! Maybe we ought to restrict each person to say just one – or maybe two – points of praise.

Unfortunately, for many across the country this year, that restriction won’t be necessary, because there are so many problems and worries on people’s minds that thankfulness does not seem to be the dominant attitude. The apparent collapse of our society this year due to crime, inflation, shortages, civil unrest (that is, uncivil unrest), political division, border crises, the debacle in Afghanistan, and of course, the Covid pandemic and its effects. My guess us that many people are thinking, “What’s there to be thankful for? Let’s wait till things improve and then throw a big thank-you party!”

But that’s just the opposite of what we should do. Now, I’m not saying we ignore the issues facing all of us (not to mention personal problems any of us struggle with individually), nor am I advocating a Pollyanna approach that looks for the “silver lining” in those troubles. Even if we try to “make lemonade out of life’s lemons” the worries, hurts, disappointments, pains, and heartaches are all too real. No, we treat those problems seriously, and seek to overcome them with prayer, fortitude, and hard work.

And yet, it is precisely because we have those very real problems and dangers in our lives that we need to stop and turn our attention to God and offer him our thanksgiving.

I was struck when I read about Thanksgiving, that throughout our history, this celebration has occurred right after, or even during, times of extreme danger and troubles, rather than during periods of peace and prosperity.

The very first Thanksgiving, celebrated by the Pilgrims in October of 1621 (400 years ago this month!), came after the first harvest. But the meal was celebrated by only 57 Pilgrims, the other 45 members of the colony having died the previous winter.
In 1777, the Continental Congress called for a day of Thanksgiving to God, not because of victory, but during a time of desperation. They had to meet in York, Pennsylvania, for that declaration, because the British were occupying their usual capital of Philadelphia.
Abraham Lincoln declared a day of Thanksgiving in the year of 1863, in the midst of the bloody Civil War, when the fate of the nation (and the freedom of millions of slaves) was at stake.
In 1939, while millions of Americans were struggling due to the Great Depression, President Roosevelt declared a national day of Thanksgiving.
In 1942, Congress established the federal holiday, even though World War II was raging, with much fighting, bloodshed, and civilian hardships ahead.

As you can see, giving thanks is not contingent on good times. Rather, our attitude should be that of the prophet Jeremiah, who cried over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians, yet still could write these profound words: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

But why should we offer thanks to God when we don’t feel like it, when our eyes tell us “the Temple is destroyed.” Isn’t that just going through the motions, insincerity cloaked in religious piety? No; there are very good reasons to offer thanks even when we struggle to do just that.

First, we thank God because everything we have comes from him. Food, clothing, shelter, health, material goods, family, and friends all are from him. Not to mention our very lives themselves. All are a gift from God. And even should all those things be lost, including our lives, we still thank God for the greatest of all his gifts, eternal life through Jesus Christ. Scripture says that all good gifts come from our Father above (James 1:17). And Luther taught us that keeping the First Commandment requires us to attribute all our blessings to God and to nothing else (Large Catechism, Part I).

Second, we thank God because he deserves it. He is worthy of all praise and all devotion, even if we received nothing good from him. This is the lesson of Job, who though he lost everything, still held to faith in God, saying, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (Job 13:15). I picture the great scene in heaven, when all the saved – even those who lost everything in this life – join in the great chorus of “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them,” saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13).

Third, we thank God because we recognize that he is sovereign, that is, ruler over all. We might not like what we see, but we lack the knowledge or wisdom of God, whose foolishness is greater than man’s greatest wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25). In other words, we don’t have the whole picture. We can’t see what God is doing behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes, nor do we know his purpose in any specific situation. We have to trust that the One who is ultimately in charge knows what he is doing. “I’ve got this!’ is what he tells us in his Word. By thanking him, we are trusting him to do what is best. As Abraham told the Lord just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25).

Fourth, we thank God because he is the One who can actually overcome evil circumstances. Our thankfulness acknowledges our dependence on him, and is part of our prayer for his intervention. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Paul shows us the linkage between a grateful heart and asking God for his blessings. If we have an attitude of entitlement, why should God show his love and power by jumping to obey our demands? True prayer holds thankfulness for past mercies, and the promise of gratitude for God’s mercies still to come.

Fifth, we thank God even in times of trouble because it is a witness to others. When Satan afflicted Job, it was to see whether Job loved God only because God had blessed him so much. But Job did not abandon God when he lost everything, which was a testimony to Satan, and to all of us, that his faith in God was true. So too, when we continue to worship, pray, and thank God during our difficult times, we are showing the world that our faith is sincere and that God is worthy of worship. To unbelievers, giving God thanks blows away any prejudice they may have that our faith is a selfish thing, or that we see God as a magical genie we can summon to grant our wishes. To our fellow believers, our thankfulness during trouble is a strong encouragement for them to hold on when they face difficulties (which they will). Having difficulties is not a witness; how we handle them with God is.

There’s more that can be said, but it’s time to grab the old blunderbuss and go hunting for a turkey. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, and that you will be blessed when you, too, “give thanks with a grateful heart”*

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Job 1; Philippians 4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; Revelation 5

*Give Thanks, by Don Moen, Integrity Music, 1986.

A World Without God?

What would the world be like without God?

Besides the fact there wouldn’t even be a world or anything else without God (Colossians 1:17 – “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”), what if God just “walked away” and left the world to its own devices? What if no one knew God or called upon him, or believed in his Son, or lived under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit?

The Bible has actually given us powerful examples of times and places that the world lived in ignorance of, or rebellion against God. There were our first parents, Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God and tried to put themselves in his place – the result was the death sentence on them and all their descendants (including us). Then came the days of Noah, when the entire world apart from Noah’s family (eight souls) was so hopelessly evil that God regretted having created mankind, and wiped the slate clean with the Great Flood (Genesis 6:6 and following). Then there were great cities filled with evil, such as Sodom and Gomorrah (which God destroyed) and Nineveh (which he spared when they turned to him; see the book of Jonah).

But mankind’s disregard of God is not limited to a few dramatic times and places; it can be seen throughout the world and throughout history wherever people have tried to live without him. The disbelief in God is so pervasive, Romans 3:11 says, “no one seeks for God.” The absence of belief in God or obedience to his Word manifested in ancient times before Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit came into the world:

Constant wars and killings.
Slavery, usually of conquered peoples or the poor.
Abortion and Infanticide: the ancient Romans would toss unwanted children onto the city dumps (only to later have Christians rescue them). Canaanites would sacrifice children to their god, Molech, in a heated iron idol.
Sexual licentiousness. There was an entire ancient Greek regiment made up of male pairs, and it was accepted for tutors to teach their young students more than the three R’s. Cults and religions had temple prostitutes and men could legally kick out their wives for younger women. God forbidding such behavior is found in God’s law given to the Israelites in Leviticus 18:23, Exodus 22:19, and 1 Corinthians 6:9, among numerous places.
Worship of nature rather than its Creator. Cults thrived that sought to control nature through magic, and gods were invented to represent forces and objects. Wind, rain, land and sea, stars and planets, the sun and moon: all were deified and worshipped.
Selfishness and seeking material wealth and power at the expense of other people.

I’m sure glad we’ve gotten past all that foolishness in our modern world! No, wait, we haven’t, have we? We are every bit as sinful in all those areas as the world ever was:

There are wars between tribes and nations, and hundreds of killings in our own country every week.
Slavery still exists in what is called “human trafficking” as well as in outright servitude of some people to others.
Abortion is rampant, protected, and even publicly funded in our country, with over 600,000 a year (down from 1.5 million due to fewer pregnancies). Now, two governors have spoken in favor of infanticide right after a child is born.
Homosexuality is praised and taught to school children, and no negatives about it, or transgenderism or bestiality are allowed in the public arena. TV, movies, and online videos are filled with sexual innuendo and explicit acts. Acceptance of people is made contingent on accepting any sexual behavior those people do, regardless of what Scripture says about it.
The new nature god is Science, and nature worship continues. Whatever the latest theory is, gets support and funding, and people speak of the planet being alive, self-evolving, and “all there is.” People who would never speak of Father God freely speak of Mother Nature.
And as for selfishness and seeking after material wealth and power, do I really need to give examples?

So how is it that we see the same effects today of a godless world, when God himself came to earth to save us, and left his Spirit with us to guide and strengthen us? You would think things would be different. I think there are three points to make about that:

First, things are different for those who believe in that Savior and trust God’s Word, both his Law and his Gospel. The Spirit does work through the believers to soften the effects of sin and the Fall, both in changing lives and providing remedial care for those suffering the consequences of a sinful world. The Holy Spirit is still active, calling and enlightening people to faith in Christ, and then moving them to show God’s love in Christ to the world. The world would be even worse without the Church being in the world.
Second, even though Christians have brought blessings to the world, we are still sinners, and find that we don’t live up to our calling as well as we should. At times we have contributed to the world’s problems through wars, slavery, and greed, but these were not caused by faith, but by failure. At least our sins are confronted by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, so that we can, and have, repudiated many social sins.
Third, most of the world does not believe in God, and therefore is living in a “world without God.” Their own perceived needs and desires drive their actions, and social pressures drive their beliefs. Even if they have heard about Christ, they don’t believe. Their hearts are hard, their pride is in control, and they don’t want to submit to divine authority and change their lifestyles. They say in their heart, “There is no God.”

Of course, those who say there is no God are just deluding themselves. Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 say, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” There is a God (the God of the Bible), whether or not people believe in him. He does not derive his existence or power from his creation or his creatures; he is what philosophers call, the only “necessary Being.” The rest of us are all “contingent beings.” We depend on God for our existence; he does not depend on us. He existed self-sufficiently from eternity past without us. He did not need to create us, but freely chose to do so out of love.

That God’s existence is real can be known by his creation, especially in his creation of us who were made in his image. Paul wrote in Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” The rest of that passage (verses 18-25) reveals God’s judgment on those who would deny his existence:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

Regardless of what people believe, or think they want, God is in the world. The world cannot shut him out, it cannot kick him off the throne and put themselves there, no matter what they want. He is still in charge, and now, just as in the days before the Great Flood, he has allowed the world to follow its own path, a path that leads to destruction. Each of us will face the reality of a righteous and holy God when our lives here end, and one day the entire world will face its day of reckoning. On that day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

So, what would the world be without God? Bleak and doomed. But fortunately, those in Christ will never have to know such a world, for God has promised never to leave or forsake us. Amen thank you Lord!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Colossians 1:15-20; Psalm 53; Romans 1:18-32.

Our Father’s World

Some of my favorite memories as a child are about the times I spent at our YMCA’s summer camp in northern Wisconsin. From swimming and boating, to great food and fun campfire programs, to trail rides on the camp’s horses, to catching frogs and toads, there was almost always something going on that I now look back on with fondness.

Some of my memories go back to Sunday mornings at the camp, when all the campers would gather at the outdoor chapel for a worship service (the Catholic campers were taken into town for mass, and the one Jewish counselor had the morning off!). Besides the beautiful, peaceful setting looking out through the trees to the lake below, there was one more thing that made those services special: my dad was worship leader and preacher.

Although he wasn’t an ordained minister, my dad was devout in his faith and always involved in some church or lay ministry. In fact, since the YMCA was in those days a lay Christian ministry, he saw the purpose of his work as implementing the organization’s purpose of furthering Christian values and building a Christian society. So, as our Y’s Youth Director, he would come to the camp on Sundays to see how things were going (and to check up on me?), and to lead the worship.

The one thing I remember most from those Sunday services was my dad’s choice of hymns, which always seemed to include the old hymn, This is My Father’s World.* It always inspired me, sitting surrounded by the beauty of nature, hearing birds, feeling the gentle breeze, and seeing the trees and shimmering lake down below. Add to that, the fact that my own father was up front leading the service, and you can see why even today I have such fond memories and an appreciation for that hymn. I still affirm that this is indeed my Father’s world.

But in what way is it my Father’s world, speaking as the song does, of God, being our heavenly Father?

At the time, and for most of my life, the hymn has spoken to me of the natural world which God designed and created by his power. How beautiful his creation is, from mountains to oceans, to rivers and lakes; from trees and flowers to rocks; from sun and moon to stars; and most amazing, creatures from the small frogs I would catch at the camp, to the horses we rode, to the birds, and yes, even to the mosquitos we swatted. Everything in nature that shouted “God!” was praised in the hymn, which reminded us that this world is indeed a gift from God and from him alone. This world is from him and belongs to him. We just get to live in it.

Think of the ways God has reminded us of this fact. Genesis 1 recounts the creation of all things in the heavens and on earth by God, who sums up his work in verse 27: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Psalm 8:3-4 says, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Romans 1:19 says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Colossians 1:16 reminds us that by Christ, “all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Hebrews 3:4 says, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.” Jeremiah 32:7 proclaims, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” There are more verses which proclaim God as Creator, but let me add this one more from psalm 90:2, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” This is truly our Father’s world as proclaimed in the first two verses of the hymn:

This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

From both the affirmations of Scripture and my own senses, I have never doubted that God is real, that he is all wise and powerful, and that he is the Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists. This is my Father’s world – and universe.

2. But recently, I have had to look closer at the hymn’s third verse, which asserts that this is God’s world, regardless of its problems and challenges. With all the horrible things going on in the world, and especially now in our country, it would be very easy to think that everything is out of control, that our faith has lost the battle, and that the forces of evil have taken charge to remake everything in their own image. God’s commandments are thrown out, people look to the material world as all their is. As Carl Sagan put it, “The universe is all that is, ever was, or ever will be.” As Paul put it in Romans 1:25, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!”

But no matter how discouraged we might be, or how dominant the anti-Christian forces seem to be these days, we must not forget the truth which the hymn proclaims in its third verse:

This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!

God alone raises up rulers and brings them down. He alone sets the time span for nations and empires, for the righteous and sinners alike. He is the sovereign, in-charge ruler over all. Though we don’t know his purposes in the events we see or the struggles we face, we must remain confident that in the end, God’s will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He will judge us all with perfect justice, so those who mock him will not prevail: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”(Galatians 6:7). And above all, God’s love and mercy will triumph over all (James 2:13b), for not only is he the all powerful Father, he also loves us more than even our earthly fathers can.

For that I am grateful, to my earthly father for his love and Christian testimony, and to my – our – heavenly Father for all he has done, and will yet do, in this, his world.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 66:2; Revelation 4:11; Isaiah 45:18

*Public domain, written by Rev. Maltbie Davenport Babcock, published in 1901 as a poem, and in 1925 with the music.

My Wife Is a Karen

My wife is a Karen, my father was a Dick, and one of my best friends is a John. No, I’m not insulting them – those are their real names. Contrary to some current memes and connotations, my wife is not a self-centered, privileged woman who treats people condescendingly; my father was not a jerk (nor a private detective nor something else); nor does my friend frequent practitioners of the “world’s oldest profession.”*

How is it that perfectly good names take on such offensive meanings? How is it that a name such as Karen, which comes from a Greek word meaning “Pure,” came to be used as a put-down?

Sometimes, it happens because a certain person who bore that name did something bad, causing people to forever associate that name with wrong-doing. For example, if you call someone a Judas, a Benedict Arnold, or a Quisling (Norwegian traitor in World War II), you are calling them a traitor who has betrayed someone’s trust. There is even something called a “Judas goat,” a goat trained to lead sheep to the slaughter while not itself being killed. And would anyone name their newborn son, “Hitler”? (Actually, a couple in New Jersey did just that, and lost custody of their child for it!)

Sometimes, characters in books or movies are so stereotyped that their names become synonymous with certain characteristics. Someone (especially a girl) who is always cheerful and sees only the good in everyone and everything is a “Pollyanna.” Someone who is good at everything without training or experience, such as the character Rey in the Star Wars sequels, is a “Peggy Sue.” An African-American who relates well with whites gets called an “Uncle Tom” after the elderly slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 anti-slavery novel of the same name. And would you buy a dog whose name was Cujo?

Whatever the reason for using names as insults, I think we need to stop doing it. A person’s name is tied to their identity: to who they are and where they came from. They may be named for a beloved relative, for an honored historical figure, for the parents’ favorite place, or just because the name sounds good. They may bear biblical names, such as David, Mary, Adam, Martha, or yes, even Jesus (or do you say, “hay-soos”?). Whatever the name given to the child, they grow up with that name as part of who they are. For example, I was always proud of the name, Richard, as my dad’s namesake and for sharing the name with three kings of England – especially Richard the Lion-hearted, hero of the Robin Hood movies.

Last names especially point to a person’s ethnic heritage or family history, of which no one should be ashamed. Whatever national clues show up in a person’s name, such as O’, Mc, -son or -sen, -ov or -ova, de- or d’, or ki-, we should treasure them as indicative of the journeys our families took.**

When I was the leader for local Y-Indian Guides programs, I told the new recruits to select “Indian” names for themselves and their sons. Yes, this is horribly not politically correct these days, but I instructed them to choose, carefully and respectfully, names that honored Native Americans. I told them that while they had no choice in naming themselves at their birth, they now had a chance to pick a name to be proud of. I reflected on how my dad had chosen Indian Guide names for us when I was a child: Apalachee (Helper) for himself, and Neekanah (Friend) for me.

There is no greater argument for the value of a person’s name than the examples we find in the Bible. There, names are indicators of people’s natures and importance, especially to God. Virtually every name has special meaning, for example: Adam=”man,” Eve=”mother of all living,” David= “beloved,” Abimelech=”my father is king,” Daniel=”God is my judge,” and Elijah=”my God is Yahweh.” Names were so important that God actually changed certain people’s names to reflect his interaction with them, or his new purpose for them. Some of those changes were when he renamed Abram “high father” to Abraham “father of many” (Genesis 15:5); Sarai “my princess” to Sarah “princess of Yah[weh]” (Genesis 17:15); and Jacob “grasper of the heel” to Israel “striver, contender” (Genesis 32:28).

In the New Testament, there were two significant name changes: Jesus called his disciple, Simon “he has heard” by the name, Peter “stone” when the latter professed the faith on which Christ would build his Church. (Matthew 16:18); and another great apostle, Saul “prayed for,” became known as Paul “small, humble.” Interestingly, when Paul wrote his letter to Philemon, he asked him to welcome home graciously his former slave, Onesimus, a name which means “useful.” Paul actually told Philemon that Onesimus was formerly “useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me” (Philemon 1:11).

But of all names, in the Bible or elsewhere, the ultimate significant naming was when God told Joseph and Mary to name her spirit-conceived Son, “Jesus.” Why? “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus, or Yeshua, mean “the Lord saves” or “Savior.” It was the same name belonging to Joshua of the Old Testament, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, a foreshadowing of what Jesus does for those he has redeemed. How important is Jesus’ name? Philippians 2:9-11 tells us, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” I rest my case.

God has told us to treat his name – and obviously, the name of his Son – with respect and reverence. The Second Commandment tells us , “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). It grates on my spirit, and saddens me, when so many people today use the name of Jesus as a curse word, or flippantly say OMG when they are not actually calling on God in prayer. As Christians, those who will one day receive new names in heaven (Revelation 2:17), let us honor God by using his holy name with the love and reverence he deserves.

Shakespeare once wrote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But he was wrong, at least as far as the importance a name has for the person who bears it. So let’s treat each other’s names with respect, and by doing so, bring honor to the One who calls us to himself by name (John 10:3).

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Luke 1:31 and 2:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 2: 17 and 3:11-12

* Actually, the oldest profession was gardening, because, in the beginning, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15

** Can you identify the origins of the indicated national name clues? Hint: one of them is Zulu for “son of.”

Are You Woke?

Are you “woke”?

That’s a question people may ask you when they hear you snoring during one of my sermons. Hypothetically. Not that it ever actually happened. How could it? Sure, I did see a few yawns during my times in the pulpit, but I’m sure those were from people who had worked all Saturday night and found peace in what I was preaching . . . right?

More likely, these days when people speak of being “woke,” they’re not talking about the physiological state of not being asleep, but rather about being aware of issues of social justice. According to The Urban Dictionary, “woke” is “A word currently used to describe ‘consciousness’ and being aware of the truth behind things ‘the man’ doesn’t want you to know.” The idea is to be “awake” to the social situations and realities of our history and culture.

It’s an interesting term. Of course, its use implies there is a specific reality to which one should be “woke.” To be considered to be properly “woke,” one must not only know about, but also agree with a certain political viewpoint, specifically that of left-wing politics. It would do you no good to claim to be “woke” to other political or economic realities. You couldn’t say, for example, that you are “woke” to the benefits of the free market. Or are “woke” to the great accomplishments of our nation’s founders. Or, that you are “woke” to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

And yet, that last statement is the one true statement that shows you are really “woke” to the reality that is the most important fact of all history, the fact which transcends all others: political, economic, and historical. While today’s use of the term “woke” may seem new, the idea of knowing and understanding truth is as old as, well, the Bible.

Scripture speaks of waking up in three powerful ways besides the normal use of the term to refer to arousing from natural nighttime slumber.

1. The first is the call to wake up from the slumber of going through life unaware of God and our relationship to him. Psalm 14:1 proclaims, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” To go on through life unaware of God, his power and his sovereignty over everything is to be foolish. It is like sleeping all day and missing all that is important in life; worse, our eyes are open, but the cares and needs of the world around us keep our eyes blind to the reality that is really important. Like the person whose house is burning down, but hits the snooze button on his alarm clock to shut off the smoke detector, our “few more minutes of sleep,” ignoring God’s call on our lives, puts us in mortal danger.

Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32*). But his statement was not about knowledge in general, or science, or philosophy, or the latest political correctness; rather, it was about being set free from the bondage to sin by knowing him and believing in him. In today’s parlance, he could have said, “Be woke and you will be liberated!”

The Apostle Paul tells us that when we awake to the reality of God in Christ, our behavior should change. He says, “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

Ephesians 5:15 promises us blessing if we come out of our sleep-like stupor and turn to God: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

In the early 1700s, a series of revivals swept the American colonies, in which a renewed interest and devotion to Christ spread and impacted many people who had lost their religious fervor. It was called “The Great Awakening,” because people were said to be awakening from their spiritual lethargy. It is high time for another Awakening to come our way!

2. Second, the Bible speaks of being awake and alert as we await Christ’s return and the end of our current age. Romans 13:11 says, “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” By this, Paul tells us that there is urgency to our waking up to the reality of Christ’s return.

Likewise, Jesus told a parable in Matthew 25 about ten virgins awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom; five were ready but five were not, so when they were awakened at his coming, only the five who were prepared could enter the wedding feast. Christ commanded us to be like the wise virgins who were prepared: in verse 13 he said, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” His message is clear: we are to always be alert and ready for his coming. Being caught asleep is not an option.

What does this mean for us? It means that when Christ returns to bring judgment on the world, there will be two groups of people. One group will be those who ignored him and his warnings, and fell into a kind of spiritual sleep. The other will be the believers who long for his return, who pray for it daily (does “Thy kingdom come” sound familiar?), and who live in the expectation that Christ could return at any moment. This second group will not be caught off guard when he appears, but will rejoice at the sight of their Savior.

In Mark 13, Jesus tells of the signs of his return and the end of the age. Four times he commands, “Stay awake!” Sounds like he meant it!

3. Third, Scripture uses the word “awake” to describe our coming resurrection as waking from the sleep of death.

The Old Testament had already used the term “sleep” to refer to death, and “awaking” to refer to our resurrection. Job 14:12 says, “So a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.” Isaiah 26:19 proclaims, “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.” And, Daniel 12:2 tells us, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

The New Testament reinforces this usage, and gives us the basis for our hope of the resurrection: Jesus Christ, who himself died and rose again as the first-born of those who will be raised (Colossians 1:18).

In Chapter 11 of John’s Gospel, Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, sickened and died while Jesus and his disciples were away. The Lord knew what had happened, and told his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him” (11:11). Verses 12 and following tell us what happened next: “The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died.'”

Other passages also refer to death as sleep, and to resurrection as waking up. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes that great “getting up day”:

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

The temporary, sleep-like nature of death is memorialized in our word, “cemetery.” Prior to the early spread of Christianity, graveyards were called by the Greek term, “necropolis,” meaning, “city of the dead.” But the early Christians understood that the graves of believers were only temporary resting places where the deceased awaited the great day of Christ’s return and their rising to new life. Therefore, they started using a new word which was the Greek term for an inn, or traveler’s resting place. The new word they chose was “kemeterion,” which became “cemetery” in English, a testimony to their faith in the resurrection.

Then will come to pass for all of us the miracle referred to in Matthew 27:52 “The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.”

So, I ask you again, “Are you woke?” Are you awake to the reality of God? Are you awake and ready for Christ’s return? Do you look forward to falling asleep in the Lord and waking up at the resurrection? And finally, are you still awake after reading my blog?

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4, John 11, Job 19:24-26

* This quote from John 8:32 appears in the lobby of the CIA headquarters, but without the Scriptural context or meaning.

Not a Chance!

A little over a week ago, I had a wonderful chance encounter. Or was it . . . ?

I was sitting in the waiting area for a gate at Minneapolis/St. Paul’s airport, waiting for my two-legged flight home to Sacramento via Phoenix, Arizona. I had been attending our church’s national Pastors Conference, which for several of us had included interviewing seven candidates for ministry in our church body. Now we were done, and it was time to head home.

Having arrived early for my flight, most of the seats in the area were empty, but soon other passengers started filling in. Among them were two ladies who sat down a couple seats to my left. I would say they were “older ladies” but won’t, just in case they read this blog. Besides, it’s getting harder all the time for me to call anyone “older.” Let’s just say at least one was in her eighties. One came in a wheelchair, and the other was using a walker.

After a while, the younger of the two headed off with the walker to pick up some food for the flight. The remaining lady and I started a conversation which began when she told me her friend/relative really liked the walker since she had trouble getting up from chairs, or from the pew “at church.” When she said that, my ears perked up, and I knew what I had to ask her: “Oh, do you mind me asking which church you go to?” Her answer, of course, was: “Lutheran.” I smiled and replied: “Of course.” Then I told her, “I’m a retired Lutheran pastor.”

The woman using the walker returned, and after the older lady informed her about my being a pastor, we all had a very nice conversation about their church (now filled with former local Roman Catholics who left their church because the new priest was not fluent in English and they couldn’t understand him) and about mine. The younger woman, named Doris, told me she goes to the casino to gamble (was this a confession? I wondered), but told me she goes with a fixed amount of cash, and whatever she wins she puts away to give to charity. So she goes for the fun and then helps others with her proceeds. I commended her generosity. Then she told me she makes quilts which she sells or gives, again for charity.

I replied that my wife was at home, helping with our church’s craft fair where they put quilts up for raffle prizes, all to benefit our church’s school. Doris asked me how big the school was, and I told her we had about 200 students. She asked for my address, and said she would send me a quilt, though since she makes them thick for Minnesota winters, it might be too heavy for the Sacramento area.

Finally, we boarded the plane, and were separated for the duration of the flight. Upon arriving in Phoenix, we “de-planed” and as we were getting ready to move on, Doris came over and asked me again how many students were at the school. Again I said 200, which pleased her. She gave me a hug, and we went on our separate ways.

This was all a pleasant encounter, which would have been fine if it had ended there; imagine my pleasant surprise when just a few days later a card arrived in the mail from Doris containing cash for the school children (from, you guessed it, her casino winnings). She apologized for not sending a quilt, saying again that it would have been too heavy for our climate.

I had thoroughly enjoyed our conversation at the airport, initiated by a “chance” reference to a pew in church. It was a great ending to a very good week focused on God and his Church. As we say at our Christian Passover service, “Dayenu,” (it would have been enough), but the arrival of Doris’ card sent it over the top. What a blessing our “chance encounter” had been!

But was it chance? Was it just a coincidence? Was the likelihood of my sitting next to two Lutherans at that airport just a function of the large number of Lutherans in the Twin Cities? Or was it somehow arranged (by you-know-Who), a divine appointment for the mutual blessing of the ladies, our school kids, and me? And who knows whether other people heard us talking, in which case we were a witness to our faith? Why did the lady even mention her church pew, when just saying “chair” would have conveyed information about Doris’s use of a walker? And why did I feel compelled to ask which church, when such a prying question from a total stranger might not be welcome these days?

You can tell by my questions where I am going with this. I do not believe it was a random, chance encounter. I believe God orchestrated it, putting us together, prompting what we shared, and moving Doris to give generously. As we confess in the Creed, I do believe in the “communion of saints,” that believers are bound together by the Holy Spirit, and if we listen to what he says, we can truly bless others and receive blessings, just by the fellowship we share. This was one of those cases. But just how often do such divine appointments occur, and when are they just coincidences?

Leading theologians (such as myself) have pondered and debated the question of how much does God ordain, and how much does he just let “happen.” Given there are volumes written about this topic – generally referred to as the “sovereignty” of God – I cannot cover all the issues in this one blog. Instead, let me share some of my thinking on this question.

First, Scripture gives us some indications about the element of “chance” in life. When, in Acts 1, the surviving apostles select a replacement for Judas, they decide between two qualified candidates by “casting lots” (basically, throwing dice). The lot falls on Matthias, and he becomes the twelfth apostle. I referred to this event during my week in the Twin Cities, when I gave a short devotion to open one day of our interviews. I said we could save a lot of time in our interviews by just rolling some dice to determine yes or no for each candidate. I tried to calm my alarmed colleagues by saying it was biblical: not only did the apostles do it, but according to Proverbs 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” In other words, God determines the outcome of “random” events. So, I said, we could rely on the outcome of our dice rolls to make the right decisions. My colleagues did not go along with that. Of course, I added that there were two other considerations in the apostles’ action: first, they had thoroughly vetted the candidates to make sure either one was duly qualified for the important role of apostle; and second, the Holy Spirit had not yet descended in power on the Church. Now that we have the Holy Spirit, we decide by prayer, trusting God to make known to us his choices – before and after doing due diligence in examining the candidates.

The Bible speaks of chance rarely; besides the Proverbs passage, Ecclesiastes 9:11 speaks of time and chance happening to everyone as factors in their success, and Jesus speaks of the Good Samaritan coming upon the injured man “by chance.” Also, in 2 Samuel 1:6, the young man who killed King Saul said, ““By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear. . .” One says that our fate results from factors outside us, and not just our own abilities; the second is a device in a parable; and the third is spoken by a man and not a prophet or apostle. None of these passages denies God’s sovereign power over what happens to us. When the Bible speaks directly on the subject, it affirms God’s power over his creation. Nothing can happen unless he allows it to happen, from its creation to its destruction to its redemption.

Psalm 135:6 says, “The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.” Proverbs 16:4 says, “The LORD works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster.” Ephesians 1:11 says, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Romans 11:36 adds, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. ” I could add more verses, but I’ll stop with Lamentations 3:37: “Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?”

We could go on and discuss further ideas about how much God determines and how much is chance. Maybe I’ll get into them another time. But I’d rather close this blog with one thought about how this all affects us in our walk each day.

I believe that our faith calls on us to consider God and his purposes in everything we do and in everything that happens to us. In a sense we don’t have to determine whether God caused something, or it was an accident or a coincidence. The question really is: “What does God want me to do about it?” Even if God did not cause the event, he allowed it to happen; therefore, he has a purpose in it. Therefore, how should I respond? What is God’s purpose for me in this? What does he want me to say or do? Is he showing me his mercy or his disapproval? Is there someone he wants me to tell about Jesus Christ? Is there someone I am to comfort or help? Or, does he just want me to marvel at his glory and power?

In my airport encounter, though I firmly believe it was God’s doing, even if it had been a coincidence, it would have still called for my same response. I still needed to ask myself, “What does God want me to do about this?”

In every event, we need to recognize God’s presence and power over the situation, and look to him in prayer for what our response should be. We need to ask him his purpose, and what part he wants us to play. If we act according to Scriptural teachings and the foundations of our faith, then we are doing right, even if he doesn’t give us a clear direction in the moment. If we are faithful to him in our response, he will be faithful to us and use our obedience to accomplish his will (2 Timothy 2:13).

And can anything be better than that? Not a chance!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Romans 8:26-30, 2 Timothy 2:8-13)