Pastor Rich Eddy

Prison Break!

When some of you read that, you thought to yourself, “Finally! Pastor Rich is taking a ‘break’ from writing articles supposedly from prison, as if his missives could in any way compare to the great letters actually written from prison by such notables as the Apostle Paul, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Martin Luther King, Jr.”

But, no. By “prison break” I just mean that yesterday I escaped from my shelter-at-home prison of the mandated coronavirus quarantine. In other words, I got out! Okay, it was just for an hour or so to a local store and home again, but the “parole” was refreshing, and my wife and I did practice safe social distancing, wore face coverings, and washed our hands before and after what little surface contact we made.

One can look at our current stay-at-home isolation in two ways: it is harmful to our freedom and to our economy, to our social interactions and to our organizations, especially our churches. But hopefully, we will find the isolation will slow or limit the spread of this disease, and at the same time force us to find new ways to interact with our families, and with God through more study of his Word and time in prayer. We may even find time to go through those old VHS and casette collections to see if they’re still any good!

While on the way to the store, the words, “jail break” and “prison break” went through my mind, which in turn mutated into thoughts about prison breaks in movies such as The Great Escape and The Shawshank Redemption. From there, it was just a short mental jog to considering other, more significant escapes worth thinking about. This blog deals with some of those important prison breaks:

1. In Acts 12, the Apostle Peter was put in prison. This was pure persecution, in which the ruler, Herod, arrested Peter for the horrible crime of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Herod had already executed James and planned to do the same with Peter, ostensibly handing him over to the crowd the next day. To make sure Peter didn’t escape, the jailers made him sleep between two soldiers, bound him with two chains, and posted sentries outside the door to guard the prison (Acts 12:7). But during the night, an angel woke Peter up, made the chains fall off, told him to get dressed, and led the drowsy prisoner past the sleeping guards, through an iron gate that opened on its own, and out into the street. Peter was free! The story ends jubilantly when Peter joins the group of Christians who had gathered to pray for his release, but not before those friends humorously left him outside their locked door while they debated whether it was really Peter or just his ghost! (Verse 15).

2. Similarly, the Apostle Paul and Silas make an impressive prison break in Acts 16. Once again, preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ were thrown into prison by local authorities, ostensibly to keep the peace. In this case, it was in the Macedonian city of Philippi. And as with Peter before, special measures were taken to make sure they didn’t escape: the jailer “put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks” (16:24). This time, an earthquake hit around midnight while the two prisoners were praying, making their chains fall off and the doors swing open. But though they were now free, they didn’t leave, resulting in the conversion and baptism of the jailer and his whole family. Once again God showed his power, and his saving grace toward the jailer, who was about to kill himself when he thought the prisoners had gotten away.

The above accounts are wonderful examples of God miraculously freeing his servants. I always loved these passages, because they show God’s power over men (even tyrants like Herod). They demonstrate that God is with his people, that “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed” (Isaiah 54:17), and that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). And yet, such examples have their limitations. Not everyone held unjustly gets freed supernaturally, not even faithful believers. Most remain in jail and some die there for their faith. The same Acts 12 passage tells us that Herod put James to death “with the sword,” and eventually, even Peter and Paul were executed during their final imprisonments from which God did not free them.

So what good do those prison breaks do us, given that they were temporary and not universally available?

There are several, more obvious answers. First, they remind us that God has power over creation and can intervene for his Church as he wills. Second, in Peter and Paul’s cases, God had much important work yet for them to do. Third, God’s actions on their behalf validated their apostolic authority. And fourth, the events happened, and are part of the history of the Church worth telling.

But beyond these reasons, I believe there is a greater spiritual lesson and example here for us to learn. I believe that these liberations of some of God’s people are partial, visible fulfillments of the Messianic prophecies which God’s Old Testament prophets foretold would mark the work of the Christ.

We read in the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (61:1), these words about the coming Day of the Lord’s favor: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Then, when Christ began his earthly ministry, he read those same words from Isaiah’s scroll in his home synagogue and added this comment: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-21). Jesus knew who he was and what he had come to do, which included proclaiming liberty to captives and opening the prison to free the captives.

But unless the gospels leave out a lot of what Jesus did while on earth, we don’t see him going around to various jails and prisons and opening the gates to let all the prisoners go free. He didn’t hand out “Get out of jail free” cards to his disciples or the crowds which followed him. He didn’t abolish incarcerations as some kind of social activist or reformer. So what did he do to fulfill the prophecy? How was it fulfilled in his reading?

First, we should understand that when reading that passage, Jesus was claiming that the whole prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah was pointing to himself. He was claiming messiahship; his coming, and the work he was about to do, would fulfill the words which God had given Isaiah to write.

Second, as Messiah, Christ would fulfill all that was foretold, but each thing in its own proper time and in its own proper way. We see in the gospels the fulfillment of all Isaiah’s Chapter 61 predictions about Messiah except the freeing of prisoners; even John the Baptist died in prison during Jesus’ earthly ministry, and if there were anyone Jesus would have wanted to free, it was certainly him (Jesus said, “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.” Luke 7:28). Interestingly, when John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus to ask if Jesus were really the Messiah, Jesus again quoted the Isaiah passage, but this time left off the “free the prisoners” portions (Matthew 11:4-5 and Luke 7:22-23). Maybe he did so because John was in prison and Jesus knew how that would end?

Third, this puts the freeing of Peter and Paul in a new light. Not only were they specific and personal blessings for those two and the Church they would serve, they were also signs of Christ’s messiahship, fulfilling what was promised by Isaiah. Even from heaven, Christ reached down and freed the captives, for it is clear that God freed these proclaimers of Christ. Now, the fulfillment of Isaiah 61 was complete.

But just as the fulfillment of the prison prophecy was temporary, so were the healings which Isaiah had foretold and Jesus had claimed: the blind saw .  .  . but would die. The lame would walk . .  . but would still die. The poor would die. And even those Christ would raise from the dead would, once more, die. Does that mean Jesus was only a “temporary” Messiah, one whose work applied to one place and time? Isn’t there a more permanent fulfillment of Christ and his work?

Fourth, indeed there is. While the signs which validated Jesus’s identity as the Christ had temporary fulfillments, the work which he accomplished on the Cross and by his resurrection is permanent, even eternal. Christ died so that all who believe in him would be freed forever from the bondage to sin and death. He freed us from sin’s curse; we are no longer its slaves: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” Therefore, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1), and “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Jesus proclaimed about himself, “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed” (John 8:36). But he did more than just say we are free; by his death he set us free from the curse of the Law, canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. Colossians 2:14 says, “This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

Because of Christ and through his sacrifice, our sins are forgiven, our debts are paid, and we are set free! The Liberator has come, broken our chains and opened the prison gate. We have been pardoned, our record has been expunged, and we are free to follow him now and into eternity.

Talk about a prison break!

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: Isaiah 61; Acts 12; Acts 16

There’s an old saying: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Well, this past week, my wife modified the saying slightly to say, “You can lead a cat to water, but you can’t make him drink,” thus providing the title to this blog. The occasion for the new saying is one of the reasons my blogging has been delayed: our cat, Charco*, suddenly got sick, started hiding out all day and night, and stopped eating and drinking for almost a week. I took him to the vet twice, including one 3:00 am trip, for hydration shots, and we have been trying all kinds of things to get him to eat and drink something. The good news is that after five days he finally came out and started eating; the bad news is that after eight days he still isn’t drinking from his water bowl, which he always loved to do. As my wife said, you really can’t make a cat drink. (By the way, after vet exams and blood work, Charco was pronounced a healthy cat! Healthy, except for being sick . . .)

As I thought about this experience, several ideas, or lessons, came to mind that I believe are worth sharing.

1. God’s mandate at creation was for us to care for what he has created. Ever since our first parents were placed in the Garden of Eden, God has charged us with the proper management of the land, plants, and animals (Genesis 1:28 “have dominion over every living thing” and 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”). All living things are God’s, which he declares in Psalm 50:10-11, “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.” Therefore, we are responsible to our Creator to properly care for all he has made. All Christians who take God’s ownership of the earth seriously, should be ardent environmentalists, not in the sense of radicals who think the world would be better without humans, but in the sense of being true stewards who protect what God has made and given to us for our blessing. This means in my case, to care for the animal God brought into our life at a time when I needed a special blessing.
   
2. Though sickness and death affect all living creatures, God still loves what he has made. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” And when God threatened to destroy the great city of Nineveh, he sent Jonah to warn them, saying he took pity on the people and on the “many cattle” who lived there (Jonah 4:11). Even when God’s wrath was poured out by flooding the whole earth due to mankind’s overwhelming sinfulness, he preserved animals as well as humans on the ark (even though we wish some insects like flies and mosquitoes would have missed the boat!). The Bible calls Jesus the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep, using the analogy of a shepherd who goes out to save his lost sheep (which we are!). And when God wanted to show his wisdom and power to Job, he used two of the animals which he had created as evidence of his greatness: behemoth and leviathan, mighty land and sea creatures, respectively.
3. Pets are more than just animals. The fact we call them “pets” is evidence of that. Though my wife and I have often said, “He’s just a cat” about Charco, meaning there are limits to what we would do for him, when it came down to this week, we found ourselves worrying, working at feeding him, petting him, and spending hundreds of dollars on his medical care and medicines. He’s not a child, nor are we “pet parents.” But we find that he has a special place in our hearts just for who he is. He doesn’t actively do anything for us; he doesn’t do tricks, fetch my slippers, or even come every time we call him. He is, after all, a cat. But he does amuse us, and we care for him. In this way, our relationship to him is similar to God’s relationship to us: we don’t earn God’s love and grace by what we do for him; he loves us because of who he is. We are just people – sinful and imperfect – yet to God we are more than just animals he created. By his love, he considers us as valuable enough for Christ to die for, and desires us to be with him in paradise. He does not desire for any of us to perish (2 Peter 3:9) but considers us to be of far more value than the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26 again) or many sparrows (Luke 12:7). We are not just God’s pets, either; he calls all of us who believe in Christ to be his children (John 1:12). 
4. You can lead a cat to water, but you can’t make him drink. Charco resists our efforts to get him to drink. I tried reasoning with him but he just stared blankly. I tried threatening him, but he just yawned. Karen changed his water bowls and where they are placed, but he just said, “Puhleeaze” and walked away. Karen finally mixed water in with the food he ate, so he is getting some water. But even though we knew he needed to drink, he just isn’t going along with the program.Which leads me to my final observation:
   
5. You can lead a person to Christ, but you can’t make him or her believe.  As with cats and horses, so with us human beings, if not with water, then with matters of faith. We read in the Bible and see in the world around us, that you can proclaim the Gospel, explain the Scriptures, show evidence in your life of what Christ has done for you, answer objections, explain the benefits (here and in eternity) of faith in Christ, and talk until you’re blue in the face, but you can’t make someone believe. This has been true ever since Christ himself walked the earth. There was a rich young ruler who was devout in his Jewish faith, but when Jesus told him to sell his wealth and follow him, the man walked away. When Jesus proclaimed his Messiahship at his home synagogue, the people tried to throw him off a cliff. When he did miracles in front of the Pharisees, they accused him of breaking the Sabbath law and of using the devil’s power. Worst, after personally witnessing three years of Jesus’s authoritative preaching, teaching, and performing incredible miracles, one of his closest disciples betrayed him and another denied him. Later, Paul taught two Roman governors who held him in prison, Felix and Festus, and King Agrippa, about Christ, but they didn’t respond in faith to what they heard (Acts 25 and 26). As in biblical times, so today. When I was pastoring, many of our members came to me, lamenting that they had family members who were raised in church but didn’t believe in Jesus anymore. We all know other people who know about Christ and Christianity who have chosen other religions or consider themselves atheists (or agnostics, as if that were a kinder, gentler way of saying they don’t believe). In almost all these situations, the problem is not lack of knowledge, but a lack of faith. Which is not a good thing, because “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).
   
6. So how does a person come to believe in Christ? First, they need to hear the Gospel. Paul tells us in Romans 10:13-14 that we are charged with teaching people the Gospel: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” The Word of God works on their hearts and minds and spirit to produce faith, which is created in them by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a supernatural act which cannot be done by our own effort (as hearers or teachers) but by God himself. That is why he tells us in Ephesians 2:10, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” This truth is echoed in Luther’s Small Catechism, which says in explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” Therefore, although we present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people in love for them and in obedience to Christ’s command to evangelize the world, we cannot make them believe. We do the best job we can and then pray for them to believe, and for God to work in their hearts to create that saving faith we all need.
   

Thanks be to God that he loves us as much as he does, and that he is more patient with us than Karen and I are with Charco. For as we know that our cat needs water to live, so our Lord knows we need faith in his Son to live forever. He has told us that without him, we are planted in a desert, a dry and thirsty land (Ezekiel 19:13). So don’t let that thirst ruin you: drink deeply of the Living Water he has given for us!

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

Read: Job chapters 1-4, Acts 26

* Charco is not short for “charcoal,” even though he has black fur; it’s short for “Charcot,” the name of the foot disease that I came down with just before we got him as a kitten. My wife’s idea, since she wanted something good to come out of this, and for the name to mean something good. So now we have the only cat in history ever named after a foot disease.

One of my earliest blogs was called “Odds & Ends” which explained a number of approaches I was taking to my blogging. Since many of you have joined the vast (?) crowd of readers well after the first year, I decided to repeat that early blog for the benefit of my newer readers. At the end I added an updated note, #5. So, here it is again:

Our church’s monthly newsletter has a page called, “This ‘n That” which provides the pastors a space to post announcements of upcoming events, give short summaries of recent developments, congratulate people, offer condolences, and list people who need prayers for healing. It is a helpful way to communicate important matters to the members in a succinct manner.

I found it very useful, which is why I’m beginning a similar “page” for my blog. I’m calling it, “Odds & Ends” (to avoid copyright infringement?). I don’t know how often it will appear, but whenever I accumulate a few things to tell you which don’t warrant an entire article, I’ll stick them in “Odds & Ends” and pass them along. I hope you will find these short comments useful and interesting.

1. The Bible translation I am using the most in my blog citations is the English Standard Version (ESV). It follows in the long tradition of the King James Version/ASV/RSV while taking advantage of recent textual discoveries and updated language. Before switching to the ESV I used the NIV because it was very comfortable and understandable, but its tendency to play loose at times with its translations, plus the decision of the copyright holder to forbid public use of the NIV from any editions before 2011, led me to make the switch. (Besides, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (ESV), just sounds better than “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (NIV). I know my preference is subjective and not a rigorous scholarly opinion, but it is after all my blog!
2. You may have noticed that except for my first post, I have not been capitalizing the personal pronouns which refer to the Deity. This is not to show any lack of respect or honor for God, but to be consistent with both the modern English translations which I cite (such as the ESV) and the Hebrew and Greek biblical texts from which those translations are made. Pronouns such as he, his, him, and himself are not capitalized in the Greek or the Hebrew texts, so using lower case letters is actually more scripturally accurate.
3. The Bibles pictured in the heading on my blog pages are from my own library. While I was looking online for stock images of books to place in the header and portray my interest in reading, my wife asked me why I didn’t just take a picture of my own books since I had so many to choose from. It was one of those “duh!” moments. She was right of course, so I got out the camera and took the picture you see. We like how it turned out, and besides . . . no royalties! (Unless you want to use it, then let’s talk . . .)
4. Besides writing my blog and trying to assimilate the books from my church office into my home library, I’m also finishing work on my second book, which has the working title of Raising Ebenezers: Recognizing God’s Miracles in Your Life. I was almost done with it until I taught a course on miracles at church and realized there were a few more things to be added to the book. By the way, Ebenezer means “stone of help,” and refers to a stone that Samuel erected to commemorate God’s help in defeating the Philistines at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7:12). Watch for news of publication when it’s done!

And now, an update for June 2019:

5. I finished the Raising Ebenezers book, which received a favorable review from a Christian writers’ service, but which I will probably self-publish soon. I also wrote a novel about biblical times, titled: Out of the Tombs. It tells the fictional story of one of the saints raised when Jesus resurrected that first Easter (Matthew 27:52-53). I have begun laying out plans for two other novels, also about other fictional saints resurrected that day.

P.S. I just received an invitation to my high school’s 50 Year Reunion. How is that possible? I don’t remember graduating when I was only seven years old . . .

Until next time, 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.

Read: 1 Samuel 7:5-14

Today, my wife and I wore red to church.

So did the pastor, the altar, the pulpit, the lectern, and the music team (all except one singer who didn’t get the memo). So did many of the other congregation members. Even the flowers behind the altar were red.

Now, I get wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, even if the Irish side of my ancestors were “Orangemen” Protestants from Northern Ireland. Green is associated with Ireland, as are shamrocks, leprechauns, green beer and St. Paddy himself. But why red? Is this for a Russian saint’s day? St. Dimitry’s Day? St. Vladimir’s Day? St. Nicholas’ Day (yes, he is Russia’s patron saint)?

No; we wore red because today is Pentecost, the day in the Church year that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit in power upon the Church and into the lives of believers. Acts 1 and 2 tell us that the first believers, about 120 in number, were gathered in Jerusalem waiting for “power from on high” (Luke 243:49) before taking the message of Christ and his resurrection out into the world. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus had ascended into heaven, but not before promising the Father would send the Holy Spirit to his disciples in his place. Now another ten days had passed, and Jews from around the Mediterranean had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast day of Pentecost.

Pentecost, from a Greek word meaning “fifty,” was a feast held fifty days after Passover. The Jews called it the “Feast of Weeks” (7 X 7 weeks plus the actual day) or the “Feast of First-Fruits,” which celebrated the first harvest of the year. It also came to celebrate the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. It was one of the three major feasts of the year, one which Jewish males were supposed to celebrate by a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But now, it was about to take on special significance to Christians.

Acts 2 tells us the events of that day: “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The Holy Spirit came upon them in the promised power from on high with signs that were both visual (tongues of fire) and audible (the sound of rushing wind). Then, to show that the Spirit not only came around them but also entered into each of them, the believers began to speak in other languages beyond their natural capabilities. By the power of God, they spoke in many other languages which were understandable to the various nationalities of Jews who had come to Jerusalem and now heard them speaking – and praising God – in their different tongues.

This amazed the hearers, who realized the Spirit-empowered believers were predominately Galileans; how did these back-country folks know their dialects? The phenomenon was so striking that some of the hearers thought the disciples were just babbling drunkenly; maybe those critics couldn’t understand the languages themselves.

Many Christians today focus on the supernatural gift of tongues which the Holy Spirit bestowed that day, as if that were the great sign of God’s presence and empowerment. But it was just a sign, an announcement of sorts to get people’s attention to pay heed to the greater miracle which was about to occur. For following the miraculous speaking of foreign tongues, Peter got up and spoke in a common, understood language, explaining not only the just-witnessed phenomenon, but also proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This man Peter had gone from hiding out in fear and denying his Lord three times, to standing up boldly before a crowd and charging them with killing their Messiah. This was miraculous in itself that Peter would do so, but Pentecost’s miracles were not finished. When the crowd cried out in conviction of their sin and pleaded how they might be saved, Peter told them to repent and be baptized. The Holy Spirit moved in the people’s hearts, and we are told that 3,000 of them were baptized that day.

And thus the Christian Church was born, and disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit would go out into the whole world, risking and giving their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ and the souls of the people of every nation, tribe, and yes – language.

Over the centuries, Christians have noted several things about the events and significance of that special day of Pentecost:

1. God chose the Feast of First-Fruits, a harvest festival, to begin the harvest of souls in the Church. The 3000 who joined the Church that day were the first-fruits of evangelism by the newly-empowered apostles. That gathering of fruit continues to this day, in that over 2 billion alive today have been baptized in Jesus’ name.

2. Just as the Jews marked the giving of the Law to Moses in their Pentecost celebrations, so the Christian Church marks the giving of the Gospel at the new Pentecost. This also celebrates the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy that God would send another prophet “like unto Moses” to whom the people were to listen (Deuteronomy 18:15). The comparison/contrast between Moses and Christ is stated explicitly in Acts 3:22 and Acts 7:37. John 1:17 puts it this way: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

3. Pentecost is a reversal of God’s curse upon the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), at which he confused what had been the one common language of all mankind so that the people could not understand each other. This thwarted their building of the tower, and caused them to spread out over the earth, as God had originally commanded them to do. Ever since, the world has been filled with many languages and dialects which developed in the millennia since the days of the confusion. Today there are estimated to be around 6,500 different languages (I don’t know if this includes invented languages like Klingon). Then along comes Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit bridges the language gap, uniting people from many countries into the one Church by speaking their language. As God once cursed mankind by separating them due to their sin, he now unites them in the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

4. Today, mission work requires people to study and learn other languages through hard work. Organizations such as Wycliffe and Lutheran Bible Translators are committed to providing the Scriptures in every language. But it is still the Holy Spirit who takes those translated works and uses them to change the hearts and minds of the hearers and readers, creating faith and bringing them to Christ their Savior, who died for them as well as for first-century Greek and Hebrew speakers.

Personally, I don’t lament that there are many languages around the world; they have added a richness to human life and experience. How else could we eat hamburgers, tacos, chow mein, pad Thai, pizza, sauerkraut, borscht, sushi, bagels, and lutefisk? Wait, skip that last one. But what I lament is that we (and I) can’t speak or understand all of them. The Bible promises that people of every language will be in heaven: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). I believe in that day we will understand each other, whatever language or languages we will use, and that our words will do the same as the miraculous words did on Pentecost: we will praise the mighty and wonderful works of God.

But again, why do we wear red on Pentecost? To symbolize the coming and work of the Holy Spirit, who manifested his coming by tongues of fire resting on the disciples. May his power, so evident that day in so many ways, bless and keep you strong in the faith every day of the year!

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: Acts 2, John 1.

Until a couple weeks ago, I always had the greatest respect for Kate Smith. The fact she could sing and I cannot had something to do with it. So did my mother’s admiration for her; my mother was a singer and a larger woman, as was Kate, and mom always respected people who were larger than average and excelled in their craft.

But the main reason I respected Kate Smith was her famous and inspiring rendition of Irving Berlin’s 1938 classic, God Bless America. As someone who always loved both God and country, I found that song to be a thrilling tribute to both. The words are simple but stirring:

God Bless America, land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam.
God Bless America, my home sweet home.
God Bless America, my home sweet home.

Recordings of Kate Smith singing this song have inspired literally millions of Americans, from the darkest days of the Great Depression, through World War Two, and even up to the present. Famously, her recording was played by the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team instead of the National Anthem to start many of their games – especially the ones where a lot hung on the outcome of those games. The Flyers compiled an impressive win-loss-tie record of 100-29-5 whenever they played her singing God Bless America (she also sang it live for them four times).

The game I remember most was when the Flyers played the Soviet’s Red Army team in January of 1976. The Red Army had beaten most of the NHL teams in a series of exhibition games before coming to Philadelphia. I lived in the area at the time, and watched on TV when the teams took to the ice. They lined up for the playing of the National Anthem, when over the speakers came the unmistakable voice of Kate Smith singing her song. The stands went crazy as the crowd of thousands started cheering and belting out the song. I remember seeing the puzzled and shaken looks on the Soviet players faces during the song. Kate’s magic worked once again, as the Flyers went on to win the game 4-1.

But then, just about a month ago, there surfaced a recording of Kate singing a much less inspiring song. In fact, it was a terrible song, filled with the most offensive lyrics against blacks – referring to them in derogatory terms and saying they were made to serve as slaves. It was so bad, that I actually laughed, not because the lyrics were funny – they weren’t – but because the song was so over-the-top terrible. It was almost a parody of such songs, but sadly, it was not. Kate . . . how could you?

Since the publicizing of that awful song, Kate’s recording of God Bless America has been removed from the Flyers’ playlist, and a statue of her which stood outside their arena has been removed, after first being covered in protest of the racist song. Since then, arguments have raged about race, political correctness, and what response we should make regarding our heroes’ failures. Does a bad act disqualify the good acts a person does?

I remembered a line from Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. After Caesar was assassinated, those contending for power attended the public funeral. Marc Antony addressed the crowd, beginning with these words:

In last week’s blog article, I set aside working on my own taxes long enough to address some of the issues that arise from our tax systems and how a Christian should relate to them.

Basically, I pointed out from Scripture that:

1. God has instituted all authority (Romans 13:1); 2. The rulers are God’s instruments for justice and the restraint of evil (Romans 13:3-7); 3. Everyone is to be subject to the governing authorities (Romans 3:1 and 1 Peter 2:13-14 – “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.”); and 4. Jesus himself commanded us to “render to Caesar” what belongs to him, namely his taxes, but to render to God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21). This two-way submission is God honoring, but it may lead to problems when our duties to God and our duties to the state  conflict with each other.

At the close of the last blog, I said “At some point, we may need to just say ‘No’; there may be a point when obedience to God means saying no to government demands.” I then ended with the statement:  “Before we do, there are certain criteria we must take into account if our protest is going to be God-honoring.” But, what are those things?

1. First, we recognize that “no one can serve two masters” (Luke 16:13). If God and government disagree, God is the supreme authority. As Jesus told his disciples regarding coming persecutions: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). I would rather be judged by the state than by God.
2. Next, we have to make sure that our objection to particular government demands is based on God’s word, and not just our opinions or attitudes. Just because we don’t like a certain tax or law doesn’t mean we get to refuse it. The Apostle Peter was clear about this when he told Christians to behave, so that if they were persecuted it was for their faith and not for their criminal actions. He wrote in 1 Peter 2:19-20, “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”
3. The form of government does not matter when it comes to honoring those in authority, since all authority is given by God. Whether we are in a kingdom, an empire, a republic, a democracy, or a dictatorship, we are still to do our civic duty. In fact, for most of history, including all the earliest centuries of the faith, believers were under pagan kings and emperor – yet Christ’s command was still valid.
4. Our form of government puts more of the onus on us as citizens. We cannot just point the finger at distant rulers and blame them for everything (as guilty as they might be); we share the responsibility because of our role in electing our leaders and decision-makers (or passively allowing others to elect those leaders for us). Our approach must be one of humility before we complain too loudly.
5. If a law or tax violates God’s word, we must first seek to change that law or tax in ways that respect government and those who work in it. This means lobbying our legislators, speaking out publicly, forming organizations that seek to overturn the bad policies, etc. We must first make the case for why we object to the law or tax.
6.  Refusal to follow an evil law must be done while still honoring our fellow citizens who are enforcing those laws. We owe them respect, recognizing the position they are in, even if they fully endorse what they are doing. By treating them well we remove the personal nature of our refusal and have a better chance of winning them to our viewpoint. Hatred breeds hatred; love calls forth love.
7. If we decide that we must disobey a law or tax, we must do so without violence. All violence decides is who has the biggest, or most, guns. People will decide that might makes right, rather than see the rightness of our cause. When a matter is decided violently, it is never truly settled; anger, hate, and revenge can simmer just below the surface, waiting for the chance to boil over. The early Church grew in spite of persecution by winning the hearts and minds of even the persecutors.
8. If we disobey the law, we must be ready to suffer the consequences. We may not like the punishment, and may truly suffer loss of property and freedom, but those are prices that we must sometimes pay if we are to obey God. The martyrs before us, and those in other places around the world today, gave all they had for the faith. And they considered themselves blessed to suffer for their Lord who had suffered for them. Why should we expect to avoid government’s rod or sword?
9. Ultimately, God will judge those in authority for what they did with their power. He brings down people and governments for doing evil and for not fulfilling the purposes for which he raised them up. God requires rulers to restrain and punish evil, to establish and administer justice, to protect the vulnerable, and to guard the lives of its people. It’s very interesting that the founders of many of our states’ early constitutions required that elected officials be Christians, or otherwise believed in judgment after death; they wanted leaders who recognized they were under divine authority and would one day be judged for what they did in office. (Too bad we don’t require that any more!)

There is a question to which all these considerations point: namely, what are the things of God that we must render to him? We owe him our very lives; we owe him our possessions (recognizing that he says to pay some of them to Caesar); we owe him our time; we owe him worship; we owe him our relationships and our activities; we owe him obedience to all his commandments (even recognizing that we cannot fulfill any of them); we owe him our faith and trust. We owe him love with all our heart and mind and strength; we owe him love for our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, we owe him everything. Should government command we look to it as our god, we must refuse. Should government outlaw our faith, we must resist. Should government order us to violate God’s commandments, we must refuse. For where our duty to God conflicts with the demands of men, God wins.

Finally: when Jesus was asked about taxes, he pointed to Caesar’s image on a coin and asked whose image was on it. If you look at a dollar bill today, you see a picture of George Washington, and the words, “In God We Trust.” If Jesus were asked that same question today, I can imagine him saying, “Render to Washington the things that are Washington’s, but render to God the things that are God’s, and trust in God for the outcome.”

With that in mind, have a great April 15th!

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 Peter 2, Matthew 10:16-33

The Super Bowl was yesterday. I didn’t watch it, except for the final two minutes, so I guess I saw all the exciting parts. Part of the reason I didn’t watch was I wasn’t sure what time it was to start. Between pre-game shows, the puppy bowl, the kitten bowl and the cat bowl, there was too much to keep track of. Besides, I wasn’t invested in either team (emotionally or financially) to feel the need to watch the “big game.” It’s not that I don’t like football – I do enjoy watching it whenever I have it on – and I did play football back in college (okay, intramural flag football – still it was football) – but I usually have something else I’d rather do whenever it’s on. Like nap or write a blog.

And yet, as I thought about this year’s Super Bowl, several things came to mind which I could consider as lessons which I am taking to heart. There are three such lessons that come to mind:

First Lesson: I should have stuck with my flag football career in college and built it up to employment with the NFL. Those guys make serious money. Just to be on a team that plays in the Super Bowl, each player gets $53,000. Being on the winning team brings you $107,000. And that’s in addition to the multi-millions earned for the rest of the season. Like I said, I should have played more football. Of course, playing football can lead to brain injuries, so I would pick a safer position such as designated kicker (the opposing team is penalized for even touching the kicker) or water boy.

Second Lesson: I’m glad I gave up on my musical career. It turns out that the half-time performers don’t receive any pay for their singing and/or dancing. I could be up on stage, thrilling millions of people with my dulcet tones, yet only get a pat on the back when it was over. Then too, there is always the danger of a wardrobe malfunction. But we won’t go there.

Third – and Real – Lesson: Okay, there was something that caught my attention about the lead-in to this year’s Super Bowl, and that is the role the referees and officials played in the outcomes of the two league (AFC and NFC) championship games that determined which teams finally made it to the Super Bowl. Both games had questionable, actually downright bad calls that favored the teams that went on to win those games: New England and Los Angeles. While not getting technical about the nature of those calls, I can say that fans of the teams that lost have legitimate gripes against the calls that were made. They could justly claim that their teams were treated unfairly.

If there’s any particular ethical expectation left in our society, it is the doctrine of “fairness.” We expect judges to be unbiased, playing fields to be level, opportunities to be equal, produce to be fair-traded, teachers to grade fairly, taxes to be fair, and scales to give fair weight. The concept of fairness is so ingrained in us that one of our earliest complaints as a child is, “That’s not fair!” And as adults, we pass laws and enact policies that are intended to ensure fairness in all transactions.

Unfortunately, the world is not fair.

Unfortunately, the world is not fair. Life is not fair. There are no guarantees of fairness in this fallen world. Refs make bad calls all the time (just think of some of the judging at the Olympics!). Elections are cheated in, and spouses are cheated on. Insider deals make millions for favored investors, while seniors lose value in their pensions due to inflation. Small countries are bullied by bigger ones, and small mom-and-pop stores are crushed by big box giants. The coach’s son always gets to play, while the shy, unknown kid does not. The crook who embezzled millions gets off on a technicality, while someone like you or me has to pay hundreds of dollars for driving three miles over the speed limit or parking one inch over a line. And, tragically, sweet, loving, generous people we know and love come down with horrible diseases like cancer. It’s just not fair.

God is well aware of the unfairness we sinners have brought into the world. His Word is full of admonitions for his people to be fair in all their actions toward others. In Deuteronomy 25:15 he commanded the use of full and fair weights and measures in commerce. He charged Israel with treating its people unfairly, of judging in favor of the wealthy, and of taking bribes (Micah 7:3). In Proverbs 31:9, he commanded, “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

God demonstrates fairness in his own actions:

As an example to us, God demonstrates fairness in his own actions: in Isaiah 2:3-4, we read about God’s Anointed One, “He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.” Psalm 67:4 praises God: “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.” God affirms that he is not partial to those who might have undo influence in society: Acts 10:34 says, “God shows no partiality” (about nationality); Romans 2:11 says, “For God shows no partiality”(toward Jew or Greek); Galatians 2:6 teaches, “God shows no partiality” (toward people in respected positions); Ephesians 6:9 adds, “there is no partiality with him” (toward master or slave); and Colossians 3:25 teaches in a paragraph dealing with relations between husbands and wives, masters and slaves, parents and children, that all will be held accountable to God for their actions because with God “there is no partiality.” The Lord demonstrated this when he directed Samuel to anoint David as king, bypassing one of his brothers named Eliab who looked very regal: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

The only place where God does not deal fairly is with us when it comes to our sins

The only place where God does not deal fairly is with us when it comes to our sins. Instead of  giving us what we deserve, he forgives us. Instead of casting us all into the pit of fire, he provides a means of escape. Instead of turning his back on us, he provides reconciliation through the sacrifice of his Son. As the psalmist said, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3) If anyone could claim to be treated unfairly, it was Jesus, who lived a perfect life and obeyed all of God’s commands, who showed love and compassion toward those who suffered, and who paid for our salvation through his own horrible death on the cross. But though he suffered unfairly for us, he came to earth for that very purpose, and went uncomplaining to his death. Thanks be to God that he has ignored what we believe to be fair in order to save us from ourselves.

Recognizing that there is much unfairness in the world, yet knowing that God commands us to do good to each other, how do we respond when we have been treated unfairly?

The answer is not complicated, but is sometimes hard to do, depending on how hurt we are and how severe the wrong we have suffered. There are two parts to it: our obligation to others, and our obligation to God.

Regarding our obligation to others:  1. Christ told us to turn the other cheek, to forgive, and bless those who hurt us (Matthew 5:39, 44). 2. Vengeance is the Lord’s property, not ours (Deuteronomy 32:35). 3. We have an obligation to protect others and try to stop the unfairness from continuing. This means confronting the wrong with gentle firmness, speaking up, warning others, and working with the authorities to restrain the evil that is being done (Romans 13:3-4). Forgiving the person who wrongs us does not mean we have to condone the actions they did or allow them to continue against us or other people.

Regarding our obligation to God: Jesus told a parable about a servant who owed a huge, unpayable debt to a king. The king forgave him the debt, but then the servant went out and jailed another servant who owed him a trifling amount. When the king heard it, he became enraged and threw the first servant into prison, saying, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18:21-35). By this parable, Jesus showed that because God has forgiven us greatly, we must forgive each other as well.

Unfairness hurts, but it is part of living in a fallen world

Unfairness hurts, but it is part of living in a fallen world, where sin drives people to lie, cheat, and steal, to take unfair advantage of people, and to believe they deserve whatever they want. But God has broken into this world through his Son, and has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to forgive and to receive the comfort and healing God wants for us to have. So when you have such hurts, take them first to God in prayer to ease the pain, to find the power to forgive, and to receive guidance for how you should respond. And when you respond, remember to be fair in what you do!

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: Matthew 18:21-35, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about “The Wall.” Politicians and pundits of all persuasions have been arguing the merits and demerits of adding to the barriers on the US’s southern border with Mexico. The issue has led to acrimonious charges back and forth, and is at the center of the current partial government shutdown. It is a hot-button political issue that has reached an impasse.

I have been following the debate to some extent, and have some opinions on the matter, but the good news is that I’m not going to inflict them on you. Instead, I’m going to tell you how thinking about the issue led me to consider “walls” in the biblical context, and to share with you what the Bible says about them. In particular I want to talk about the most important wall in the Scriptures.

But first, a quick review of what walls do. Basically, a wall is a barrier that keeps someone or something from going from one place to another. A wall may be used to keep people in a location, such as a prison wall that keeps inmates from leaving; or it may be used to keep people out of an area, such as a wall around an embassy that restricts movement into the facility. A wall may provide protection from natural forces, such as sea walls that break up waves and protect shoreline buildings, or it may keep animals from raiding your kitchen (unless the animal is our cat, who parks himself in front of our refrigerator and stares at us until we feed him). Walls provide privacy, such as the walls between stalls in, well, you-know-where. Walls may be opaque, to limit distractions or visibility, or clear, to allow “transparency” in office settings. A wall may delineate property lines, and keep property safe from theft. It may provide barriers against the spread of disease, such as in a hospital, or help a patient breathe better  by “tenting” them with enhanced oxygen flow. And then there are walls that provide canvases for graffiti artists, or launching platforms for skateboard and parkour (obstacle course) athletes. Walls have many uses, which is probably why we have so many of them.

Walls are usually physical dividers, but they can also be psychological or symbolic. Once, when I was in college, my roommate and I had a disagreement over some stupid issue, and decided to give each other some needed “space.” So we divided our 10 x 12 foot dorm room in half with an imaginary wall. That lasted for about ten minutes before we realized how petty we were being. Plus, the bathroom door was on his side of the room.  Likewise, our state borders are usually drawn with imaginary lines which nevertheless carry the force of law. If you have ever been to Wendover, you know the town is divided in half between Nevada and Utah. The main street actually has a line painted across it indicating the border; when you look up from it, you can see that all the town’s casinos are on the Nevada side of the line. Those state boundaries make a difference.

There are also social barriers or walls that divide people into those who are accepted and those who are not. Such walls may separate people by income and social status, race, sex, and religion. Some of those social barriers are helpful – such as our church requiring pastors who are Christians (duh!) – while others are not – such as the drinking fountains I saw during a childhood trip to Florida that limited use to “whites” or “coloreds.”

So walls can be good or bad, but they are so common it is hard to imagine living without them to some degree in certain places.

But what about the Bible? What does it say about walls? The ESV uses the word “wall” 226 times. It usually uses the term to refer to protective walls around cities, such as the wall around Jericho in the book of Joshua, which the Lord had to bring down to allow the Israelites to attack the city successfully. Or the wall around Jerusalem. But it also uses the term in other, related ways: for example, it uses the term to describe the parting of the Red Sea during the start of the exodus, saying, “And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Exodus 14:22). 1 Samuel 25 refers to David’s men as being a wall that protected some shepherds: “They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep” (1 Samuel 25:16). And when Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, attention was paid to the construction of the Temple walls, which were made of stone lined with cedar (1 Kings 6:15).

The New Testament speaks of walls, too, mentioning them a few times, culminating in the description of the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation: it describes the walls of the heavenly city in chapter 21 as being built of jasper and measuring 144 cubits (216 feet) tall.

But the usage that interests me most is found in Ephesians 2:14, where it speaks of there being a “dividing wall of hostility” which Christ broke down “in his flesh.” What is that talking about?

The dividing wall of hostility refers to the separation we have from God due to our sin. The first evidence of this is in Genesis 3, when after Adam and Eve sinned, God expelled them from the Garden of Eden. God set up a kind of wall in the form of cherubim wielding a flaming sword to keep them from returning. Talk about a barrier! Sin had now separated us from paradise, and from the blessings of God’s presence. Later, God established his Law for Israel, which included first a tabernacle, and later a temple, where his presence would manifest itself for the benefit – and forgiveness – of his people. But even then, people were still separated from God by barriers: one wall (or curtain) kept everyone except priests out of the holy place, and another curtain kept everyone except the high priest out of the innermost place – the Holy of Holies – where God was most present. Only on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) did the High Priest venture behind that final barrier to bring the blood offering which atoned for the sins of the people. Only in that way was the wall of hostility breached.

But though the High Priest could enter the Holiest place on that one day, the dividing wall remained. We were still separated from God. It was not until Jesus Christ died on the cross did we receive full forgiveness; only by his death was the true blood of atonement shed. This amazing transaction was shown at Christ’s death, when, according to Matthew 27:51, “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” By his death for our sake, Jesus became our High Priest, essentially carrying his own blood into the Holy of Holies, offering it for our forgiveness. By doing so, the curtain was torn apart to show that the dividing wall was removed, and we now have access to God himself. Our sins, which required there to be such a barrier, were forgiven, so the barrier was no longer needed.

In the Old Testament, God broke down the walls of Jericho to allow his people access into the promised land of Canaan. This had a practical and immediate purpose, but it also was a pre-figuring of what was to come, because in the New Testament God brought down the wall which kept us from the Promised Land – which was a wall created by our sin and sinfulness. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, reconciled to God, and destined to dwell in that New Jerusalem with the jasper walls.

Just as the heavenly city has walls, so do we in this fallen world, where barriers are needed to protect people and property, and to help in many other ways: after all, without walls, where would you hang pictures? But it’s good to know that the most important wall, the wall of hostility which kept us away from God, is now gone!

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: Ephesians 2, Hebrews 7, Revelation 21

Yes, I’ve had an epiphany. Today. Actually, I’ve had 67 consecutive Epiphanies, since I’ve lived 67 consecutive January 6th’s, the day the Church has long designated as the Epiphany. (Although, the term “consecutive” is a bit redundant, since the only way for me to live 67 non-consecutive January 6th’s is to have died before a January 6th and then been brought back to life after  that date. And as far as I know, that hasn’t happened.)

Normally, when people say they’ve had an epiphany, they’re saying they’ve had some sudden insight or realization, like the cartoons that show a light bulb over someone’s head to signify the character has just had an idea pop into their head. Examples in daily life might include: parents who realizes just how caught up in social media their child is when they discover that child’s media page full of hundreds of pictures, likes and dislikes. Or when a doctor’s lab test scares you enough to make you realize you need to start exercising or you’re soon going to have serious health issues. You have had an epiphany about your health.

An epiphany doesn’t create something new; it just makes known to someone a thing that was already true. Thus, if  I have an epiphany about corruption in Washington, D.C., my sudden realization doesn’t create the corruption; the corruption was already going on. This point is important to understand, because an epiphany is a kind of revelation, a making known of something to someone.

A word often used to define “epiphany” is “manifestation.” In this sense, an epiphany is a fulfillment of something that was foretold and is now coming together or taking place. Thus, a winter storm can be tracked and forecast for days ahead of time, but finally manifests itself when the snow starts falling. The classic example is that of a hurricane, which is tracked across the ocean and warned about for a long time before it finally hits land and does its damage. The hurricane was manifested when it dumped its rain and wind onto the targeted state or country, even though the storm already existed.

In our nation’s history, the term, “manifest destiny” was used to assert the (averred divine) plan for the United States to fill the North American continent from Atlantic to Pacific. Our destiny was considered proper and inevitable, to spread across the entire land; the destiny was made manifest in its fulfillment.

So, an epiphany has two ideas associated with it: first, that something which was foretold is finally taking place, or becoming manifest. Second, that people come to realize the reality and truth of what is taking place. Both of those ideas can be seen in the Church’s use of the term Epiphany to designate a certain day (and season) of the Church year:

The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast day was in AD 361. In the Eastern churches, the festival grouped together all the earliest events in Jesus’s life, up to and including his baptism and even his first miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. In the Western churches, the emphasis was on the visit of the Magi as recorded in Matthew 2. We have followed the Western tradition, at least as far as the actual day of Epiphany on January 6th.

Epiphany is also the season of the Church year which begins January 6th and lasts until the onset of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Because the date of Ash Wednesday varies each year depending on the day of Easter, the length of Epiphany also varies. This year, the season of Epiphany runs through March 5th, with Ash Wednesday on March 6th. During that season, we do commemorate not only the visit of the Magi, but also Jesus’ baptism, the wedding feast at Cana, and the Transfiguration.

You can see how Christ is revealed to the world in each of these events: the visit of the Magi reveals Christ to the nations as fulfillment of the prophesied king; at his baptism, Christ is revealed as the Son of God who is beginning his earthly ministry; at Cana, Jesus’ divine power is revealed in his first miracle; and at the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John behold Christ’s divine glory. By celebrating these events, we are recognizing the manifestation of who Christ is to the world.

When the Magi visited the infant Jesus, they did not just stumble across him while on vacation; they intentionally went to Judea to find the one who was to be born the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). They knew the birth had been prophesied (probably from the writings of Daniel) and went to see the manifestation of that prophecy in their day. By being found as foretold, Jesus was made known to the Gentile nations, represented by the Magi. The visit did not make Jesus to be the King of the Jews; he was already that by nature. The visit just recognized what was already true.

When thinking about the Epiphany, and considering what difference such a celebration might make to us, I am reminded of Martin Luther’s comments in his Small Catechism when he describes the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. When he speaks of the words, “Hallowed be thy name,” He says that God’s name is already hallowed, so what we are praying is that his name be hallowed by us. Likewise, when we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we know that his kingdom will come, but are praying that it comes in us. And finally, when we pray, “Thy will be done,” we know that God’s will, will be done even without our prayer; we are praying that his will be done by us.

So also with the Epiphany. It reveals things about Jesus Christ that are already true, things that are true about his nature, and things in his life and actions that fulfill God’s promises. When we celebrate that nature and those events, we are not causing them to be true; they already are true, we are just recognizing them for what they are. And by doing so, we are affirming the importance of who Christ is and what he has done for us.

When we celebrate the coming of the Magi, we are affirming that Jesus is the King of the Jews and of the nations, for the Gentile Magi came to worship him and bring him gifts suitable for a king. When we sing, We Three Kings, we stand in the place of those wise men of old as we sing, “Gold I bring to crown him again,” “Frankincense to offer have I,” and “Myrrh is mine,”and so on. We are acknowledging for ourselves, and to the world, that Jesus is “King and God and Sacrifice.”* We are affirming Jesus is our King.

Likewise, in all the celebrations of Epiphany, we are just recognizing what is already true about Jesus Christ. He is King, he is the Son of God, he is divine in his power and glory. We are saying that we affirm who Christ is and what he has done. For those of us who have known and believed in Christ our entire lives, we may not have a specific “light bulb” moment when we first realized who Jesus is. But that’s okay; it doesn’t change who he is, and now we can join with those who have just had an “epiphany” about Christ in celebrating the Son of God who came to seek and to save the lost. May this season encourage you as you consider the very nature of our God and Savior!

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: Matthew 2, Matthew 3:13-17, John 2:1-12, Mark 9:2-13

As you read Matthew 2, take note of all the statements that show the Magi arrived to see Jesus later than his birth. They were not at the stable, though we usually include them in nativity scenes.

• We three Kings, originally Three Kings of Orient, written by John Henry Hopkins in 1857.

William Shakespeare wrote in his famous play, Romeo and Juliet, the equally famous line, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” His point was that a name is just a name, and does not change the actual nature of what it denotes or describes. It is used in the play to lament the fact that the star-crossed lovers respectively bore last names that belonged to warring families, preventing them from what could have been a wonderful life together.

Those who study languages know this all too well, as different languages use different words to refer to the same item. Pointing to a frog, for example, various speakers might call it a frog, a Frosch, a grenouille, a rana, a kikker (my favorite) or  a sammakko. And that’s just in Europe! Even though people have come up with different names for the same animal, the nature of that animal does not change. That which we call a frog by any other name would smell as . . . I mean, hop as far. Well, you get the idea.

But when it comes to the names people call themselves and each other, the matter is not so simple. Especially when it comes to grouping people into different categories, the name or title used can be happily embraced, angrily denounced, or changed daily according to fashion. Thus, people in our society have insisted on being called certain things, some of which are brand new names. And those preferred names can and do change. For example, people who were once called idiots (not an insult at the time) were then called retarded (meaning slower to develop, again not an insult), then special education students (or “speds” which did become an insult), then  “developmentally challenged,” “people with cognitive disabilities,” and most recently, “differently capable.” But the people so-described or so-named didn’t change.

People are lumped into generational categories, racial and ethnic groups, and self-described gender identities. It’s hard to keep track of the name-du-jour, if one wants to be politically correct.

Not decrying such efforts, I embrace them in today’s blog, as I suggest to you some names with which you may group Karen and me. We will not be offended by any of the following, but fully endorse your usage of them when it comes to describing us:

We are biennials. As we begin a new year, Karen and I stand across two different years, 2018 and 2019. We have no regrets from the outgoing year, but look forward to the incoming year with anticipation. We will not, however, celebrate it by watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. We will be lucky to watch the ball drop in Times Square . . . on TV . . . at 9:00 pm Pacific Time.

We are perennials. Like flowers that are planted once and keep coming back, so do we. Year after year after year. Even if you don’t want us to, we are there. Like weeds. Twenty-four years so far in California, which was originally planned as a one-year internship. Yep, perennials.

We are bi-centennials. Not only did we live during America’s Bicentennial celebration (1976-1981 for you youngsters out there), our lives have spanned two centuries (so far). We were there at Valley Forge on July the 4th, 1976, and at the Battle of Yorktown – the reenactment in 1981, of course – we’re not quadri-centennials, after all, regardless of my hair color!

We are trans-millennials. Spanning two centuries is cool, but spanning two millennia is just plain awesome! How many people in all history can say they lived during two millennia? Okay, maybe billions of people, but it’s still awesome.

I am a batrachophile, Karen is a bactrachophobe. Considering the Greek word for frog is batrachos, you can figure out where we stand in relation to my pet frog, Romeo (not to be confused with Shakespeare’s character of the same name. Actually, I suspect the frog may be a Juliet instead . . . as the Bard said, “What’s in a name? . . . “).

We are sexagenarians. Don’t assume you know what this means. Look it up.

We are uniterrestrials. Not to be confused with members of a church bearing a similar name. We live on one planet, the same as everyone else, except the few who at any one time are orbiting the same planet in a space station. By the way, that space station isn’t that far away; it’s closer to us than Bakersfield, CA. So wave, the next time it goes by. And be thankful you’re down here and not up there.

We are bibliophiles. Yep, book lovers. Karen reads all her books now in e-reader format, and that way can carry hundreds of them on her at a time. Which is about right for a weekend’s reading for her. I, on the other hand, require thousands of hard- and soft-cover books weighing at least a ton, books that I can actually hold in my hand – before going to the computer and reading them in digital format. At least I know that when the world runs out of electricity, I’ll be the one with the library. And library cards will not be cheap.

I am an omnivore. We have a nephew who as a little child loved dinosaurs. Each day he would announce to his parents whether he was a carnivore or an herbivore, so they could choose his food appropriately. Eschewing those names, I chew as an omnivore, meaning I will eat anything that is edible and not moving, though I could waive the last part if I get hungry enough. Then, I may turn from a batrachophile to a batrachovore.

We are Christians. Ah, now we’re on to something important! What could be more vital than to bear the name and title of our Savior? In the Old Testament, God spoke of those who were called by his name. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 he said, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Then, in Isaiah 43:6-7 he said, “Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Then in the New Testament, Philippians 2:9-11 proclaims triumphantly, “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.” To be associated with Jesus Christ, to be found in him, to be called by his name, is the greatest title we ever could have. The title will outlast all fashions of political correctness, and will be with us forever. Because of Christ.

We are trans-peccatoris. We are sinners who have “crossed over,” that is, been made righteous by the grace of God through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. In the words of Martin Luther, we are “simul justis et peccator” (“at the same time, saint and sinner”), whereas without faith we are just peccatoris.  In the words of John Newton’s great hymn, Amazing Grace, “[We] once were lost, but now are found, [were] blind but now [we] see.” There is a basic change in our very nature, in which the righteousness of Jesus Christ was imputed, that is reckoned to us by faith. We retain the old nature in part, but we now have the new nature as well. We are “trans” in the highest use of the term.

We are eternalists. If we thought spanning centuries and millennia was something special, just wait until we span eons and ages without number. When we have, according to a verse added to Amazing Grace by another lyricist:

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ll have no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.”

That’s one of the best descriptions of eternity’s duration, though not of course, of all its glory. That we’ll just have to wait to see for ourselves!

So then, what’s in a name? Either nothing, or everything. It depends on what the name is, and why we have it. We can choose any name or title for ourselves, and find that it is only temporary, or we can take on the Name of Christ through faith in him, and be conformed to him forever. Interestingly, the Book of Revelation speaks of new names that Christ will one day give us. Revelation 2:17 says, “To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.”

So what’s in a name? Plenty, if it is the Name which is above every name: the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. May his name be found in you now and forever!

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 2:5-11, Acts 2, Acts 15:6-21

In the corner of the living room sat a beautifully-wrapped Christmas present. The colorful paper, bright bows, and festive ribbon promised a gift inside that had been carefully and lovingly chosen for its intended recipient. The present had arrived early under the tree, and the entire family – as well as their holiday guests – had marveled at it and wondered just what treasure lay hidden inside. The big night finally arrived; the family returned from their church’s Christmas Eve service (of course!) and began the time-honored tradition of opening their presents while gathered around the tree. One by one the gifts were passed to their recipients, and one by one the wrapping was torn off to the accompaniment of laughter, squeals of “Thank you!”, a couple “You shouldn’t have’s” and even one “But I’m glad you did!”

Finally the evening’s festivities were over, and after hugs and kisses all around, the family went off to bed while in the corner, under the tree, amidst all the wrapping paper debris, sat that one special present, still intact and unopened. And there it would stay, unopened, long after Christmas was over.

An unopened present. . . not likely to happen, is it? Especially if the giver were someone you knew and loved, and you knew that giver had chosen the gift just for you to give you joy and make your life better than it is, you’d be sure to open it wouldn’t you? I’m sure you would happily unwrap such a present, for the joy it would give you – and the giver, who wanted you to have it.  And yet, the truth is, there is a great and wonderful gift which has been given to the world, and which has been largely unopened, left  to sit in the corner of our lives. We know it’s there, and we sometimes give special attention to it at Christmas time; we talk about it, marvel that it’s been given to us, and even say thank you to the Giver occasionally, but for the most part, we leave it alone. What is that gift? Listen to the words spoken at the very first Christmas when the gift was announced by a multitude of heaven’s angels: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)

Peace. What a wonderful gift, yet one seemingly in such short supply in today’s world that it could be considered “the Unopened Present.”  What did God mean by sending such a message through his angels, and why is it that a gift announced over 2000 years ago has yet to be fully opened by the world to whom  it was given? Why is peace missing from so many families, from our country, and from the world at large? As we celebrate the Advent of the Prince of Peace, let’s prayerfully consider God’s gift of peace:

3. The gift is not found in some abstract idea of peace, but in the Gift Himself, Jesus Christ. We do not and cannot find true peace apart from Him. Like the bumper stickers that say, “No Jesus, No Peace; Know Jesus, Know Peace,” we look to Jesus as the source and goal of peace. Our own efforts at peace through our own strength, wisdom, political savvy, “visualization,” or good intentions will always fail.
4. The peace promised by God through Christ is first and foremost peace with God, reconciliation with God by the forgiveness of our sins through faith in His Son. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,” (2 Corinthians 5:19) “. . . having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Colossians 1:20)
5. When we receive peace with God through Christ, we have both God’s love and the power of His Spirit to move and enable us to seek peace with our families, the world, and even our enemies. It is because so many reject Christ and His call to love and forgive others that attaining peace is so difficult. And yet, we must not give up, for our work is to seek peace, by showing Christ’s love and making the Gift known. So make sure everyone knows their Gift is waiting. . . and don’t leave your own gift unopened this year!

Merry Christmas, and may the God of peace be with you all!

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 2

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Recently, I saw part of a TV program that was discussing the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. The program talked about governmental agencies and private organizations that are heavily involved in the search for alien life out there in the cosmos. Using massive radio receivers and telescopes mounted on earth and on space vehicles like the Hubble, the researchers want to answer the question of whether we are alone in the universe.

Shucks, I could have answered that question for them, and for a lot less money than they’re spending! Of course  we are not alone in the universe! But the researchers are looking the wrong direction, because the proof of that life is not to be found in the “heavens,” but here on earth, for it is here that a Being from heaven came down to live among us. That Being is Jesus Christ.

Christmas is the celebration of that life-changing event, when the God of the universe – its Creator and Sustainer – came down to earth to not only live among us, but also to live as one of us. He became us, being born as we are, growing up and living as we do, understanding life’s struggles from both divine and human experience. Then, though he had lived without sin, he became sin for our sake (2 Corinthians 5:21) and took our sins with Him to the cross to save us from the just punishment those sins deserved. His earthly journey to the cross began in the womb and then in a humble stable in Bethlehem.

Sure, there were signs in the heavens that Christ’s birth was special: the shepherds looked up into the night sky and saw first one angel and then a multitude of them; they heard the proclamation that the Savior had just been born, and were convinced enough to go and see the newborn child for themselves. There was also the other celestial sign – the star that led the wise men from the east to the place where the infant Jesus lay. These signs in the heavens were miraculous confirmation that the Savior had been born, but note where both signs directed the attention of the people: back to earth, where the heavenly Being now lived.

For the next 33 years or so, Christ walked among us. He performed miracles, healed many and even raised the dead. He taught about the kingdom of God and proclaimed that it was now here through Him. Then, He died, rose again, and after another 40 days teaching His disciples, returned to heaven. You might think that was it, that now we’re on our own because the One who came down from heaven is no longer with us. If that were the case, we would still be grateful that God had come down, showed us what He is like, and then provided for our forgiveness and eternal life. It would have been enough to struggle through this life on our own, knowing that we will spend eternity with God.

But the good news of Christmas is that God is Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23). The kingdom which He established is still here; He didn’t take it away when He ascended to heaven. He is still in His Church “wherever two or three are gathered in (His) name” (Matthew 18:20). Christ has not abandoned us; rather, he is still “God with us.” As He promised before returning to heaven, He will be with us always, even to the end of this age (Matthew 28:20). We can trust He will “never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

We are not alone in this universe, now or ever, because God Himself is with us. He walks beside us through this life and longs to welcome us into the next. He came to earth as the Babe of Bethlehem, lives in us even now through His Holy Spirit, and will come for us some day in the Second Advent to take us to be with Him forever.

When that glorious day comes, even all those who don’t yet believe in Him will know in a powerful moment the truth that their telescopes and radio receivers could not prove: that we are not alone. May all of us who already know that truth celebrate it with joy this Christmas, at the birth of Emmanuel!

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: Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 28:16-20

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20 ESV)

Happy Advent! I know, you expected me to say, “Merry Christmas!” now that it’s December, didn’t you? Well, of course I do wish you a Merry Christmas, but it’s not Christmas yet . . . for as of this coming Sunday, December 2, we enter a new church year and a new church season, namely, the season of Advent. Advent means “coming” and refers to someone or something that is approaching us or arriving. It is applied to the four weeks leading up to Christmas as we anticipate the coming of only one very special person: Jesus Christ our Lord. The season of Advent is a time of preparation, prayer, and pondering about Jesus’ birth and why he came to earth to become one of us.

Advent is a season with its own special traditions: special songs and hymns like “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” the Advent wreath, special wall banners, Advent calendars, and even the Advent Buzzard (ask me about that one some time!). It’s a season to be enjoyed and experienced for itself, and not just four weeks to get through before the real celebration of Christmas.

Unfortunately, for our culture around us, Advent has totally disappeared and been replaced by the season of “Let’s shop and party and get stuff.” To our society, the Twelve Days of Christmas are the last twelve shopping days before Christmas, rather than the real twelve days that begin on Christmas and last until January 6, the Epiphany,  when we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men. Even in many churches, Advent is squeezed out as they move straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas in decorations, song choices, and programs. (Okay, as pastor, I did some of that, too!)

Advent is an important time for Christians because we know that the true meaning of Christmas is more than parties, decorations, songs about grandmas and reindeer, and gifts. It is about more than even the sentimental “family-discovers-the-true-meaning-of-Christmas” TV specials this time of year (none of which actually gets around to mentioning the name of Jesus!). Advent reminds us each year of just who Jesus is and why we needed him to come to us, how we were lost in our sins and unable to save ourselves. We are reminded of the prophecies that foretold His birth and sacrifice for our forgiveness. It truly prepares us to celebrate His birth with our eyes and hearts and minds wide open to the wonderful life-giving miracle of God becoming man.

But Advent is about more than just pre-Christmas preparation, because during Advent we recognize that Christmas is only one of three ways that Jesus comes to us. There are actually three Advents:

3. Advent #1 – Christmas, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth when the eternal Son of God took on flesh and became one of us. This Incarnation was essential for Jesus to become our sacrifice on the Cross.
4. Advent #2 – the Parousia, a fancy church-word for the Return of Christ, when he comes in power and great glory to judge the living and the dead and to gather His people to be with him.
5. Advent #3 – our Conversion, when we are born again through water and the word, receiving Jesus Christ and His Spirit when we believe and are baptized. This is the individual Advent each of us needs.

In the weeks ahead, you will be challenged by the society around you to skip over Advent and move straight to a secular celebration of “The Holidays.” Now, it’s okay to enjoy a secular celebration such as New Years at this time of year. It’s even okay to enjoy the secular traditions which have become part of Christmas, accumulated like barnacles onto the core celebration of Christ’s birth. Just don’t let society rob you of the rich meaning of Advent, for Advent can prepare you to understand and await eagerly the coming of our Lord. And it can do so in ways that no special sale (in-store or online), holiday special (sentimental or funny), or holiday party (family or office) can do. So have a Happy Advent – and a joyous Christmas – too!

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: John 3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 22:6-20

Yes, it’s true. I am rich.

Now, by rich, I don’t mean that I won the latest Super Mega-millions, Power Ball, half-billion (with a “b”) dollar lottery; I would have to buy a ticket first to be eligible. Nor am I saying that Publisher’s Clearing House arrived at my door with a (measly) million dollar check (if they did, I wasn’t home at the time). Neither am I saying that I drove my Maserati to the airport to board my private Gulfstream jet to fly to Monaco for the weekend (if I did, at least I was home in time for church today).

No, I’m not rich in those ways, though as many commentators have pointed out, today’s American middle class is rich by any historical measure of wealth: to have the abundance of food choices and quantities, homes with reliable heating, cooling, and electricity, motor vehicles, closets full of clothing, electronic gadgets, and money in the bank (not to mention the need for rented storage to hold all our stuff!), is beyond even the wildest dreams of the richest kings and queens through centuries past.

I am not even saying I am Rich because that is my name, for I am far too sophisticated and serious to ever use puns in my speech (though I must admit that I may have possibly told people in the past, “My parents named me Rich because they figured that was the only way I would be called that.”)

No, by saying, “I am rich,” I am expressing the thought that came to mind last Sunday during one of the songs we sang in church. The song was, “Give Thanks,” written by Don Moen. I have always liked that song, both for its music and for its lyrics, but this time the chorus struck me perhaps a bit more powerfully than usual. The words go like this:

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

As I sang it, I smiled when I got to the “I am rich” line, thinking at first, “Yes, that’s right: I am Rich!” (Okay, so maybe making a pun is not beneath me . . .). But the more I thought about it, the more I thought along the lines of how blessed materially my wife and I are, to have all the things I cited above as middle class wealth (except the storage unit), so that even as retirees, we are able to live comfortably. I even thought about the “I am strong” portion of the chorus, thankful to God that even though I am once again riding a wheelchair following recent foot surgery, I am strong enough to work the chair, use crutches, and handle numerous (seated) daily tasks. So in many ways, I can truly say that I am strong and rich.

But then as we continued to sing the song, the real message came through to me as it has over the years whenever hearing or singing, “Give Thanks.” The last line of the chorus says it all: “Because of what the Lord has done for us.” All the things I’ve already mentioned: material comfort, and strength in the middle of disability; plus those I haven’t, such as friends and family and a loving wife who helps me in my affliction while doing all the daily tasks I can’t do while seated; all these are blessings that the Lord has done for us (or in this case, for me).

I also thought of my blessings in contrast to the horrible losses so many others have sustained in the wildfires still raging in California. Homes, businesses, pets, belongings, and loved ones – all gone in minutes. The monumental tasks ahead of the survivors seem overwhelming. Add to their losses the stories of recent hurricane survivors, and we whose houses still stand must be grateful, and not take our present condition for granted. We must recognize that our continued “normalcy” is itself the Lord’s doing, and worthy of thankfulness.

But even that is not the extent of “what the Lord has done for us.” The greatest of earthly blessings is only temporary. As time passes, so do we, and all those things we use, enjoy, or rely on will go away – or be left to someone else. Solomon – the richest man of his day (though even he lacked a good smart phone) – lamented this in Ecclesiastes 2:18, “ I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,” and in 5:15, “As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.” Jesus pointed out much the same in his Parable of the Rich Fool, where God says to the rich farmer who worried about tearing down his barns to build bigger ones to hold all his wealth: “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20). Likewise, Jesus warned about our emphasis on earthly treasure, saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

The greatest of earthly blessings from God (and he is the source of all good things) are by his decree only temporary. But the extent of “what the Lord has done for us” reaches far past this time on earth into and through all eternity to come. For God also provides us permanent, unending blessings in heaven, and in the new earth to come. We have forgiveness of sins, full reconciliation with God, and unbroken fellowship with each other. We will have resurrected, glorified bodies that will never again sicken or die. We will enjoy all the radiance and glory of God’s presence, and never have to worry about losing any of it. Jesus promised, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

All this is ours because of Jesus Christ, who for us poor (yes, poor) lost sinners gave his life as payment for our sins, and then rose again to defeat death and show the way to our own resurrections to come. When we consider all that God has done for us, if we don’t include the gift of his own Son for our sake, we are robbing him of his glory and the honor due him. For while we were still his enemies, he sent his Son to die for us, that we might be reconciled to him and have eternal life. The old favorite verse of all Scripture still says it best: “For God so loved the world^, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, the time for turkeys and touchdowns, for gravy and gridirons, and for sweet potatoes and couch potatoes. But most of all let it be a time when we can, in the words of the song,

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks for all that God has done for you – in this life and the next. And be grateful that you, indeed . . . like me . . . are rich!

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

Read: Ecclesiastes 12 and Luke 12:13-21

Paradise Lost.

This was the title of an epic poem written in 1667 by the Englishman, John Milton, which recounts Satan’s rebellion and banishment from heaven and mankind’s fall and loss of their earthly paradise. In the title, as well as in the story, we lament the loss of what was and what could have been: a perfect world, full of beauty and joy and absent any suffering or death. Milton’s account is a classic of Christian literature, and even today resonates with us as we face the challenges of this world.

It especially resonates with us this week as the term, “Paradise Lost,” takes on new meaning, with the destruction of the California town of Paradise by the holocaust of a raging wildfire. Paradise – an apt name for a small town set in the idyllic setting of the Sierra foothills – until this week when in one day, the so-called Camp Fire overwhelmed the town of 26,000 people, forcing a frantic evacuation, destroying over 6,700 structures, and killing twenty-three people. Evacuees  clustered in the middle of large parking lots, hoping for a break in the walls of flame so they could flee.  Car windows melted, and some cars had to be abandoned in the evacuation gridlock. The entire business district is gone, save for one church, city hall, and the hospital’s main building. At the time of this writing, the fire has spread to over 100,000 acres and is still largely uncontrolled.

In the coming months, as the survivors struggle to start their lives all over again, to rebuild or relocate, and to bury family, friends, and neighbors, there will be no shortage of opinions about how such tragedies could be prevented. Alarm systems, fire prevention, and evacuation procedures will all be scrutinized with the hope of saving lives and property in the future. For my part, I’ll leave such speculations and opinions to the experts (actual or self-proclaimed), and just join my prayers with others for the comfort and care of those affected and for those who have died, that they all may indeed have passed from one Paradise to an even greater one.

When such disasters occur – whether they be wildfires, hurricanes, or mass shootings – we are reminded that we have indeed lost the Paradise which God intended for us on this earth. In the beginning, the world and its first occupants lived in peace and harmony. There were no wildfires in the Garden of Eden, no storms, and no shootings. There was no illness, injury, or death. There was an abundance of food and water, and close fellowship – even intimacy – between man and woman, and between mankind and God. There was order and perfection. It was Paradise.

But then, sin entered in. Not content to live in such a wonderful world, Adam and Eve doubted God’s word, rebelled against his authority, and broke his strict commandment. For that sin, they – and all of us, their descendants –  were expelled from the earthly Paradise and subjected to disease, injury, hunger, and death. Their very first child became the first murderer, killing his brother – and we haven’t stopped doing that ever since. Only we’ve gotten better at it. Now we fight and kill each other by the millions.

Tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, or what used to be called, “The Great War” (but to quote the renowned philosopher, Yoda, “Wars do not make one great.”). At 11 o’clock on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the fighting stopped, and the belligerents hoped it would be the end of all wars. I guess they forgot about the sin thing going on in us, for within 30 years they were all back at it again, causing even greater loss of life – at least 60 million people. After each World War, leaders of the major nations sought to usher in eras of peace by forming organizations in which international disputes could be peacefully resolved: first, the League of Nations, and then the United Nations. Though such actions were commendable – Jesus himself blessed the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) – our Lord also taught us that “there will be wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6 and Mark 13:7). Mankind’s sin was not solvable by human organizations; mankind’s sin problem will not end until Christ returns in judgment. We will not find true Paradise in this world before then.

But as great as our loss of an earthly paradise has been, the greater loss and tragedy has been our exclusion from the heavenly Paradise. Our sin has not only messed up this life, it has also kept mankind from heaven. As God placed the cherubim with flaming swords to keep mankind from returning to the Garden (and thereby have access to the Tree of Life in our sinful condition), so he has barred entry into heaven after death.

So, what hope do we have? I love the old hymn by Horatio G. Spafford, It is Well with My Soul (1873). The hymn, written by a man who had just lost his four daughters to an accident at sea, proclaimed the hope which gave him “peace like a river,” and that comforted him even as he sailed across the very spot where his daughters had died:

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Our “helpless estate” can certainly apply to overwhelming situations in this life, such a raging wildfire,  or when a category 5 storm hits our town, or when someone starts shooting, or when an illness or accident brings us close to death. But beyond this life, it also applies to our ability to erase our sins and sinfulness, and claim a place in heaven. We are indeed helpless and unable to save ourselves or open the way to eternal life. As horrible as are the flames of the Camp Fire, they are nothing compared to the unending fires which await those whose names are not written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15, 21:27).

So how can we have hope in such times now and when we face our departure from this world? The answer is found in in the words, “That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.” By shedding his own blood for our sake, Christ opened the way to Paradise for all who trust in him. He paid the penalty for the sins which we committed, freeing us to be accepted by God. Now, fully forgiven, we are allowed into heaven  and the eternal joy it holds.

That this forgiveness is not something we earn by our actions, but is a gift from God, is shown by the promise Jesus made to a violent criminal who confessed his sin while dying on a cross beside him. Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

It is the same promise made to all who are in Christ, that one day we too shall live with Christ in Paradise. He says in Revelation 2:7, “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Our exile from the Garden and from access to life itself will end, and we will live forever without wildfires, storms, shootings, wars, disease, or death. Revelation 21:4 proclaims, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

When that happens, true Paradise will be restored, and we will enjoy a place far more beautiful than the one that perished this week. May you look forward to that day, even as we thank the One who made that day possible: Jesus Christ our 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: Genesis 2, Revelation 21-22, Matthew 5

It was October 31, and a solitary costumed figure made his way through the darkening city streets until he reached the side door of one of the local churches. He looked around, but ignoring the questioning looks of passers-by, he reached into his robes, and drew out a heavy hammer. While one hand held the points of iron nails against the door, the other swung the hammer forcefully, driving the nails deep into the heavy wood.

It wasn’t an act of Halloween vandalism. The door served as a public bulletin board for the people of Wittenberg, Germany, and the man pounding the nails into the door was posting a notice inviting a debate over some of the Church’s teachings and practices.

It was All-Hallowed Eve of 1517, and the man doing the nailing was a Catholic monk and priest by the name of Martin Luther. He chose that day to post his “Ninety-five Theses” because the next day, known as All Saints Day, would draw many people to the church for worship, including those theologians he wanted to debate.

That event is considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, because the questions he asked and the arguments he subsequently made, spread quickly and convinced many Christians of the need to reform the Church’s teachings, especially about what a person must do to be saved.

His teachings are just as important to us today as they were then, and are especially critical for anyone who is searching for the right relationship with God. Luther’s key teachings are the following:

1. We are all sinners, deserving God’s just punishment, and are unable to save ourselves, no matter how good we try to be.
2. God loves us and does not desire for us to come under his judgment, so he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to take our sins upon himself and pay our penalty on the Cross.
3. We are saved from death and brought to eternal life by God’s grace (that is, his unmerited favor) solely through our faith and trust in Christ and in what Christ did.
4. Freely forgiven, we are now able to do the good works which God desires us to do, serving each other andthose in need with Christian love.
5. The Holy Bible is the authority, above all other writings or earthly teachers, for our faith and life.

What Luther did 501 years ago today opened once again for all the world the good news of what God has done for us, how through trusting alone in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we can have the peace of knowing we are right with God. And that has to be the best Halloween treat ever given!

And 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: Psalm 46 (the inspiration for A Mighty Fortress), Romans 1:16-17, Ephesians 2:8-10, and Romans 3:20-28.

(I wrote this article originally for the Pastor’s Corner column in the Elk Grove Citizen, which appeared on Friday, October 31, 2003. I updated the number of “years ago” in today’s blog to reflect 2018.)

I was recently in a store’s Halloween section, looking for some fake vampire teeth to wear when I go to the dentist – which appointment happens to be on October 31st. There I noticed some gaily colored ceramic skulls, clustered in a display that bore the label, “El Día de los Muertos” – The Day of the Dead. When I see such displays, or see videos of parades which celebrate that day (as in the opening sequence of the James Bond movie, Spectre) I think to myself, “How macabre and ghoulish! Skulls and skeletons!” (Unlike fake vampire teeth, which are absolutely normal and sane . . .)

“El Día de los Muertos” is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and in Mexican communities in the U.S. The holiday is celebrated for the purpose of helping people remember and honor their deceased ancestors and loved ones. It’s also a chance to dress up in costumes and party, and I believe, it performs one other function: it lets people laugh at death, thereby allowing them relief from death’s tragedy and inevitability – if only for a short while. Like Halloween, which lets people mock death and all kinds of scary, nightmare-inducing monsters (like vampires), the Mexican holiday seeks to control death and its scariness by an in-your-face attitude. What we can laugh at or reduce to manageable decorations and activities, can no longer frighten us or harm us . . . or so we think.

Of course, death is a reality. Since becoming a pastor, I have conducted 161 funerals, and assisted with one before that. I have also said good-bye to my parents, Karen’s father, and all my aunts and uncles. I led services for seven of those family members. Even today, as I write this, we received word that one of our church members we have known for a long time just passed away. Death is, as said by Ben Franklin, as inevitable as taxes. (This from a guy who supposedly flew a kite in a thunderstorm with a metal key attached to the string.)

Of course, we didn’t need old Ben to teach us that. It has been the human experience throughout history, and when we seek God’s Word on the matter, we read that the inevitability of death fulfills the warning given to our first parent, Adam, in Genesis 2:17, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” As we know, Adam and Eve broke that one prohibition, so judgment was pronounced on them and all their descendants: “till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). That God’s curse has continued is taught in Scripture: “For as in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22); and “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12); and “[I]t is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

So given death’s hold on mankind and all other living creatures, how do we “laugh” at death? Do we dress up and wear vampire teeth or place ceramic skulls around the house? (Vampire teeth, maybe yes; the rest, maybe not.) The answer to how we deal with death is to recognize that Jesus Christ has overcome death, and is alive today, bodily risen. Death could not hold him (Acts 2:24), nor will it hold those who are in him. When I quoted the above verses on the inevitability of death, I intentionally left off some portions of the verses. The Corinthians passage which says, “For as in Adam all die” continues with, “so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (verses 22-23). Likewise, the Romans 5 passage continues a few verses later by saying, “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” We affirm our faith in Christ’s resurrection, and our own future resurrections whenever we proclaim the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe . . . . in the resurrection of the body, and in the life everlasting,” or the Nicene Creed: “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.”

A lot can be found in Scripture about our resurrections, but let me just read what Paul wrote in his first epistle to the Thessalonians: “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” (verses 16-17). Likewise, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 affirms Christ’s victory: “For [Christ] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Given our eventual victory over death, how do we respond to that good news? I have a suggestion: instead of celebrating “El Día de los Muertos,” why not celebrate “El Día de los Vivos,” or, “The Day of the Living”? I would love to take credit for that clever suggestion, but the truth is, we already have such a day. It’s called, All Saints Day, and the Church celebrates it every November 1st. On that day (or the Sunday closest to it), Christians remember all the saints (that is all believers in Christ) who have died and have already gone to be with their Lord. Those departed saints are alive and living in Christ’s presence, waiting for his return and the great day of Resurrection to come. With those living on earth, those living in heaven will be clothed in everlasting bodies, free from all illnesses, pain, sin, or death. In some churches, the list of the year’s departed is solemnly read. In others we pray, not to get the dead into heaven, but to thank God for their lives among us and for the promise of eternal life.

Yes, we have such a day – but actually, we have a lot of “Days of the Living.” Every Sunday is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection and therefore his victory over death. Every Sunday, we celebrate what that means for us and for our beloved saints who have gone before us: that eternal life awaits all who are in Christ.

That’s why death does not frighten us. That’s why we don’t laugh at death as if it doesn’t end earthly lives, break up families, and cause so much pain and suffering. It’s not our bravery that gives us hope – and peace – in the face of death, but the promises of God fulfilled in the resurrection of the One who came to pay the price of our forgiveness and future glory. 

That’s why I can enter the Halloween and Muertos season without worry! That is, except for my dental visit . . . maybe I shouldn’t play around with those vampire teeth; what if the dentist decides to pull them . . .

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: 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4

Pain.

What comes to mind when you hear that word? Kittens and puppies frolicking in fields of daisies under a warm summer sun? Or multi-color pinwheels spinning in a gentle breeze, to the sounds of little children’s laughter? Or an ice cream sundae with hot fudge flowing down over mint chip ice cream, topped with whipped cream and a cherry?

I’m guessing those weren’t your first thoughts. Instead, you may have remembered burning your finger on a hot stove, enduring a toothache until the dentist could work you in (and work your tooth out), breaking your arm during recess, or being crushed under the enduring agony of a migraine headache or, even worse, of cancer eating at one of your bones.

And those are just the physical pains we suffer – added to those hurts are the emotional pains that come from severe disappointments, failures at work, and broken relationships you thought would last a lifetime. There’s the loss of a loved one to death; there’s the pain of guilt and shame before God and others for things you have done.

Now that I’ve thoroughly depressed you, you’re probably wishing I would talk more about those happy kittens and puppies again, or at least tell you why I’m talking about pain. Okay, so here goes . . . I’m talking about pain because, well, I’m not feeling any right now. Let me explain: just a few days ago I had corrective surgery on my left foot, the one whose recurrent ulcers have periodically returned me to a wheelchair. The foot doctor sliced off the ends of a couple bones that were abnormally bulging from the foot and were the cause of the ulcers. The surgery lasted a couple hours, and when I woke up, my foot was well-wrapped in bandages. I felt rested and comfortable.

Because of the bones being “resected” (the medical term, though I prefer the more graphic term, “sliced and diced”), the doctor prescribed pain killer opioid pills to help reduce what would certainly be severe pain. Not wanting to take an opioid unless I absolutely needed it, I decided to wait to see how bad the pain would get before taking any medication for it – even though everyone recommended starting the medication before the pain started.

So I waited for the pain to begin, and waited, and waited. It’s now been over four days since the surgery, and I’m still waiting; but there’s been no pain at all. When they called me from the podiatrist’s office to ask my pain level, I told them, “Zero.” So what do I make of it? And what do I think about pain – since I have felt it in other situations before, and expect to feel it in the future?

Pain is a normal expectation of life in this world. Only in the new heavens and new earth are we promised freedom from pain – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Until then, pain is part and parcel of our human nature. It is, literally, hard-wired in; there are 45 miles of nerves running through our body. To damage or activate most of them is to cause us physical pain.

Pain is not something we want to feel, and that is good; that’s why it hurts. The purpose of pain is to show us that something is wrong, and to move us to do something to correct the problem. We feel heat from a stove to keep us from severely burning our hand; we feel pain when we cut our arm, and apply first aid to stop potentially life-threatening bleeding; our tooth hurts, and we seek dental help to treat an abscess that could cause severe bone damage and even a heart attack; we feel chest pains and are motivated to seek medical treatment that may save our life.

That’s why we sometimes seek things that cause us pain in the short term, to benefit us in the long term. That’s the philosophy of physical exercise, which pushes us to to stress our bodies for the sake of strengthening them; the physical trainer’s mantra is “No pain, no gain!” Some discomfort now leads to better strength and health over the long run.

So how do we deal with the reality of pain? The following approaches come to mind:

We can understand it. This means we recognize its benefits, and seek to find the reason for any pain we are feeling. We can accept its role in protecting us from danger and motivating us to avoid or correct the source of our pain.

We can treat it. Because pain hurts, we don’t like to feel it. Which means we can try to reduce or eliminate our pain, as long as we don’t try to ignore its cause and just mask our pain. This means treating the reason for the pain, and not just the symptom. Taking pain-killers may make our broken leg feel better, but it won’t set bones or protect us from an embolism. Treating the pain is just to get us over the hump until we correct the reason we hurt.

We can endure it. Sometimes, the cause of our pain is a chronic condition which cannot be “corrected,” or even some disorder that is not understood, like fibromyalgia. There is no relief in sight, aside from heavy medication, which has its own set of problems; sometimes, even pain-killers don’t work. Then we face ongoing pain for what may be the rest of our life. How do we endure that? What mental attitudes can help us? What support from others may help us get through each day? How do we live a normal life when there’s no end of pain in sight? Job 30:17 describes such endurance: “The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.”

We can accept it as part of our fallen, human condition, which like death, comes to us all. It is not a respecter of persons; if we hurt it’s not a sign that we are more sinful or less important or worse than other people; we do not hurt as a sign of being rejected by God. As Jesus asked when he spoke of  some people who had died tragically, “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?” His answer was, “No” (Luke 13:4). It’s not that sinful actions don’t cause pain (getting shot while robbing a bank can hurt), or that mankind’s sinful nature is not at the root of our mortal and vulnerable condition, but not every pain flows from a particular sin.

We can help relieve it in others. Just because we know pain has its purpose and can even accept it in our own lives, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to alleviate the pain that others feel. Rescuing people from accidents, visiting the sick in the hospital, donating for relief services, and giving care to loved ones are all ways we show love for our neighbors as commanded by God. The hospice movement is all about relieving the pain in those who are terminally ill, and that is a biblically sound principle: Proverbs 31:6 tells us, “Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress.” When pain no longer serves its warning purpose and just causes unremitting agony, our call is to help relive it where we can.

We can pray about it. This is so important, because God is the One who created our bodies, who knows what is going on, who has the power to relieve the pain and its cause, and will do what is best for us because he loves us so much. Are you in pain? Pray for relief and for correction of the cause (and this applies to both physical and emotional pain). Is someone else hurting? Pray for their relief and healing, even as I am praying for relief for you from whatever pain you have. When my foot first broke down eleven years ago, I had several weeks of burning and pain in the foot; sleeping and concentrating on my work were difficult. Then several church members and leaders got the same idea simultaneously: to gather and pray over me and anoint me with oil as directed in James 5:13-18 (“Is anyone among you suffering . . .”). As they prayed, the pain stopped, and never came back. That prayer, the prayers of so many of you for my recent surgery, and the Lord’s merciful answer to those prayers, are the reason I don’t hurt today. And for that, I am truly grateful to you and to God.

Before closing, there’s one more pain I need to address. It is the pain that is sometimes proclaimed as a modification to the old, “No pain no gain” saying. And that is, “His pain, your gain.” This of course speaks of the pain that Jesus endured for our sake; without him suffering and dying as he did, we would have no forgiveness of sins, no resurrection, no eternal life in which pain and death are no more. No pain for him would have meant no gain for us. As the old hymn proclaims, “Died he for me, who caused his pain . . .” (from And Can it Be by Charles Wesley).

His pain was no mere discomfort; it was pure agony, physically from the torture, mentally from the public shame and apparent defeat, and spiritually from taking on our sins and feeling the Father’s abandonment (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46, and Psalm 22:1). His suffering was foretold by Isaiah 53, and fulfilled in the Gospels. But thanks be to God, its effects will endure long after our greatest pains have vanished forever.

And for that reason, we should all feel better. Even better than frolicking kittens and puppies . . .

And 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: Psalm 22, Isaiah 53:1-12, James 5:7-18

Lots of people have visions. In the Bible, the prophet Daniel had visions of the coming Messiah, whom he described as the Son of Man. In the 1800’s, children had visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads on Christmas Eve (while nestled all snug in their beds). Over the centuries, Christians have had visions of founding ministries that have healed the sick, housed the poor and orphaned, comforted the grieving, and spread the Gospel around the world. Even I have had visions: one of me standing on the platform at the Olympics, hearing the national anthem play while they hang a gold medal around my neck – unfortunately, I haven’t figured out yet which sport to compete in. The other vision, of me standing in a pulpit and preaching God’s Word to crowds of people, has fortunately been realized.

It’s easy to have a vision – if by vision we mean something that we see in our mind’s eye. But even as we recognize that we have seen something in our mind that does not yet exist, we have to ask two absolutely essential questions: 1. What is the source of the vision? and 2. What do I do about it?

“What is the source of the vision?

First we must ask, “What is the source of the vision?” Is it something I have conjured up from my own desires and ambitions? Maybe my friends or family have expressed an interest in something, and I imagine a way to make their wish come true. Maybe I see a neighbor’s new car, and visualize myself driving around in something faster and cooler (I’m not coveting my neighbor’s car if I want something better than he has! . . . I think . . .). Maybe I hear of some need in the community, and form a vision of meeting that need through a new organization. Maybe I just want to do something important so I can feel my life counts. Maybe, my vision comes from a combination of motives, some more altruistic than others. For example, my Olympic vision (or fantasy) is a combination of patriotism (winning a medal for the USA) and ego (me being on the stand and hearing the applause).

This isn’t to say that self-created visions are necessarily bad. My winning a gold medal would be a good thing! Likewise, many of the good products and services that enrich and enhance our lives came about because someone had a vision of something that could be done better. The technology we take for granted these days began as ideas – even visions – in people’s minds. “What if we could talk to people far away?” and “What if we could talk to those people with a device we can carry in our pocket?” and “What if we could see what’s going on in a sick person with some kind of machine?” and “What if we could fly?” and so on.

But self-devised visions can also be evil.

But self-devised visions can also be evil. Psalm 73:7 says, “From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits.” and Jesus said in Matthew 15:19, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” As I wrote in last week’s blog, there is nothing that man has not corrupted by his sin, and that includes our ability to imagine, create, and devise things; in short, our self-inspired visions may harm ourselves or others. A ruler who has visions of wealth and glory sends armies to conquer, kill, and destroy. Or a CEO has a vision of market dominance, and therefore destroys smaller competitors. A televangelist has a vision of leading a megachurch with his own mansion, jet plane, and yacht (for getting away to pray?). A man or woman has visions of how wonderful life would be if they could only be with their neighbor’s spouse. You get the idea: visions which come from our own minds and hearts can bring good and/or evil if they are fulfilled.

There is of course, another, very different source of visions, and that is the almighty God. He who gave Daniel the messianic vision (Daniel 7), who gave Jacob the vision of a ladder joining heaven and earth (Genesis 28), who gave Peter a vision that led to the acceptance of gentiles into the Church (Acts 10), and who gave John of heaven and of things to come (Revelation), can still give visions to his people. He does so to inform, inspire, and guide believers to do good works which he has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). He can warn us in a vision, as he warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s soldiers (Matthew 2). He can rebuke us to stop what we were going to do (Numbers 22). He can show us the future. He can reveal the spiritual realities around us (2 Kings 6). As Joel prophesied would happen, and as Peter confirmed was now taking place: “your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” These visions and dreams would come through the power of the Holy Spirit being poured out upon us (Acts 2:17). God does give visions, but unlike our man-made visions, the ones from God are always good and holy.

So, you might (and should) ask, “How do I know a vision is from God and not from my own imaginings?” Good question; I’m glad you asked. There isn’t always a clear answer to this, but the following are indications your vision is likely from God:

1. You have prayed about the vision and asked God whether it is from him.
2. The vision is consistent with Scripture. God may inspire you to start a homeless shelter program to help the poor; but is not going to inspire you to start a drug cartel.
3. Fulfilling the vision would bring good to people, not harm. And in doing so, God will be honored and glorified. Jesus said to let our light so shine before others, that they see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
4. While you may benefit in this life from following the Lord’s will, your desire is to please and serve God, not yourself. Seeking financial and prideful rewards for your actions are clues your vision may have earthly (or even demonic) origins.
5. The vision is about doing something that is out of your comfort zone, and is not something you have always secretly wanted to do. Maybe you have a vision of serving in the mission field, but the thought of living in another country terrifies you; that vision is likely from God. When I received my immediate call to ministry, being a pastor was not even in my mind as an option. The thought terrified me.
6. Your vision is confirmed by other people, especially other believers. They may come to you and say they think you should consider a certain action or ministry, or they may convey that the Lord wants you to do that thing. The fact that others are confirming your vision is evidence it’s not just in your own mind.
7. The vision won’t let you go. It sticks with you, keeps coming up, and won’t let you push it aside. You may even be miserable trying to avoid doing what you are being called to do. My former senior pastor said that his advice to young men considering the ministry was to do anything else but pastoral ministry – if they could. Only if the Lord wouldn’t let them have peace in every other pursuit they tried, should they seek the ministry.

If these points consistently support your vision, then it is probably from God.

“What do I do about the vision?”

The second question we must ask is, “What do I do about the vision?” Of course, if the vision is from ourselves, we can decide whether or not to pursue it based on our preferences, resources, and abilities. We still should pray to make sure our vision is at least consistent with biblical teachings, and we should conduct ourselves with honesty and integrity as we pursue our dream. We should also pray to make sure our vision will not interfere with something else God has for us to do. For example, one of the men featured in the movie, Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell, was a fast runner for his day (and he won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympics!). But though he had success as an athlete, God had a greater call on his life. Eric used his fame as a platform for preaching the Gospel, and followed God’s vision for him to serve as a missionary to China -where he gave his life for the Lord. We can’t let the good thing we want to do prevent us doing something even more important that God has for us to do.

But if, on the other hand, we are sure the vision is from God, then it must take our priority. There may be a timing factor which delays our response until God has put things in place for fulfilling the vision, but if we keep putting off our response until everything is “ready,” we may end up missing out entirely. If we trust only in our knowledge, abilities, contacts, and material resources, we’re not trusting God to provide what is needed to do what he has called us to do. When God calls, he provides, even if we can’t see how it could happen. In fact, I believe God holds back our knowledge at times to force us to depend on him. He wants our faith and not just our works.

He wants our faith and not just our works.

Therefore, if God has given you a vision, go for it! It may seem beyond your reach, abilities, and resources. It may upset your carefully manicured life. It may threaten you health, wealth, and pride. But that’s okay, because when God gives you a vision, it’s for something much better than sugar plums!

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: Genesis 28, Daniel 7, 2 Kings 6, and Joel 2:28

In last week’s blog, I lamented the fact that everything we do gets corrupted by sin. I posited the following truism: There is no good thing devised by man that cannot be corrupted by sin. And I suggested an accompanying corollary to that: There is no good thing devised by man that has not been corrupted by sin. I also gave examples of how mankind even corrupts those things he has not made in the natural world around us. Let me add one more example: there are an estimated 170 million pieces of man-made debris – in orbit around the earth. This debris is composed of dead satellites, spent rocket boosters, and alien motherships (no, wait, that was a movie). This includes 18,000 pieces large enough to be tracked by our space defense command. I guess the earth wasn’t big enough to hold all our junk! Interestingly, check out John 21:25 – “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” If we’re going to fill up earth and space, it might as well be with books about Jesus!

I referred to this problem of corruption by the terms, “makin’, breakin’, and achin’,” meaning we invent and create things (makin’), our sin corrupts the use of them (breakin’), which leads to evil results and suffering (achin’). There is where I left you, in the “slough of despond” (to quote John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress) into which the Christian sinks under the weight of his own sins and despairs of any hope.

There is where I left you, in the “slough of despond.”

But there is hope. God knows our condition – in fact, knew it before we sank into it – and prepared a remedy for our brokenness and pain. Before he even created us, Christ was the Lamb of God who would be slain to cover the guilt of our sins. Revelation 13:8 claims that Jesus was “slain from the foundation of the world” (KJV), and Ephesians 1:4 promises that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” I like that: holy and blameless before God, even though we have messed up everything he has given us in this world.

But there is hope.

He tells us to therefore have courage as we face the struggles, dangers, and aches of this world: “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Hebrews 13:5 repeats God’s promise: “For I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So, I guess we can add “but not forsakin'” to the chain of makin’, breakin’, and achin’. Though we have sinned and corrupted everything, God sent his un-corrupted Son to save us, the Son who likewise promised us, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

This is a remarkable promise, because God made it to sinful creatures even in light of our ongoing rebellion against him. We have brought our woes upon ourselves, either directly by our own actions, or indirectly through the actions of others. Yet, Scripture tells us that, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And Romans 5:10 continues by proclaiming the effect that Christ’s death and resurrection had on us sinners: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

One important term the Bible uses to describe the transforming effect of Christ’s sacrifice on sinners is “redemption.” To be redeemed is to be freed from lawful bondage by payment of a ransom. We use it today to refer to what takes place at pawn shops. A person takes an item of value into the shop, and leaves it with the pawn broker in exchange for cash. The person then has a set period of time to return to the shop with money and a pawn ticket to buy back, or redeem, the item left there. If not redeemed, the item is forfeit to the pawn broker, who may sell it to reclaim the cash paid out. In biblical teaching, we are in bondage to sin, unable to redeem ourselves, so Christ came and paid the redemption price – his own life – to set us free. We are his, valuable enough to him that he paid the price for our freedom.

We are his, valuable enough to him that he paid the price for our freedom.

This redemption has a three-fold effect:

1. On our standing with God as forgiven, righteous children.  Romans 3:24-25 says that we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” When we believe in Jesus Christ we receive right now complete forgiveness of all our sins, including the sins we have yet to commit! After all, Christ died for us before we committed any sins. This means all our breakin’ is forgiven; though the consequences of our actions may continue to bear bitter fruit in our life or in the lives of those around us, the guilt and prescribed eternal punishment for those sins are taken away. Hebrews 8:12 says, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Psalm 103:12 proclaims, “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” And  John 1:12 promises, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” You get the picture: the redemption of Christ frees us from the guilt of our sins.
   
2. On our lives now and on the culture we create. We are told not to conform to the world, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). When Christ redeems us, he puts his Spirit into us and we begin the process of being transformed into Christ’s likeness and away from the sinful nature which enslaved us (Romans 8:29). We call that process “sanctification,” which means we are being made to be holy in our thoughts and actions, even as we were declared to be holy by God’s loving grace and forgiveness. Then, as our actions and attitudes change, the effect we have on the world around us changes too, and we see changes in the culture. Though at times we need to just walk away from certain cultural traditions when they are opposed to God, at other times we can transform the culture to be more God-honoring and pleasing. I thought about this while attending our city’s recent Multicultural Festival. While there I saw a wide variety of costumes, saw (but did not eat!) various ethnic foods, and listened to music from different nations – my favorite being the Japanese Taiko drummers, though most of the drummers were Caucasian (cultural appropriation or cultural appreciation? I think the latter, since I certainly appreciated what they were doing). While most cultures have desirable attributes, history shows that every culture also reflects mankind’s fallen nature. Every culture is “brokin'” to some extent in various ways. We see beautiful artwork – but some is devoted to idols and false gods; we hear drums beating, but their skills were developed to guide troops in battle; we enjoy varieties of food, even as man-made famines starve innocent people from the “wrong” tribes. And the culture that developed algebra and the numerals we use today instituted the thousand-year long slave trade which continues even today. And then there’s our own nation’s participation in said trade. Our cultures all need to be redeemed, by the power of the Holy Spirit working in believers of every nation, tribe, and language to mend the breakin’ and stop the achin’ to the extent we can.
3. On our futures. Ultimately, we can only change so much in this world and in this life. Sin will continue until the Lord returns to judge the living and the dead. Therefore, our hope is in the Lord and his promises of eternal life in bodies that will also one day be fully redeemed and restored to their pristine condition, free from sin and all its effects. Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 22:3 continues the promise, “No longer will there be anything accursed.” As Paul puts it in Romans 8:23, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Because God is not forsakin’ us, we can look forward to complete healin’ of our achin’ and no more breakin’ of what we are makin’. God’s love for us overcomes all that we have done to ourselves, each other, this wonderful world, and yes, even space. For that, we can be eternally grateful!

God’s love for us overcomes all that we have done.

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: Hebrews 8, Revelation 22

This week I heard a news report on the radio about a new bill just passed by our state legislature and signed by the governor into law. To be honest, I often cringe when I hear about new legislation, wondering what negative impact the new law will have on us and our society. But this time, I agreed that the new bill was probably necessary, and recognized that it helped confirm something I have sadly noted about life in this world.

What is the new law? It forbids and criminalizes the flying of drones over prisons, jails, and juvenile correctional facilities. Why? Because people have been using drones to carry drugs, mobile phones, weapons and other contraband into California’s prisons. This new law outlaws such flights, which certainly makes sense. . . after all, only Amazon should be allowed to make such deliveries!

So what does this new law confirm about the world around us? What truth does it illustrate? Simply this: There is no good thing devised by man that cannot be corrupted by sin. And the corollary is: There is no good thing devised by man that has not been corrupted by sin.

There is no good thing devised by man that cannot be corrupted by sin.

We could call this the makin’, breakin, and achin’ cycle: in other words, people create wonderful things, which are corrupted to sinful uses, which in turn cause misery and loss in the world. Let’s consider each of these briefly.

Makin’: Mankind has devised, invented, and made so many amazing things I hardly know where to begin describing them. Just think of all the tools and technology we have created over the ages: agriculture, hybridization of animals and crops, plows, tractors, combines, crop dusters (and the stuff to be dusted on our fields); wagons, cars, trucks, trains, boats, airplanes, and spacecraft; knives, hatchets, axes, hammers, screws and screw drivers, wrenches, nuts and bolts, lawn mowers, edgers, vacuum cleaners; oil lamps, flashlights, bulbs, LED lights, fluorescent tubes; furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, solar panels; computers, lasers, printers, 3-D printers, cell phones and tablets; and medical tools and techniques from medicines, x-ray machines and ct scanners to robotic surgeries and heart transplants. The ability to imagine, design, invent, manufacture, and use so many technologies is proof of mankind’s intelligence and of the fact that we were made in the image of God – the original Creator. We have invented so many good things that have healed, fed, protected, and brought comfort to the whole world, that life should be wonderful for everyone. And today we stand on the threshold of unbelievable advances in genetics and physics that promise cures to cancer and other deadly diseases. For example, did you know that researchers have printed functional rat kidneys on a 3-D printer, and reawakened dying organs by injecting a person’s own mitochondria into the organs? Who knows what advances lie just over the horizon? We are indeed very good at makin’ wonderful things!

Breakin’: And yet, no sooner do we invent or produce anything, than it gets twisted and used for sinful purposes to harm others. Atomic energy is used to produce energy, fight tumors, and power ships, but is also packed on top of thousands of missiles aimed at population centers around the world. The internet provides instant communication, access to practically all the world’s knowledge immediately and cheaply, entertainment, and the ability to find and purchase goods and services that help us; but this great tool has been corrupted with computer viruses, ransomware, phishing scams and verbal abuse – not to mention pornography and illegal drug sales. Boats have provided mankind with the ability to travel the world and ship vast quantities of trade goods – or to invade, smuggle, poach endangered animals, and commit acts of piracy. In the example I mentioned at the start of this blog, drones can provide visual recon of archaeological sites, farm fields, and cattle herds spread over vast pasture lands, and they can deliver packages to remote locations cheaply and safely – or, they can be used by peeping-toms to spy on neighbors, or to deliver contraband to prisons. And how many things have been invented but not made available to help people due to suppression by greed or political expediency? It seems that once a new thing becomes available, someone is thinking about how that thing can be used for some evil purpose. We’re as good at breakin’ things as we are to makin’ them.

Unfortunately, this corruption extends to things mankind did not invent or devise: the natural world. This corruption extends first of all in a general way to all creation because of the curse which our sin caused. On the day our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned, God pronounced his curse upon us and all creation (Genesis 3). Therefore, all creation was subjected to death (Romans 5:12 – “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”) and futility (Romans 8:20). All creation groans under the pain of sin and death (Romans 8:21-22) – all caused by our rebellion against God and fall into sin.

Besides the general condition which our sins have brought upon the world, there are also the specific acts by which we misuse, waste, or destroy the natural blessings which God has placed around us. Examples include the polluting of our air, water, and soil; the training of animals to attack each other for sport, or to attack people to cause harm; and the long-term destruction of plant and animal life for short-term, temporary gain. Chief in this misuse of God’s creation is the abuse of other people, for we, too, are God’s precious creatures. And because God made us in his image, whenever we strike against another human being, we are striking against God himself (Genesis 9:5-6).

Because we ourselves are corrupted by sin, everything we touch is affected by it, too.

Because we ourselves are corrupted by sin, everything we touch is affected by it, too; even our best efforts to treat the world rightly often have unintended, negative consequences. We have imported plants and animals to regions to help combat some problem, only to have the imported species become a far greater pest than it supplanted. The American South is covered by an invasive vine known as kudzu, first planted as a forage crop; and cane toads (Rhinella marina) have overrun Australia, replacing and eating all kinds of native species (including birds) and not just the beetles they were introduced to control.  Check out one of these monsters:

Achin’:  The result of all this breakin’ is pain and suffering – the achin’ which we feel from the broken promises which our inventions first gave us. We hurt each other, emotionally, physically, financially, and mentally. We oppress, abuse, and steal – breaking all the commandments which God gave us to help us love him and each other – and the result is tragic. We even use things which can be beneficial, to kill each other. So much good could have been done – yet what was meant for good is turned to produce evil. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” and Romans 3:10 warns us that “None is righteous, no not one” so we shouldn’t be surprised when people use good things for evil purposes – though we often are, and are hurt when it happens.

we shouldn’t be surprised when people use good things for evil purposes

So, what do we do? Is all lost? Is there no hope at all? Are we doomed to be eaten by giant toads? Are we doomed to the unending cycle of makin’, breakin’, and achin’ from the consequences of our sins? Fortunately, the story doesn’t end here; there is hope. There is a solution, because though we’re achin’ from the breakin’ of all we’re makin’, the One who made us is not forsakin’ us. We’ll look at that some more next time . . . See you then!

Fortunately, the story doesn’t end here; there is hope.

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 5 and 8

You’re probably familiar with the term, “birthday suit.” Since it refers to the “suit” we’re born in, which is no clothes at all, when you hear someone say it, you may get images of (in)famous examples of nudity, such as Lady Godiva, the 11th century countess who is said to have ridden through the streets of Mercia, England, bareback (in all meanings of the term). Or maybe Hans Christian Andersen’s  story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” comes to mind, you know, where an emperor is hoodwinked into buying clothes that are said by the weavers to be invisible to people who are stupid and unfit for their position – which of course the emperor and most of his court are afraid to admit, even though they can’t see the non-existent “clothes.” Finally, a little child calls the buff, I mean, bluff, shouting, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!” Or, maybe you’ve heard about the Laguna del Sol “clothing optional” resort located (appropriately) on Rawhide Lane in nearby Wilton, CA.

Well, since I titled this blog “My Birthday Suit,” I want to set your mind at ease and free you from any scary images that my words may conjure by explaining what I mean: “My birthday suit” means it’s “my birthday,” and I decided to write about what “suits” me. Hah hah.

This weekend I turned 67 years old, and now that I’m approaching becoming a senior member of society, I thought it would be a public service if I could share with you some of the things that I have learned by living these three score plus seven years. In other words, things that have suited me to learn and practice in my life. So, if you don’t mind me “baring” my soul, here goes:

1. Let’s start right off with the most important thing I’ve learned: God is real. And not some kind of “higher power” or “force,” but specifically the personal, living God of the Bible – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. With that goes the necessary co-belief that the Bible is true in what it teaches about God, about us, about what God expects from us, and about what God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ. That God is real: a personal, loving, and powerful God who is interested in, aware of, and actively involved in our lives. When I say that this is the most important thing I’ve learned, I’m certainly affirming that God ranks highest in worthiness to be known, but I am also asserting that knowledge of God affects everything else I might know. Belief in God and trust in him informs and permeates everything else; everything else I might know has its basis in God, for he is the Creator and Sustainer of everything there is. As Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,” and as Proverbs 9:10 adds, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” How can I truly know anything if I don’t know the God who created it all and explained the significance of life and death in his written Word? So then, you might ask, how do I know that God is real? Ultimately, as Luther’s Small Catechism teaches, I can only believe because the Holy Spirit has given me faith through the Gospel; it is not my doing, through reason and intelligence, that I have somehow figured out that God is and who God is. But I believe that God has shown me his existence in three ways. First, and definitively, through the Scriptures, in which God reveals himself and tells me all I need to know about him. If that’s all I had, it would be enough. But second, God has confirmed his presence by means of gracious interventions in my life (and the lives of others I know). He has guided, rebuked, protected, and healed me at different times according to his will, showing me that he is both a loving and righteous God who is concerned with the lives of his children. And third, the Spirit has worked through my emotions and reason to show that he is real. I have found the knowledge of God to be both emotionally and rationally fulfilling. Everything I know about the world just fits into the biblical explanation of reality and makes more sense than any other “theory” that men have invented to explain why thing are the way they are. This knowledge has inspired me, comforted me, and helped me make sense of life, both the good and the bad. It’s not that emotion and reason have brought me to God, but once I received faith from God, my emotions and reason have served my living out that faith.
2. It matters where we put our faith. So much in the world clamors for our attention and says, “Trust me!” “Put your faith in this product! It will solve your problems and make you happy!” “You deserve the good things we can sell you!” “Do I have a deal for you!” and so on. Some are just unable to provide what they offer, even though they have good intentions; others are outright crooks trying to scam you into following them or giving them your money. Hardly a week goes by that someone doesn’t try to scam us by phone or email, claiming to be a computer tech service or the IRS (at least, I hope the IRS calls were scams, since I hung up on them after they said the “local police” were on their way to arrest me!). We have to trust others much of the time: when we eat at a restaurant, we trust the cooks have safely prepared the food; when we fly, we trust the pilots, mechanics, and air traffic controllers to transport us safely to our destinations; when the doctors prescribe a medicine, we have to trust them and the pharmacy and the drug companies to provide a beneficial product. And so on. Likewise, when it comes to our religious beliefs, it matters where we put our faith. Certainly, we trust Jesus Christ and what God’s Word says about him, but we also must make sure that those who interpret that Word to us are worthy of our trust. Over the centuries, many false prophets have gone out and twisted the Bible to deny the true Gospel. It was a problem already in the earliest churches, because the Apostles had to warn against such false teachers that were misleading the believers (2 Peter 2:1, Galatians 1:6). That’s why creeds and confessions are so important, because they state the true faith and help guard against false doctrine. That’s also why the choice of church one attends is so important – are the preachers and teachers faithful to the Scriptures, or are they seeking the approval of people to benefit themselves (Galatians 1:10)?  Where I put my faith is always important; when it comes to matters of eternal life, it’s essential!
3. The amount of faith we have is not important. What?!? How can I say that? It sounds like heresy! But I think people get hung up on how much faith they think they need, and are afraid they aren’t good Christians if they don’t feel like their faith is strong. But Jesus said, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). Since the mustard seed is described as the smallest seed, Jesus is saying that even a small amount of faith can accomplish much. Do some people have more faith than others? Sure; some people have a special gift of faith. But faith is just believing in Christ and what he has done for us. It’s not something we can build up by our own will to make God accept us; it’s a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our call is just to believe, and let God apportion to us what he wants us to have. I like how one saying puts it: “It’s not that we have great faith in God, but that we have faith in a great God.” So if you believe, then take comfort and be at peace, read the Bible, receive communion, and you will likely find your faith increasing!
4. Treat everyone with respect. As the late Aretha Franklin put it, “R-e-s-p-e-c-t. . .” Some respect is earned, such as when someone proves trustworthy or capable in their work. But there’s also a level of respect due to everyone regardless of their appearance, attitudes, trustworthiness, or likeability. That respect is due to those with other religions or none. It is due to all races and ethnic groups, sexes, and “genders,” whether we agree with the designations or not. It is due because that person was made in God’s image, just as we were, so to disrespect him or her is to disrespect God. As Jesus said about our respect for our parents, if we cannot love the father we see, how can we love our Father in heaven whom we do not see? I think the same can be said for our love for all people made in God’s image. Sure, we are also all fallen sinners, so people do things and say things we don’t have to agree with, but we still owe them respect. Jesus taught us the Golden Rule – to do unto others as we would want them to do unto us; not surprisingly, when we respect others, we find they will likely respect us back. This is something I have tried to follow toward everyone, though I know I have sometimes failed to do so.
5. Keep a sense of humor. This is so important. It helps us get through discouraging times, it often puts things in perspective, and it keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously. It helps break down walls between people when we can laugh together. We are flawed creatures, and we make mistakes. Sometimes, those mistakes are frustrating or even harmful, but sometimes, they are just funny. We find ourselves in situations that make us laugh. And as long as we’re not laughing at someone, laughter can benefit everyone involved. (As I tell my wife, “I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you.” But I don’t think she always believes me.) One recent example of seeing humor in a situation took place when I called my sister. She was taken into the hospital for one night due to an episode with her heart. It took some doing, but after a few calls I tracked her to her room. When she answered the phone, I said the common expression, “You can run, but you can’t hide!” To which my sister, who this spring had her second leg amputated, replied, “I can’t run; I have no legs.” Fortunately, she saw the humor in it, and we both chuckled over my faux pas.* Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” May you have a cheerful heart, even in the face of adversity!

Over the many years I have learned many more things as well, but I decided giving you the “bare” bones would be enough for this blog. Maybe I’ll give you some more in the future – when I’m even older and wiser – and when it “suits” me. In the meantime:

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: Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 9:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-10 

*Used with her permission.

Last Friday, I heard a True Believer speak. But before I tell you what she said that revealed the depth of her sincerity, I need to tell you about an occasion when I was asked the question, “Are you a true believer?”

It was the summer of 1990. I was in Moscow (Russia, not Moscow, Kansas), participating in an international exchange between leaders in various fields from the USA and the USSR. At the end of the two-week program, we were gathered at a Moscow restaurant (or pectopah, in Russian) for a farewell reception before returning home. After snagging a few appetizers, I drifted over to a group of Russians who were serving as translators for our group. They were very skillful and proficient in their knowledge of English, though their Russian accents were still noticeable.

I was surprised at their discussion, which was mostly in English, because two of the young women were talking about their plans once the Soviet Union fell (which everyone there knew was inevitable). Earlier we had met some Russian educators who tried to broker business deals with our own educators to set up student exchange programs. But the plan of these two translators was to become international prostitutes, using their language skills to emigrate to the West where their chance for material success was greater. When the group saw that I had a bottle of soda for my beverage, someone asked why I wasn’t drinking any of their wonderful vodka. When I told them it was for religious reasons, one of the women asked me, “Are you a true believer?” I said yes. Which probably discouraged the aforementioned women from offering to practice their “translation” skills on me.

She asked me, “Are you a true believer?” I said yes.

Now, to the other true believer from last week. I was listening to a radio talk show (doing serious, political and cultural research to keep me in touch with the pulse of society), when the host took a caller who wanted to rave to him about one of the products he shills for – I mean, advertises. The product: bed sheets. She talked excitedly about how, after years of sleeping on what felt like burlap sacks, she and her husband “bit the bullet” and bought the $200 sheets he had been advertising. The sheets had changed her life – and she wanted him and everyone to know how wonderful the sheets were. The host could hardly contain his happiness to hear her, and gave her some gifts from his online store, plus – another set of sheets.

I chuckled at her enthusiasm, and shook my head at how this show was able to get a product endorsement into the “call-in” portion of the program. Then I thought about it some more . . .

When it came to that particular brand of sheets, the woman was a True Believer. But what if this woman had called to rave about something more important that had changed her life? What if she had been cured of cancer? Or had discovered the cure? What if she had invented cold fusion, and with it unlimited, clean, inexpensive power to benefit the world? What if she had called to say, “I have found my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and in him forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation with God, and eternal life!” Would she have sounded just as excited and eager to tell the world that news? Would the call-screener even have let her call through? (I doubt it!)

As this idea about witnessing to something wonderful rolled around the empty spaces in my brain, it began to generate some related thoughts:

How do I respond to questions about being a true believer in Christ? Do I excitedly share how he has changed my life? Would I call a talk show and rave excitedly about my Savior? Would I give my testimony, or let the occasion pass without saying what he means to me?

I am sure that if I found a cure for some dread disease, like cancer, I would excitedly proclaim it wherever and whenever I could. I would want people to know, so they could avoid horrible suffering, death, and family-crushing expenses. And, if that cure were actually freely available, and I knew about it, could I ever be justified in not telling people about it? If that’s true, then how can I not tell people about the Greater Cure, the cure for sin and death, who has saved them from hell, and has opened the way to an eternal life free of all diseases and suffering? Especially when that Greater Cure is freely available to all? And no health insurance needed! As Jesus told his disciples, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

If that’s true, then how can I not tell people about the Greater Cure?

Or, to the contrary, might I be reluctant to admit my faith, for fear of disapproval or other social rejection? And what if there were serious consequences to admitting my faith? What if I, like so many others before me, faced severe punishment, imprisonment, or even death to identify with Jesus Christ? Could I be like Polycarp, who when facing being burned alive at the stake in AD 156, refused to deny Christ, saying instead, “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Or like the Coptic Christians beheaded by ISIS in 2015, who all proclaimed, “Jesus is Lord!” before their deaths. Am I enough of a true believer to endure such horrors? Could I say, with Polycarp, that while the executioner’s fire lasts but a little while, the fires of judgment reserved for the ungodly cannot be quenched, and submit peacefully to my fate, knowing that Christ had saved me from the unquenchable fire?

If our news is so wonderful, why don’t we act like the true believers we are and tell everyone the Good News? Why don’t we rave even louder than the woman who found her new bed sheets to be so comfortable? If we hold back our excitement, maybe it’s for one or more of the following reasons:

1. We fear we will risk serious consequences: rejection, persecution, or even martyrdom. Some churches’ missionaries to certain other countries have had to be careful about their public ministries there, such as listing themselves as tourists for their visa applications. They have done so to protect their local Christian hosts and to preserve their ability to enter those countries to do their mission work. So far in our country, we don’t risk martyrdom for our faith, but there still can be serious social prices to pay for a forceful public declaration of our faith. We may suffer on the job, in school, or in other social groupings for being outspoken in proclaiming Christ. But when I think of what public proclamations may cost us, I remember the words of the 20th century martyr, Jim Eliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” What penalty could I possibly suffer on earth that would outweigh eternal rewards?
2. We underestimate the importance of our endorsement.  What difference does it make if we tell people excitedly about Jesus Christ? It may seem that people don’t react the way we want them to when we praise Christ publicly, but we can’t see what’s happening in their hearts and minds. We might be the one that plants the seed of faith, or we may be watering the seed someone else planted before (1 Corinthians 3:6-8). But whether we see immediate results or not, we still are the means God uses to reach people with the Good News. As Paul wrote in Romans 10, “And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” The bed-sheet woman wasn’t afraid to make her trivial endorsement; why should we be for a more important testimony? If someone buys sheets because we promote them, it’s no big big deal; but if someone hears our Christian testimony and believes, that leads to eternal joy! 
3. We fear we don’t know enough about the Bible to proclaim Christ. First off, let me say that no one knows enough about the Bible. We can study it every day of our lives and still be surprised with new information and insights every time we read, even when we reread familiar passages. On the other hand, we do know enough about what the Bible teaches to know who Christ is and what he did for us. We have been told all we need to know. That doesn’t mean we stop reading or learning – being in God’s Word can only benefit us and grow our faith and understanding. As 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” But we don’t have to wait until we’ve been to Bible college or seminary to be able to share the faith effectively and powerfully. And consider this: the bed sheet lady didn’t know how the sheets were made, the names of the workers who made them, or how much the sheets cost to make. She just praised what she knew about them, and did so enough to make me consider (for a moment) that they might be nice to get.
4. We think that sharing the Gospel is best left up to the professionals. While we hope that our paid preachers, teachers, and missionaries are solidly grounded and skillful in their work, the testimony of a lay believer is often more impactful on people. For one thing, the public expects a paid preacher to promote the faith. Such professionals are viewed like paid celebrities or salespeople who tout their products: you expect that the stars who rave about a product were paid to say what they did. But a friend who tells you they found a good detergent or restaurant or babysitter will probably carry more weight when you need the product or service. In the case of the bed sheets, the host touts them almost every day – and his endorsements go in one ear and out the other, because I know he’s making money on it and would tout that company’s competitors if they had paid him more. But along comes a caller to praise the same product, and people will listen. That’s why the host got so excited at what she said! The other reason a lay person may be more effective in witnessing about Christ is that they have a wider range of people and places to do their sharing. When I was pastoring, almost everyone I came into contact with was a believer and even a member of the church. My impact was limited to those who already knew Christ, or who visited the church on a Sunday. However, those members had many more opportunities to reach out to non-believers in their schools, workplaces, teams, and neighborhoods. Sharing the Gospel is not limited to the professionals, nor should it be!
5. We have been turned off by other people’s evangelizing. Maybe we’ve seen people on TV, in movies (which always stereotype believers as fanatics or charlatans), or in person, who have proclaimed Christ in hateful ways or acted hypocritically against what they preached. Even if what they say is theologically correct (it usually isn’t), the vessel containing the message is so flawed we reject what they say or at least don’t want others to identify us as one of those people. I understand and feel that at times myself. But it’s helpful to realize:
   • We don’t have to act like them to get God’s Word out to people. We’ll be far more effective if we don’t. Our message is one of reconciliation and love (2 Corinthians 5:18), and hatred has no place in it.
   • We don’t have to be loud and boisterous to get the message across to others. Often a quiet ministry of listening, serving, and compassion can open doors to a soft-spoken testimony about our faith.
   • We don’t carry the burden ourselves: the power of conversion is the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word. We are the imperfect means of bringing that Word to others, but God gives the faith and does the saving. Will we make mistakes in our witnessing? Sure, but Paul addresses this perfectly in 2 Corinthian 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” When our witness impacts others and brings results, God gets the glory and praise for it.

Are you a True Believer? If so, thank God for that blessing, and realize that you believe because others before you for 2000 years have witnessed to the faith, scorning all the risks involved to pass the Good News on to you. As the great hymn proclaims, “Faith of our fathers, living still, in spite of dungeon, fire and sword. . .” Our fathers (and mothers) in the faith endured those hardships and much more to cling to the faith and proclaim Christ to all around them. Hebrews 11 recounts some of the ordeals faced by the faithful through the ages: “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:36-38)

Are you a True Believer?

As a True Believer, are you ready and willing to proclaim what you believe to the part of the world in which God has placed you? Are you willing to risk temporary discomfort to know the peace and joy that comes from sharing the faith with those who are lost and are in desperate need of Jesus Christ? If so, praise God that he has moved you to speak for him, and keep your eyes open for the people and opportunities he will bring your way!

And 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: Hebrews 11, Romans 10

Every now and then I put out a blog article titled “Odds & Ends” to serve as a catch-all for announcements, updates, and thoughts that might not require as long an article as usual. This is one of those times, so sit back, relax, and get comfortable as some new “odds and ends” come your way . . .

1. As you’ve probably noticed by now, my blog has a slightly different look. For those who have followed this blog from the beginning, it shouldn’t look too unusual, because it’s very similar to what I first had. The main reason I changed back was due to a report I get on my administrative page that shows which pages visitors actually look at. What it showed was that a number of viewers don’t get past the “home” page, which only showed the first paragraph of the three most recent articles. That meant that some people weren’t getting to read the entire article, because they had to click on the title of each article to go to that article’s page. So, just in case that second step was keeping readers away from the articles, I made the new home page consist of the entire new article. All the previous information is still available on my “Greeting” page, which link is in the overhead menu. I hope the revised format makes your reading smoother.
2. I added a few new pieces of information, too. On the “Martin Luther Live” link, I added a report about last October, when I portrayed Dr. Luther at the AALC’s 500th Anniversary of the Reformation celebration. I presented the Reformer at each of the two lunchtimes, on the 31st and November 1st. One of the attendees drew an amazing sketch of me making the presentation, and our national newsletter’s editor, Lisa Cooper, wrote a a very kind article about the presentations. With their permission, I added the sketch and the article to this page of my website.
3. I also just finished revising my new book, Raising Ebenezers: Recognizing God’s Miracles in Your Life, and am now seeking final editing and publication. I included a description of the book (with a mock-up cover picture) on my website under the “Books” menu link. Hopefully, before long I’ll be able to include publishing and availability information as well!
4. Many, if not most websites include paid advertising that pops up alongside or beneath the writers’ articles. This is very common, and is one way for the “blogist” (Is there such a word? If not, there should be – “blogger” sounds so mundane. . . ) to pay for his or her site, or even to make money, based on the number of views they get. I have decided not to use paid ads, for three reasons. First, because I’m not doing this site to make money, and I can afford the low cost the web hosting company charges. Second, I can write what I believe without looking over my shoulder at sponsors, being afraid to run afoul of their editorial policies. I already have one very special Editor looking over my shoulder regarding my writing – and He is the only one I am accountable to. Third, in most cases the bloggist, er, blogger, does not get to choose which ads appear on the site. I have seen Christian blogs with some very questionable ads, and my immediate reaction has been to ask why the bloggers chose those ads – and then I remember they didn’t have a choice. So, to avoid those mixed messages, I chose not to take ads.
5. For those of you following the ongoing drama (or is it a comedy – or better yet, what they call in TV a “dramady”) regarding my foot, here’s the news: I finally have a surgery date of October 4 this year to have my foot attended to. I’ll spare you the details, but the main point is that this procedure should correct an ongoing problem I have had with recurring ulcers on my left foot. This means I’ll probably be cruising around in my wheelchair until the end of the year – so I need to warn you to watch out when you see me coming, since I don’t have a back-up beeper!
6. Wheelchairs can be difficult at times, though I’m very glad to have one to use. The worst time I ever had was several years ago (during one of those ulcer episodes) when I decided to go see a movie. I dropped Karen off to shop elsewhere in the shopping center before driving to the theater. I went right to the handicapped parking area, but found it was full. So I drove up and down the nearby lanes looking for a parking space, but they too were all filled. So I drove further out, still having no luck, until I was a block away from the theater entrance. There was a free spot! With the start time of the movie fast approaching, I took the space, and unloaded the wheelchair from the back of the car, using crutches to get from the driver’s seat to the tailgate. Then came the arduous roll down (actually, up) the length of the block. By the time I got to the box office, my arms and legs were aching from the exertion. I caught my breath, bought the ticket, and went in. Only to discover the actual theater showing that movie in the multiplex was the furthest one in the place from the entrance, back in the direction I had just come. So, I rubbed my arms took a breath, and started rolling. If you’ve ever had to use a wheelchair, you know that rolling on a smooth surface is one thing, but rolling on carpet is another. The carpet seems to fight you the whole way and makes the roll twice as tiring. Of course, the place was carpeted. So, by the time I got to the theater’s door, I was exhausted. Then, when I rounded the corner into the theater proper, I had to laugh (or did I cry?) because this “Handicapped accessible” theater was uphill. That’s right, after all I had exerted already, I was now facing a steep incline to get to where I could even see the screen. I struggled like never before. I cried, I sweated, I bled (okay, that was an exaggeration), and finally pushed up backward until I made it! Finally I was in the theater! And there before me, were several empty wheelchair spots. With what was left of my strength, I rolled the last few feet, swung around to face the screen, and settled back to relax. That was when another wheel chair came in, pushed by someone else. They decided to take an open spot just past me. Which they did – but not before ramming their chair into my bandaged foot. And the movie wasn’t all that good.
7. You may have noticed I used the word “handicapped” when the preferred term these days is “disabled” or more euphemistically, “variously-abled.” As someone who has a parking placard granted to me as an authentic “disabled person,” I have to say that I prefer the term “handicapped.” Supposedly, the term comes from a time when beggars went around England holding cap-in-hand, asking for money, so the modern use of the term is seen to be insulting to people with disabilities, calling them beggars. On the other hand, I think saying people are dis-abled means they can’t do what other people can, and is more limiting to them. Handicapped persons are still able, but if they’re disabled, then what? I look at it this way: golfers have handicaps, race horses have handicaps, the tortoise had a handicap compared to the hare, but they are all still able to win. So don’t feel bad to call me handicapped – because I’m still very able to do a lot.
8. When you read the Bible, you find that people’s physical limitations, whether you call them disabilities or handicaps, are stated plainly and without any circumlocution. People are said to be blind (also a spiritual condition), deaf, and lame. There’s no attempt to soften their conditions with nice words. The Bible says what is, and what is not. Imagine Isaiah’s prophecy of the works of the coming Messiah being written today:”The unsighted will see, the hearing-impaired will hear, the differently-abled person will leap for joy.” Even the prophecies of the resurrection would have to change: “The passed-on ones will rise again.” Of course, Paul did use one euphemism – for the dead in Christ. He said they had fallen asleep, but that was because he knew their death was temporary, and they will rise from the dead as sleepers arise to the new day. Jesus said the same about Lazarus, until his dense (or is it, “intellectually-challenged”?) disciples misunderstood him -so then he said, “Lazarus has died.” (John 11:11-15). There are times to be kind and gentle in speech so as not to cause shame or affront, but there are times to speak plainly, with no malice intended, to address reality and perhaps to improve upon it.

Well, that’s about it for now. Until next time: 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: John 11, and Judges 3:12-30 for brutal honesty in biblical speech

As I write this blog, California is burning.

There are nineteen substantial wildfires raging across the state. The largest is called the Mendocino Complex, which is comprised of two adjacent fires – the Ranch Fire which has burned 157,000 acres and is 27% contained, and the River Fire at 45,000 acres and 50% containment. Slightly smaller but more destructive is the Carr Fire near Redding, which has burned 142,000 acres, caused six deaths, and destroyed 1,500 homes; it stands at only 41% containment and is being called “apocalyptic” by the press.

The demand and strain on firefighters has been incredible. They are working minimum 16 to 24 hour shifts. Four have died, and one man fighting the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite learned that his own home was destroyed in the Carr fire. The state’s resources are stretched so thin that firefighters are coming to help from as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Tens of thousands of people have had to be evacuated, including people already in evacuation centers and hospitals.

These are big picture statistics and situations, but besides video images of burning trees, mushroom clouds of dark smoke, and swirling “fire-nadoes,”we have seen images of the individual tragedies being repeated so many times in areas hit by the fires. We have watched as men and women stood in front of the smouldering embers of what used to be their homes, wiping away tears as they report the loss of everything they owned. One woman said that this is the second time she has lost a home to fire, so there wasn’t much left to burn this time – but now even that is gone.

As I watched one of the survivors talk about her losses, and how she and her family had just enough time to grab their pets and escape the rapidly advancing flames, I remembered the passage from 1 Corinthians where the Apostle Paul used the powerful image of fire to address an important spiritual matter.

Paul was chastising the Corinthians for their petty squabbles and divisiveness, for their spiritual immaturity, and for their jealousies. He wanted them to understand that their conflicts were contrary to the faith he had proclaimed to them, and that they would be ineffective in accomplishing anything for the kingdom of Christ. He derided their failure to build on the foundation which Christ had laid for them through Paul’s teaching, saying:

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 – emphasis mine)

Elsewhere, Scripture uses fire to describe judgment and condemnation. Wicked Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone (sulfur) from heaven (Genesis 19). Exodus 19:23-24 tells us the the Lord sent hail and fire down upon Egypt as one of the plagues. When the Israelites grumbled in the desert, God sent poisonous, fiery serpents to kill many of them (Numbers 21). John the Baptist spoke of the Messiah baptizing people with the Spirit and with fire, explaining that fire was the fate of those who were chaff (Luke 3:15). And of course, the Book of Revelation describes the final judgment against the devil, his demons, and those whose names are not written in the book of life: they will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10,15).

Paul’s use of fire is along those lines, but directed not at the believers – who will be saved by their faith in Christ – but rather at their worthless works. Because of their squabbles, they are accomplishing nothing of permanence that will build the kingdom. Paul reminds them that the permanent foundation was built by Christ, the works which his people build upon that foundation, as a house is built on a foundation, will last. But all our works which we do apart from Christ, no matter how impressive they are to us, will perish, as our goods do in a fire. He doesn’t spell out what specific works will perish, and what specific ones will endure, but we are left with the understanding that some of what we do in this life will bear eternal fruit, while much will end when we die. The difference is what is done through Christ.

So how does this idea of fire, judgment, and works which burn up relate to what is happening in California this summer?

1. First, I want to be clear that the loss which people have sustained of houses, possessions, animals, and even loved ones, is not God’s judgment against those individuals for some sin they have done. Those who lost homes were not more sinful than the people whose homes were spared. This principle is laid out in Scripture in several places. In Matthew 5:45, Jesus says of the Father, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Jesus also answered people’s questions about suffering when he referred to two contemporary incidents in which individuals were killed: “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5). We also know that Job suffered the loss of just about everything in his life, including possessions and family, though God considered him the most righteous man on earth in his day (Job 1:8). So we should never look upon anyone’s suffering and think they must have done something to deserve it; we all deserve God’s judgment, so we should look with compassion and remind ourselves that but for the grace of God, we could be in the same situation.
2. The possessions which people lost were valuable to them. Many of the destroyed items had sentimental value, such as photo albums and heirlooms. Other items had monetary value, including expensive furniture and equipment. The houses themselves represented significant financial investments made from lifetimes of work and sacrifice. And yet, all were gone within minutes. This should make us think carefully about what we invest in: what is important to us? Stuff? Things that are considered valuable to the world? Showy things that impress others or build our egos?  Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20); he could have added fire to his examples of earthly dangers. We should remember that it is not the value we put on something that makes it truly valuable, but what God says of it.
3. Which brings us to the final point: the phrase, “You can’t take it with you” is true. No matter how important our stuff is to us here in this lifetime, when we die, it all stays behind. It will all be consumed in the final fire if not before.

The story is told about a very wealthy man who on his deathbed made his wife promise to bury his money with him when he died, so he would have it in the afterlife. She protested, but he insisted, so finally she promised to do what he asked. On the day of his funeral, the grieving widow sat watching them lower the casket into the ground. Her best friend sat beside her to console her, but knowing about the strange demand of the deceased, she asked the widow, “You didn’t do what he asked, did you?” The widow turned to her friend with a smile and said, “Yes I did. I put it right in the casket with him. I wrote him a check.”

So are all our efforts and work and striving in this life wasted? King Solomon seemed to think so, even as he considered all his vast wealth. It was probably he who wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:18, “I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me.” But while most of what we have and do here will perish, the Bible also speaks of works which will endure. What are those works? Paul says they are the works we build on Christ’s foundation. But what do such works look like?

What will last through the fire and into eternity are spiritual works, those things which glorify God and bring the Gospel to people. These include preaching and teaching people about Jesus Christ, baptizing in his name, showing compassion to hurting people, sacrificing one’s time and resources to help others, caring for the sick and dying (including family members), helping people reconcile and resolve conflicts (being a peacemaker), and suffering persecution and even martyrdom for Christ’s sake (“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10).

Jesus told us not to worry about what we have to put on, because our lives are more important that our clothing. All who lost clothing (and so much else) in the California fires are more valuable to God than what they owned. Their lives matter, so let us pray for them and for their safety and recovery, as well as for the safety of those who fight to control these raging infernos and protect others from such devastating losses.

Let us also thank God for the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ’, whose death and resurrection has won for us eternal life. Knowing that our lives will endure through all eternity, let us seek to do those works which will also endure the fire, that will glorify God, and be the instruments which God uses to save others.

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, 1 Corinthians 3, Luke 13:1-5

In my previous post I wrote about my recent heart catheterization. As I reported, the test revealed my heart was fine, for which I am very grateful. If you haven’t yet read that post, I encourage you to do so, as you may enjoy some of the more humorous aspects of that experience.

At the close of the article, I listed several Bible verses which speak about “the heart.” While appropriate for my theme, “You gotta have heart,” the kind of heart spoken of in those verses, and throughout the Bible, is not the kind that pumps blood or undergoes a heart catheterization. Rather, when the Bible speaks of the heart, it almost always refers to a person’s will, thoughts, feelings, desires, and so on. We use the word the same way in English, too, as in “You gotta have heart” (courage, desire), or “That person has a good heart” (attitude, character), or “I heart my wife” (love). Our use of heart is so similar to the way the Bible uses it that we usually know immediately what the Bible is talking about when it says, “heart.” In fact, our use of heart likely comes from the biblical usage of the term.

Given that understanding, we turn to what Jesus said when asked about which of God’s commandments was the greatest. Matthew 22:34-40 records what happened:

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

There’s a lot we could talk about in this passage, such as the attitude of the Pharisees in asking the question; the division of the Ten Commandments into two tables – one dealing with the love of God (Commandments 1-3) – and the other with the love of neighbor (Commandments 4-10); what it means to love God (a feeling, an attitude, or actions?); and what it means to love our neighbor (again: a feeling, an attitude, or actions?). But the point I want to focus on is this: Jesus said to love the Lord our God “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” What is that all about? It’s about much more than just saying, “I heart God.” The word used for love in this passage is from the Greek word, agape, which transcends feelings to express commitment, devotion, and selfless action. But according to Jesus, it goes even further.

Jesus calls us to love God whole-heartedly. We are to love God without reservation, without conditions, without exception. God wants all of us, and all of each of us. He wants us to recognize him as Lord with our whole being, and to obey him in all he has commanded us. What does that look like? Does it mean we all become monks and nuns (or more properly, monks or nuns) and spend 24 hours a day in the church sanctuary in worship and prayer? Or give all our possessions away and fast every day? Or give our life on the mission field? Maybe . . . As the 20th Century Lutheran pastor and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, put it, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Talk about following Christ without conditions!

To better understand what it means to love God “wholeheartedly,” let’s look at the opposite, and consider some of the many “holes” in people’s love which show they only love God “hole-heartedly“:

1. The Time Hole: “Okay, so I went to church yesterday. I gave God his due, and now I’m off the clock. As the beer commercial once said, ‘It’s Miller time!'” What’s wrong with this picture? I mean, besides the fact I don’t drink beer? Our relationship with God is not one of many things we schedule or allocate time to. If we truly love God, we love him all the time, not just when the calendar and clock call us to worship. All the time we have is a gift from God, so why do we try to divide it into “his time” and “our time,” as if he didn’t matter during our time? The important point here is not that we spend 24/7 attending religious services in a church building; what’s important is knowing God is with us and present every second of our lifetime. There is no time or place when we are away from him, and there is no time when God does not love us nor want us to love him. Wherever we are, we can keep God in our thoughts and prayers, and honor him with our lips and actions.
2. The Money Hole: Jesus ran into this problem when he encountered a rich, young ruler who wanted to follow Jesus, but wasn’t willing to sell all he had and give it to the poor – “for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23). Jesus went on to say that it was difficult for the wealthy to enter heaven because their riches became their priority – the hole in what otherwise could have been fervent love for God. Any time we put money and material possessions before God, we are not loving him completely; when we realize that all we “own” still belongs to God and we are but his managers of that wealth, then we begin to make all our financial decisions according to what we believe God wants them to be. That shows our love for him and trust in him that he will graciously provide all our needs.
3. The Social Media Hole: In previous years I might have called this “peer pressure” or “social pressure,” but just to show I’m hip to current trends, I’m calling this the “social media hole.” Whatever we call it, it refers to people wanting to be accepted by other people, especially by those they like. They don’t want to be mocked or laughed at; they don’t want to seem like a religious fanatic, they don’t want to be excluded; so they go along with even anti-Christian bias in social and public media, leaving God out of the discussion or even dissing him. If you really love someone, you stand up for them, and won’t let them be insulted, even by your friends; but for many there’s a hole in their love for God because they let him be denied or insulted freely.
4. The Plan B Hole: Here the person likes the Christian message, but decides to hedge his or her bets just in case it’s not completely true. Maybe it’s another formal religion, or maybe a philosophy built around science, or maybe they depend on some sense of personal spirituality and mystical experiences. Whatever the “other” plan might be, the person reveals his or her lack of faith in the God of the Bible, and therefore a lack of love. If people truly love God wholeheartedly, then they have no fall-back plan; they so live and trust God that if Jesus is not the way to heaven, then they will be totally lost forever. Are you willing to live under that commitment?
5. The Pride Hole: “Sure we love God, but don’t we have to love ourselves as well? Doesn’t God want me to perform for him, to show him I’m worthy of his love? If I love God, don’t I have to prove it by being religious and holy? God saved me, but didn’t I have something to do with that – something in me that God saw as worthy and lovable?” This is actually a very subtle flaw, in that it sounds good to want to please God; the problem is that by believing I had anything to do with my salvation I actually am despising Christ and his sacrifice. Why did he need to die if I could have been good enough for God without it? Loving God is accepting fully his gift of grace and not trying to make it depend on my cooperation. The song, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” (1991 by The Temptations), refers to love between people, not the love God has for us.
6. The Feelings Hole: “I really want to love God more, but I just don’t feel it. I try but I don’t have any deep emotional experience when I pray or attend worship services. If only I felt “my heart strangely warmed” as did John Wesley before he founded Methodism, or felt a “burning in my bosom” as the Mormons say I should, or wept and shook and dropped on the floor like my Pentecostal friends do, then I would feel closer to God.” You can see the error in this thinking. Is my faith and love for God dependent on my fickle and changing emotions (“He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me . . .) or on his promises which find their “yes” in the atoning sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ for me? Romans 5:8 should give us all the “feeling” we need to love God: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
7. The Knowledge Hole: Maybe we don’t love God fully because we just don’t know him. We have not read his Word enough to know what we need to know about him. We don’t understand the depth of his love for us, the lengths he went to in order to save us, and his bountiful provision of all our needs, including life itself. This ignorance is our fault, especially in this country where we have unlimited access to a hundred different Bibles in every format in our language. For some, the ignorance is willful, because they fear reading about their moral and religious obligations; ignorance of God’s Law is bliss . . . but the Bible says people perish out of their ignorance: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). The remedy is to spend more time in God’s Word, where you will find good news of God’s love that frees us from the judgment of the Law.
8. The Lock-Box Hole: Do you keep secrets from the ones you love? Maybe you’re embarrassed about something you said or did, or maybe you just want your own private area to keep separate. In marriage, it might be a “man-cave” where a guy has and does what he wants in a certain space. Little kids might have a clubhouse with “No girls allowed!” or “Boys keep out!” posted. Adults may keep a lock box to hold their most precious and secret possessions. The problem comes when people treat God like that, trying to keep an area of their life secret from God (as if they could). They’re willing to turn over most areas of their lives, but not everything;
9. The Black Hole: Okay, at first, I listed this just because of the name; I thought it would be cool to include it as a joke. But the more I thought about it, I realized it actually does describe one of the reasons that many people fail to love God fully. These people attribute Creation to natural processes, such as the “Big Bang” and black holes. They divide science from religion, and look to science for the answers regarding the physical reality, and to religion for “spiritual” matters. In doing so they are robbing God of his creative genius and power, and of his ownership over all reality, both “seen and unseen” (Nicene Creed). They are falling into the trap warned against by the Apostle Paul, who wrote in Romans 1: “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.” (There’s that “heart” reference again.) To attribute the origin of anything God created to some impersonal process apart from him, robs him of the glory due him and diminishes our love for him.

How many of these are playing a part in your affections toward God? Are there “holes” in your heart by which you are holding back on your complete love for our Creator and Redeemer? Are you willing to search out these holes and fill them with true worship and love for God?

Christ gave us Law that day, and it sounds scary. How is it possible to love God so deeply and completely that we can say “with all our heart?” Of course, we can’t. It is an impossible standard. We can strive for it but never obtain it fully. Knowing this, we properly despair at our shortfall. How can we love God? We stand condemned by our failure.

But that’s where grace comes in. 1 John 4:19 tells us, “We love because he first loved us.” Our love is a response to God’s love; Christ came into the world not to condemn us, but to seek and to save the lost (all of us!); and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We fulfill God’s commandments, including the greatest commandment – to love God with our whole heart – by believing in the One he sent – his only Son, Jesus Christ. May that knowledge richly bless you, and may your love for our Lord and Savior increase constantly. May you love him, “Wholeheartedly”!

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 1:18-32, 1 John 4:7-21

“You’ve gotta have heart, All you really need is heart. When the odds are sayin’ you’ll never win, That’s when the grin should start. . .” (From the musical, “Darn* Yankees” by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler, 1955**). I thought of attaching an audio file to this blog of me singing that song, but then I realized it would be heartless of me to do so.

Last week, I had a heart procedure. Technically, it was a heart catheterization (cath), in which a tube was inserted into my wrist and threaded up into one of my cardiac arteries to see if it had any blockages. I had not suffered any heart failure, chest pains, or any other symptoms indicating a heart problem, but the doctors required the test before giving me clearance to have some long-awaited corrective foot surgery. The procedure went very well: the cardiologist announced that the artery was clear and there was no problem. That was great news, and hopefully this was the last hurdle before fixing my foot.

Strangely, I had no fear of either the procedure or any negative results they might have found. Partly, I felt fine and thought of the procedure as “overkill” (maybe not the best term to use when considering someone threading a tube into your heart). Also, I was confident that God would protect me and use the procedure to reveal either my health or my need for some corrective action, either of which would be a good result. Therefore, all through the prepping and recovery periods (which took much more time than the actual procedure), I found myself in a good mood. So much so, that I began finding humor in various aspects of the experience. Like the above-mentioned song says, “That’s when the grin should start. . .”

My first grin was when I registered at the Patient desk. That was right off the street on the ground level, which made sense. But then, to go to the heart cath clinic, you had to walk about a block away, up to the next floor in a different building. I wondered how many patients they lose between registration and the clinic, since all the patients they send up there have heart issues! Maybe, if you make it all the way to the clinic without having a heart attack, they release you as being healthy! Fortunately, due to my foot issue, I had arranged for a wheel chair and attendant to push me to the clinic. Karen and our friend Peg had to walk behind (as usual).

Next came the arrival at the clinic, where I was ushered into a curtained-off room where I would be prepped. Of course, I had to change into a hospital gown, which was missing a tie on the “backside,” (not that there was a backside to be tied!) My wife Karen was in the room with me, and she asked for a better gown for me They brought me one that was twice the size of the other; it was warmer and had two ties, but they were both up by my neck, so the backside coverage was not much better than the first one.

Fortunately, I lay on my back almost the entire time. Except when I had to use the bathroom. I tried to postpone that trip, and at first thought I didn’t have to go. But then, the videos on the large-screen monitor in the room changed. The pictures on the video loop were intended to calm and relax the patients: beautiful scenes of mountains and prairies, desert flowers, fields of colorful blooms, and baby animals frolicking in the grass. So cute. So restful. Until the scenes changed. It started innocently at first – just some trees after a rainstorm, dripping water off their leaves. Then the drips increased to little rivulets, pouring into puddles. I tried to look away. I tried to think of the desert scenes again. But then came the streams and rivers, then mighty waterfalls, and by the time the scenery changed to huge waves crashing into the shore, I was on my button asking the nurse to get me to the bathroom. Later, after the procedure, they brought me back to the same room – and the same evil video. This time, they wouldn’t let me get up to go, so I learned how to use a plastic gallon jug in a reclining position.

I had great nurses. One female nurse complimented my smooth, soft wrist; I corrected her to use the word “rugged” instead. Then a male nurse came in. He looked so old – thinning gray hair, unsteady walk, hunched over with what used to be called a “dowager’s hump.” Then I found out he was 11 years younger than me! He had had a kidney transplant after 10 years on dialysis. And he said he had the heart of a 20-year old – literally – having received a heart transplant from a 20-year old girl who died of head injuries while skateboarding at Yosemite. Ironically, while he told me about her, the monitor behind him was showing peaceful mountain scenes of – you guessed it – Yosemite. I did not call his attention to it.

One of the female nurses was being trained for the unit, and as she read my vitals, I asked her if I were her first patient. She chuckled and said no, that she had been a nurse for many years, and was just new in this unit. I liked her response, so when the cardiologist came in to make his pre-op visit, I asked him the same question, “Is this your first heart cath?” To which he replied, “No. I’ve done 15,000 of them.” No chuckle. No smile. No humor. No way I’m ever going to ask that again of any doctor before operating on me.

According to my chart, I slept during the heart cath, though I don’t remember dozing off at all. I thought I had been awake the whole time, but was surprised how quickly the procedure went. So likely, I had slept some from the sedatives they had administered to me. The following Sunday, I ran into Don, one of our church members, who was going in for a heart cath the next day. I wanted to encourage and calm him with how smoothly mine had gone, so I told him, “Yeah, I guess I actually slept during the process without even knowing it.” To which he instantly replied, “Sort of like us during one of your sermons.” Ouch! That hurt worse than the cath itself!

So, a week has gone by since my heart procedure. I feel fine, and am relieved that the results were so good. I am thankful to God for my heart health, for protection during the surgery, for the good medical staff (even the one who wouldn’t smile), for a sense of humor, and for the faith which welcomed any result as God’s will for me. On the way to church Sunday I thought about the praise song, “Give Thanks,” by Don Moen, and felt how appropriate it would be to sing it for this experience; I was not surprised when I got to church to find that “golden oldie” was one of the worship songs for our service:

“Give thanks, with a grateful heart. . . “

A grateful heart, indeed!

And 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:

• Psalm 9:1 “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”
• Psalm 10:17 “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear.”
• Psalm 13:5 “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”
• Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
• Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”
• Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
• Psalm 57:7 “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!”
• Romans 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

*Not the actual title, but this is a family blog . . .

** No, I did not watch the musical when it came out. At that time I was busy watching Romper Room, Soupy Sales, Sagebrush Shorty, and Looney Tunes cartoons. I’m not that old.

“The Myth of Independence.” A strange title for a blog the day before our July 4th celebration of Independence Day! Actually, I toned down the title a little; it was going to be called, “The Independence Delusion,” but I didn’t want any of my readers to think I was calling them delusional. (Of course, some of you may think that the description applies to the author of this blog . . . )

Calling the idea of independence a myth is not a political statement. It is not a slam against the holiday nor against our nation’s history or sovereignty. I do not long for those days of yesteryear when we were English colonies ruled by King George the Something. No, my comment about the mythical nature of our ideas of independence is much broader than that.

My position is two-fold. First, that none of us is independent in our personal or social lives. We need other people. Even the most “self-made man” (as we used to call a successful person) depended on others to get where he is. And second, that’s the way God desired and designed us to be – dependent on each other, and ultimately, on him.

We are truly dependent on each other and on God, and that’s the way God intended us to be.

Let’s look briefly at each point, since I know you’d rather get out and grill something and watch fireworks and celebrate Independence Day than read some guy’s blog. So here goes:

First: we are dependent on each other from the start of our lives to the very end. We are born not on our own, but we were conceived, gestated, born, nursed, fed, sheltered, and clothed all by the loving acts of our parents (or other guardians if something happens to them). We are taught and acculturated by family, school teachers, books and other media produced by others. The languages we speak were created and passed on by others: I don’t speak Richeddyese; I speak English and smatterings of other languages developed and taught to me by other people.

Then it comes to our material needs, which are met by things produced by other people. I could survive for a while eating grubs and berries and tasty insects, but all the food I eat was grown or raised and processed by others. (As Luther said, it’s good we have farmers, because if we were all pastors we would starve without anyone to grow us our food!) We even depend on others for the water we drink: not that they created it, but they filter, purify, and pump it into our homes and workplaces. And some people bottle that water and sell it to us at high prices! And how do we buy that and other products? With money and a monetary system created and regulated by others.

And what about our clothes, our homes, our cars, our computers and phones, our TVs and radios – for all these things we depend on others to create, manufacture, distribute, and repair. Sure, we could sew fig leaves together for clothing (that was tried once) but given my luck, I’d probably grab poison ivy or stinging nettle by mistake.

Then we get into categories like medicine, medications, medical equipment and instruments, physicians, other skilled health care workers, and care-givers. And what about police, firefighters and rescue workers, armed forces to defend our country, and government services to protect us and help us in case of personal need or social tragedies.

Even the most successful billionaire who thinks he or she has done it all and doesn’t need anyone else is delusional: they only got to where they were by the help of others, including lenders, partners, employees, and customers – or wealthy parents or a rich uncle.

I thought about the myth of independence when I first heard Hank Williams, Jr.’s song, “Country Boy Can Survive.” I like the song’s tune, Hank’s voice, and the pride in self-reliance it proclaims, but it’s that last thing, self-reliance where I also have an issue. The main point of the song is that “country folks” know how to take care of themselves from living close to the land with old-fashioned values. One verse goes like this:

I live in the back woods you see, A woman and the kids and a dog and me. I got a shotgun, a rifle, and a 4-wheel drive. And a country boy can survive; Country folks can survive.

What bothered me about the song was not the skills that country folks have (which can be awesome) , but Hank’s mention of some of the tools of their self-reliance: shotgun, rifle, and 4-wheel drive truck. Where did they get those things? Did they make them themselves? No. Or were they manufactured by city folks somewhere? What about the ammo for their shotgun and rifle? Did they make that? What happens when they run out of bullets? Sure, they can load their own ammo – but where do they get the gunpowder, brass casings, slugs, etc. to load more rounds? And as for the 4-wheeler, did they manufacture that themselves? And what about the gasoline to run it? (Okay, maybe they could use moonshine instead.)

Our need for each other extends to basic social interactions as well. We need human contact for our mental health, and even to be fully human. Children left abandoned or unheld as babies can become feral or emotionally ill; this was the case in Romania where infants were warehoused in large orphanages without human touch; they failed to develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. In prisons, one of the hardest punishments is to be put in solitary confinement, away from most interactions. Studies show serious physical and mental effects on prisoners, such as migraines, digestive problems, anxiety, hallucinations, heart palpitations, and paranoia, to name just a few.

Let me illustrate how hard isolation can be: in 1951, McGill University conducted a study of volunteers who were to spend six weeks in isolation. They all quit after just one week, unable to take it any longer.

We are truly dependent on each other – as John Donne famously wrote in 1624, “No man is an island.” But is that a weakness? An aberration? Are we just not tough enough to make it on our own, socially, mentally, and materially when we should be able to? No, the fact is that our need for others, our mutual dependence, is hard-wired into us. It is an essential trait of being human.

Second: that is because God designed us that way. This is a point that is worthy of its own book, let alone a complete blog article, but I think I can lay out enough evidence here to justify my claim. God designed us to be dependent in two ways: on each other, and on him.

Regarding our dependence on other people, we can go right back to the creation. The very act of creating us male and female and commanding us to reproduce requires some social interaction (actually of the most intimate kind), provision, and protection. In that day of creation, after God made Adam, he pronounced, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” which right there shows God’s intent for us to need each other. So he created Eve – who was dependent on Adam’s rib for her existence. He proclaimed in Genesis 3 that the woman’s desire would be for her husband, again showing interpersonal need. God’s judgment of Cain in Genesis 4 showed the falsity of Cain’s attempt to deny his responsibility to care for his brother (let alone not to murder him!). Even the fact that of all animals, we are the most helpless at birth, born needing others to provide and care for us, is proof that God intended us to be dependent on each other.

Psalm 133:1 proclaims, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” and Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Christ, the all-powerful Creator of the world, surrounded himself with disciples to join in his work of proclaiming the kingdom of God. And as he hung dying on the cross, Jesus made sure his mother would be cared for by his disciple, John. These are just hints of God’s design for humanity.

But our ultimate, hard-wired and essential dependence is on God. At the most basic level, neither we nor the earth itself would exist apart from God (Psalm 8 and Genesis 1 and 2). We would cease to exist if God ever withdrew his sustaining power: Acts 17:28 proclaims, “In him we live and move and have our being,” and Colossians 1:16-17 tells us that Christ is our Creator, who made us “and in him all things hold together.” Psalm 145:15 tells of our need for God’s provision, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.”

We affirm this dependence on God in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread,” which we know from the Small catechism includes much more than bread, extending to all our material needs. And note that our dependence is a daily thing: our prayer asks him to give us our needs this day; tomorrow is a new day and our dependence is new once again (it actually never goes away).

Our dependence on God finds its final and complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who by his love and grace did what no “self-made man (or woman)” could ever do, and that is to reconcile us to God through his death and resurrection. We depend totally on Christ for our forgiveness and for eternal life; recognizing that dependence and knowing that Christ meets that need for us is the very definition of faith.

So, let’s not perpetuate the “myth of independence,” for we are truly dependent on each other and on God, and that’s the way God intended us to be. And have a great 4th of July celebration!

And 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: Psalm 8, Colossians 1:15-20

I recently had one of THOSE telephone calls.

You know the kind I mean; in fact, you’ve probably received the same call yourself. A recorded woman’s voice begins in mid-sentence, warning you that you are in trouble with the IRS. She says that a criminal lawsuit has been filed against you, and that if you don’t reply, the “local cops” are on their way to arrest you. She then gives you a phone number to call, which she urges you to do right away. She closes with a pleasant, “Good bye.”

Whenever I get those calls, I just shake my head and hang up. I know the IRS doesn’t make such calls (not that I’ve experienced any real IRS calls myself), and recognize that the mid-sentence start is intentional to create tension in the hearers that they have missed important information. The hearers are more likely to call to find out what they need to know, which makes them more vulnerable to the scammers who sent that recorded message.

I watched a couple YouTube videos recorded by people who actually called the number and pretended to believe the warning. The person answering at that number identified himself as an IRS agent and gave some badge number. (Based on the accent, the IRS must hire only agents in India to answer phones.) The scammer explained that the victim owed thousands of dollars in back taxes and penalties, and that the IRS believed the person intentionally cheated on their taxes. To which the pretend victim expressed horror and asked what he or she could do to avoid going to prison. The scammer connected the caller to his “supervisor” who offered to reduce the amount owed and drop the criminal charges if the caller would go right away to a Target or Walmart store and buy hundreds of dollars of pre-paid debit or gift cards and mail them to a specified address. Of course, the person pretending to be a sucker never actually sends the money or cards, after which the scammer usually starts cussing and threatening before hanging up.

While watching the scammers get scammed is somewhat entertaining and appeals to my sense of justice, what amazes me is the brazen, in-your-face dishonesty of the scammers. Not only are they bold-face lying to people and upsetting them in order to steal their cash, they don’t care how much it hurts the person they scam. When one intended victim explained she had only $800 in the bank, and was a single mom with four kids to feed, the scammer just asked how fast she could send the debit cards. When another intended victim said his mother was dying and needed pain medicine, the scammer asked how close the Walmart was so he could wire them cash. How hardhearted such scammers are!

You would think that such scams would fail, and yet they succeed often enough. Tens of thousands of people have sent and lost millions of dollars. How is it that the victims believed the scammers? Partly because of our mistaken belief that people are basically good. When someone tells us something, we tend to believe them right away. After all, we depend on honest communication for practically everything in our lives, from our parents teaching us life skills, to our school-day education, to safety rules, to work assignments, to loving relationships, to our doctor’s prescriptions, to our religious faith and teachings. Most of what we hear is true, or at worst, mistaken; rarely have we experienced blatant lies, so when someone tells us something and sounds authoritative, our default reaction is to believe them. Why would they lie to us?

Unfortunately, I personally know two people who fell for phone scams. One supposedly won a lottery in England, and only had to send a fee/duty fee/tax which cost them $20,000 and led to threatening phone calls when they stopped sending money. The other fell for a phony online/telephone romance with someone whose purported mansion turned out to be a vacant lot in an industrial park. These are evidence of our need to believe people who sound sincere toward us.

To be honest, even when I hear the scammers’ lies, I find myself still wanting to believe them, though my mind tells me not to. I’ve always wanted to trust people, even when I learned they were lying. When I was in active pastoral ministry, I would  hear couples talk about their relationship problems, believing what they told me, until I realized from the contradictions that at least one of them was lying. People would come into the church from off the street and ask for financial help, sometimes changing their names or stories depending on which time they asked or whom they asked. One man’s mother died at least twice. Another father-son team needed gas money/bus fare to get to Arizona/Texas to see their grandfather/uncle who was dying. I actually met them at the bus station and shook my head when they ran back off the bus because there were no seats/the bus wouldn’t stop near their home before heading to L.A. Then there was the guy I bought groceries for at a store to feed his hungry children, only to have him sneak back in and return the groceries for a refund after I left.

Of course, as Christians, we are called to be honest in our dealings with others. We have the 8th Commandment not to bear false witness against our neighbor – that is, don’t lie to them! Luther explained this commandment in his Small Catechism: “We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, think and speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.” Thus, not only does this commandment forbid us from saying things that are outright lies, we are also forbidden from saying things that may technically be true, yet by their effect deceive or cause harm to others (unlike the scammers who didn’t care about starving kids or dying mothers, just so they got their money!). We are even commanded to consider ways that what someone tells us may not be a lie; they could be mistaken, or maybe we don’t have enough information to judge their statement as false. Thus, if a kid comes running down the block screaming he is being chased by a T-Rex, it’s possible he’s not lying . . . maybe I should look for myself or duck under cover . . . just in case!

And yet, though we are called to be honest, we know that the world in general is not. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” and Jeremiah 9:5 says, “Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity.” Psalm 116:11 cries out, “All mankind are liars.” When children break something, we expect them to cover it up with a lie. When courts swear in witnesses, they threaten penalties for perjury, because they can’t count on truthful testimony by the goodness of people’s hearts. And let’s not even start talking about politics!

Why is deceit so prominent? The problem, of course, is sin. Which entered into the world as a result of . . . a lie, told by the devil, whom Jesus called “the father of lies” (John 8:44), when he lied to Eve in the Garden and told her that she would surely not die if she ate the forbidden fruit. By those words, the devil called God a liar, and revealed his own true nature. Unfortunately, the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20) believed his lie and acted upon it – falling victim to the world’s first scammer.

But although the world is full of lies, God is Truth. Romans 3:4 says, “Let God be true, though everyone were a liar . . .” God’s Word is true and righteous; it is the power of salvation for all who believe. It is the sure foundation of life here and in eternity. We can trust it in all matters of faith and life, receiving faith, inspiration, strength, and hope by his Word and by his Spirit who works through the Word to call, save, and sanctify us for our benefit and God’s glory.

Therefore, we can endure a world of liars – and phone scammers – remembering to be cautious and clear-thinking, being “as sheep in the midst of wolves . . .  wise as serpents and gentle as dove” in all our dealings with the world (Matthew 10:16). We can endure the times because we know how they will end, when the Lord fulfills his promises and returns to judge the living and the dead. And when he does, he will judge all liars with the infernal father of lies, and unless they have repented and trusted in Christ for their forgiveness, they too will be thrown into the lake of fire with the devil and all the other wicked creatures (Revelation 20:10 and 21:8).

There’s an old taunt that goes, “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” On fire, indeed!

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: Genesis 3, Revelation 20 and 21

I skipped church last Sunday.

There. I said it. As hard as it was for a retired pastor (who always encouraged church attendance by his flock) to admit it, I skipped church. They say that confession is good for the soul, which I hope is the case, since I am confessing that to you now.

Of course, even in the midst of confession, the rational (and sinful) mind slips in a few rationalizations, or what is referred to in the legal system as “exculpatory” reasons for my absence. The first is that I attended a church service on Friday afternoon for one of our late church members, and though I did not lead it, I did listen intently to the sermon and even joined in singing the Lord’s Prayer at the close of the service (which singing may require further confession and repentance). Then, on Saturday, I participated in our church’s monthly senior luncheon, where I got to fellowship with a number of members and visitors and even got to lead the mealtime prayer. That should count for something!

But the real reason for skipping church was the onset of a head cold with sneezing and coughing, which I decided was my duty not to pass on to our members who might be in attendance. So actually, you could say I did something righteous by skipping church!

Or not. But what about this matter of attending or skipping church? What do we as Christians understand to be God’s will and our obligation in this matter? Because there can be some confusion due to different denominational teachings, I’d like to share a few ideas about what I believe the Bible, and the Church, teach on this matter.

1: First, our practice and beliefs about weekly worship go back to the act of creation itself, when God created all there is in six days, and rested on the seventh. Genesis 2:2-3 tells us, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

2: The commandment to institutionalize man’s observance of God’s creation and rest is given in the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20:9-11, “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” This command is repeated and expanded slightly in Deuteronomy 5:12-15. Obedience to this command became one of the chief hallmarks of the Israelites/Jews over the millennia and regulated their weekly lives.

3: Regulations regarding weekly Sabbath observance multiplied over the centuries as devout religious leaders developed rules to ensure compliance with the general command to keep the Sabbath holy. Some of the rules were excessive and burdensome on the people, extending even to food prep, bathing, distances you could walk, etc.

4: Jesus and his disciples ran afoul of some of these extra rules by doing such actions as healing the sick and blind, casting out a demon, and eating some wheat grains while walking through a wheat field (Matthew 12:1) – all on the Sabbath. He was harshly criticized by the Pharisees for doing so, to whom he replied in three ways:

• First, by comparing his acts of mercy with other Sabbath-permissible acts such as circumcision (John 7:22-23) and rescuing one’s son or ox from falling into a well (Luke 14:5). He even compared his disciples eating wheat grains on the Sabbath with the time David and his starving men entered the Tabernacle and ate the holy show-bread (Bread of the Presence) that sat there (Matthew 12:2-4).
• Second, by explaining that God’s purpose for establishing the pattern of Sabbath rest was to benefit mankind. Though it was a law, the purpose was according to God’s grace. Thus the need to serve/help people trumped the need to keep strict rules (many of which man had invented anyway).
• And third, Jesus proclaimed that he himself was Lord of the Sabbath, and therefore he had the authority to determine what was proper or not: “And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’” (Luke 6:5).

5: Of course, Jesus, the disciples, other Jews, and the first Christians (most of whom were Jewish) observed the Sabbath day on what we call, Saturday, the seventh day of the week. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, his followers also observed Sunday, the first day of each week, as “The Lord’s Day,” in celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Specific references to Sunday gathering and worship by Christians are made for Resurrection Day itself, the following Sunday (when Thomas showed up), and the Day of Pentecost. Acts 20 tells of believers gathered to break bread on Sunday (at which a man named Eutychus fell asleep during the sermon, fell out the window and died – a warning against falling asleep in church! Actually, Paul immediately raised him back to life . . .). Also, in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he told his readers to set aside an offering on the first day of each week (which may have been during worship). Finally, we read that John received what he recorded in the Book of Revelation while he “was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.”

6: As time went on, as the Church increased and spread among the Gentiles, and as separation from Judaism grew, Sunday became the Christian Sabbath. Apparently Pope Sylvester (AD 314-325) made the change official in the Western Church, though the practice was already common. Most Christians have kept the Sunday Sabbath ever since, except for certain groups like the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Seventh-Day Baptists, and many Messianic Jews.

So, now that we have reviewed the basis for our weekly worship services, the question comes to mind: “Do we have to go to church each week?” and from that, another question: “Is it a sin to skip church?”

To answer that, we need to go back to Jesus’ own statements about the Sabbath (and here I am accepting the Lord’s Day – Sunday – as our Sabbath). He said two essential things: first that he is the Lord of the Sabbath, and second, that the Sabbath was made for us. The Apostle Paul explained what this means in terms of observing the Sabbath by two critical verses in his letter to the Colossians. In Chapter two, verses 16 and 17, he wrote, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” Sabbath was the shadow; Christ is the substance to which it points.

Keeping the Sabbath is law; but we can only keep it perfectly by faith in Christ. He is our Sabbath rest, he has fulfilled the demands of the Law and is the Sabbath personified. Therefore, if we are in him, we have kept the Sabbath, just as we have kept all the Law by believing in the One through whom grace and truth came into the world (John 1:17). Do you believe in Jesus Christ? If so, you have already fulfilled the Law, which without Christ would have condemned you for imperfectly keeping its letter and spirit. If you ever did any work on a Sunday, missed one worship service, ever felt reluctant to go to church, checked out during the sermon or scripture readings, let your mind wander to impure thoughts toward or against fellow worshipers, or failed to tithe when the offering plate came around, you have broken the commandment and have sinned! Except, the Son has set you free, so you are free indeed (John 8:36); Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free.”

Therefore, our freedom in Christ sets us free from the condemnation facing all who break any of God’s commandments, by graciously forgiving our sins and removing the burden of fear and guilt. We can skip church without fearing that we will go to hell, for the Lord of the Sabbath is taking us to heaven.

But that brings us to the second part of what Jesus said, that the Sabbath was made for us. Therefore, though we can skip church or violate the prohibition against working on Sunday, when we do we miss out on the blessings that God has in store for keeping that command. What blessings are those? On the one hand, there is the benefit of physical and mental rest, of “down-time” from the daily rigors we face at work or around the home. A day of rest gives us a “time-out” but in a good way.  On the other hand, there are the significant blessings that come from gathering with fellow Christians to worship our Lord. Besides the fellowship we share with each other – a not insignificant blessing – there is the hearing of God’s Word, the explanation and application of God’s Word in the sermons, the call to confess our sins and receive absolution, being joined with others in prayer, the reminders of Christ in the church’s furnishings and symbols (such as the altar, the candles, the crosses, etc.), and the receipt of the sacrament of Holy Communion with its promise of forgiveness.

When we gather we are strengthened and we strengthen each other – weekly, or else we may face our daily challenges weakly. Even if we don’t feel we need church (a self-delusion), other people do; our participation in worship gives testimony and support to all who are there with us. Our faithfulness is a blessing to others.

Doing so follows the pattern of the first church recorded in Acts 2, beginning with verse 42:  “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Such corporate worship is so important, the author of Hebrews exhorts us in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Martin Luther said of keeping the Sabbath: “The spiritual rest which God especially intends in this commandment is that we not only cease from our labor and trade but much more-that we let God alone work in us and that in all our powers do we do nothing of our own.” How much more could the Sabbath be made for us, than that we receive God’s spiritual blessings as well as physical and mental rest? He also condemned both a rigid legalism that focused on obedience, and a despising of the Sabbath by those who would ignore or reject it. He said we had evangelical freedom regarding the Sabbath, but should not abuse that freedom by staying away from church.

Most significantly, Luther detached Sabbath keeping from being a particular day, to the hearing and learning of God’s Word. Thus, every day was to a Sabbath, for each day we are to hear and learn from God’s Word. To give God just one day a week diminishes his role in our lives, and reduces the blessings he would give us when we recognizing him daily as our Creator and Redeemer.

So where does this leave me, a week after skipping church? I guess I’ve talked myself into making sure my absence doesn’t become a habit, for in missing church, I would be missing a lot, not worshiping and receiving blessings from the Lord of the sabbath himself.

See you Sunday!

And 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: Matthew 12:1-12, John 9, Acts 2:42-47

Once again, I have several different thoughts bouncing around in my skull that occasionally hit some gray matter and take hold; as in Jesus’ parable about the soils, some of these thoughts take root and grow to produce fruit, while others wither away or are snatched away before they can do any good. So here are some of those thoughts; I’ll let you be the judge as to which are useful crops and which are just weeds . . .

Brain Surgery Post-Op: My recent post about “cultural appropriation” (titled, “It’s Not Brain Surgery“) was timely, because no sooner had I posted it than I read about the flap that was occurring over a high school girl’s choice of prom dress. The girl found a very pretty used Chinese dress, and posted pictures of her wearing it to her prom. To which some people responded in social media that the girl had no business wearing that dress because she was white, not Chinese, and therefore it was “cultural appropriation.” The point of my post was that not only is the adopting or “appropriating” of someone’s cultural trait a compliment to that culture, the practice is inevitable and actually necessary; we cannot have common practices or even communication without sharing useful cultural tools such as language. Well, as it turns out, the vast majority of actual Chinese responses to the furor were positive; one Chinese official said that the girl was not showing “cultural appropriation” but rather, “cultural appreciation.” I couldn’t have said it better (but wish I had used that phrase in my post!). By the way, that dress style was itself appropriated by the Han Chinese from the Manchurian people, and only became popular in the 1920’s and 30’s after Western influence grew in China.

One of the things I wrote about was Y-Indian Guides and its positive impact on my life and my relationship with my dad. Since writing that, a couple men have told me about their own Indian Guide experiences, and what the program meant to them. Thanks for the feedback! Again, I told about Indian Guides as an example of “cultural appropriation” that did a lot of good and was intended to be complimentary to aspects of Native American cultures. I also pointed out that at times the Indian theme was misused, or “misappropriated,” when some participants were disrespectful toward the very people they claimed to imitate. I also told how Native American representatives had confronted the national Y-Indian Guides with their concerns.

What I forgot to mention was that a similar event took place at the Promise Keepers national pastors conference, held in Atlanta in 1996. Among the 40,000 pastors who attended from all over the country and many different denominations were some Native American pastors. During one very moving moment, some of the Indian pastors got up before the crowd. Their leader reminded the crowd that the White man had come and taken their land, driven them away, killed many of them and destroyed much of their culture. The crowd hushed. Then, the speaker said, “But we forgive you, because if you hadn’t come, we never would have learned about Jesus Christ.” Wow. The ultimate “cultural appropriation” was the acceptance by many Native Americans of the faith which was brought to them by the believing European Christians who had invaded their land; and for that they were eternally grateful! What they said echoed the words of Paul in Philippians 3:8, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

Nothing to do but pray! One of the common phrases that Christians often hear and are annoyed by, is a statement such as, “There’s nothing left to do but pray!” The meaning is that someone has done all he could in a situation but without success, and now can only hope and pray that things turn out well. The implication is that everything is really up to us, and we must rely on our own strengths first; only when something is beyond our control do we turn to God for help. Worse yet, I suspect that many people who say that are not really intending to actually pray; they’re just expressing their hope that things turn out the way they want.

I was reminded of this phrase once again thanks to a new commercial for an online job site, which shall remain nameless here. The announcer touts their service as being much more effective at finding qualified job candidates than other job sites, or than “posting your job and just praying” for the right candidate to come along. I know the commercial is using “praying” and a synonym for “wishing,” and not making a theological statement, but that actually makes it worse. The announcer is really saying that praying equals no more than wishing, and that praying does no good. The implication is that even if there is a God, praying to him won’t help you. You may be thinking, “Okay, Rich, lighten up. It’s no big deal. He’s not really talking about praying; it’s just a commercial!” You’re right in that it’s just a commercial, but the subtle effect on us each time we hear prayer is not effective or even desirable can accumulate and bias us against something that should be a central part of our life. Hear it enough and we begin thinking that way, and eventually may start saying it ourselves.

In the Church, and in our personal lives as Christians, prayer is essential. Essential, as in being the essence or necessary part of life. Not just to accomplish something, as in praying for a favorable outcome, but to actually be a child of God. Prayer is about our relationship with God, before and beyond anything he does for us. Thus, not only did Christ pray to the Father when he did his miracles (e.g., John 11:41-44), he was in constant communication and could say that he and the Father were One (John 10:30), and that everything he did and said came from the Father (John 5:19, 8:28).

To illustrate the difference between a job site that recommends you not just “post and pray” when seeking an employee, and the Church, consider how big a part prayer plays when we seek to hire someone. At every stage of the process, we pray, because we recognize that we are not just seeking the most qualified candidate nor even the best candidate, but the right candidate, the person “of God’s own choosing” (from A Mighty Fortress by Martin Luther). Therefore we form the search/call committee by prayerfully selecting the committee members, gathering them for prayer for the process, praying for candidates, praying for and over each candidate, praying for the decision, and then asking the candidate to pray over his or her acceptance of the offer. In the case of a pastoral call, we can add prayers by our national church leaders and the assembled congregation. For the Church, it’s not “just post and pray”: it’s “pray, post, pray and pray again.”

The key to prayer is to recognize that we are calling on, depending on, and submitting to an actual, all-powerful personal being, the God of the universe who created us and invites us to come to him with all our wants and needs (Matthew 7:7-11). In other words, the God of the Bible. While prayer does change us, it is not our power that makes things happen. What changes in us is a humbling of self as we recognize our utter dependence on God, and our willing submission to his will for us. When he answers our prayers, we praise him and recognize that all good comes form him and from nothing else; Luther said this recognition is part of keeping the First Commandment, that is, to have no other gods before the true God. This does not mean that we never strive for good outcomes or use our (God-given) strengths and abilities for good purposes; it does mean that we acknowledge God’s will and power in all things.

One example of God’s power at work in response to prayer is the deliverance of Europe from the Mongol hordes in the 1200’s. In 1242 the Mongol army, 130,000 soldiers under their leader Batu, swept across Russia, defeating the Rus, the Poles, and the Hungarians. All Christian Europe lay defenseless before them, their armies having been annihilated. The people of Europe put aside their quarreling differences, gathered in their churches, and prayed for deliverance from certain destruction. The invasion stopped. The great Khan back in Mongolia had suddenly died, and in order for him to be proclaimed the new Khan, Batu had to return to the homeland. So he stopped the attacks, and returned to the East. When the Mongols resumed their attacks toward the end of the century, the Christian kingdoms had rearmed and were able to mount an effective defense, eventually pushing the Mongols out of Eastern Europe. You could say that the 13th Century Christians of Europe had “nothing left to do but pray. . .”

Update on my sister: Just a closing note to thank all of you who have been praying for my sister during her recent medical crisis. She did suffer the amputation of her remaining leg, and had several weeks of difficult recovery due to the effects of the anesthesia and other medical conditions. Thanks to answered prayer, she is now back in her home with her beloved doggies, thinking clearly, and in much better spirits. Thank you for your prayers, and to our Lord for his gracious provision!

That’s all for now. As you celebrate Pentecost tomorrow, may the Holy Spirit give you peace in knowing God’s love and forgiveness, and strength to meet your challenges – both daily and special.

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: Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount)

There are special days in our lives that we find significant enough to commemorate with anniversaries. What are some of those that you celebrate loudly or mourn quietly? This week is full of significant days for me and my family: yesterday was my sister’s 60th birthday; today is Karen and my 44th(!) wedding anniversary (and Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be with you!); tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo (156th anniversary of the Mexican victory against the French at the Battle of Puebla) and our town’s annual Western Day parade and festival.

Every day is an anniversary of something for someone – a birthday, a wedding anniversary, a job or promotion anniversary, a graduation, a sobriety milestone, or the remembrance of the death of a loved one. And then there are those anniversaries celebrated nationally as holidays: Christmas, New Years, Presidents Day, and Mother’s Day, to mention just a few. Some entail big gatherings and parties, such as Thanksgiving; others are marked with  community parades and sporting events, like New Years. Some are more somber in tone, such as Memorial Day, others more celebratory like July 4th.

Each occasion has become almost ritualized into being remembered in certain ways – you wouldn’t expect to see a Mardis Gras style parade on Veterans Day, or hear a bugler play “Taps” at a New Years Eve countdown, or have the Blue Angels fly over my house on my birthday (though they did fly overhead on my birthday, once!). So, commemorations of significant days’ anniversaries have become important to almost all of us.

But is it a good and proper thing to do? I can hear some objections to annually celebrating anniversaries or remembering more somber events:

1. Don’t anniversaries keep us mired in the past? We can’t go back and change the past, so let’s live in the moment and be fully present for those around us. Look forward and build new memories rather than trying to hold on to past glories or feelings.
2. Most such anniversaries, especially at a national level, change or lose their meaning and reason for existing over time. Do Cinco de Mayo celebrants really even know about the 1862 Battle of Puebla when they lift their glasses of cerveza? Do people think about the end of World War I on Veterans Day (which used to be called Armistice Day)? Then there’s Columbus Day, which doesn’t quite have the support it once did. And what about St. Patrick’s Day, which is named after someone who wasn’t Irish or Roman Catholic? Unfortunately, the same can be true about our most important Christian holy-days, Christmas and Easter: what do Grinches and bunnies carrying eggs have to do with the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
3. There’s also the cost of such celebrating. Think how much we spend on costumes, decorations, and vast quantities of party food – money that could go to pay bills or feed the needy. Are we being good stewards of our resources to blow our money on New Years parties or Mardis Gras beads?
4. And there are so many different days to remember! Who can keep them all straight? (Asked by a guy who forgot his wife’s birthday . . . no, not me . . . I took my wife on a trip for her birthday . . . I’m just saying . . .).
5. There are some, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who say birthday celebrations are a pagan practice not celebrated by believers in the Bible. Only two birthdays are mentioned in Scripture, both involving non-believers and both ending in murder. (Genesis 40:20-22 – Pharaoh; and Mark 6:21-29 – Herod).

So then, what about remembering the anniversaries of special days and events? Right, or wrong?

The answer for me comes from Scripture, regardless of the bad actors like Pharaoh and Herod whose problem was corrupt life-and-death power, not celebrating birthdays. God has not only allowed us to hold anniversary celebrations, he actually commanded it!

1. Right from the beginning, God established order in the cosmos, for the purpose of people being able to mark the timing of events. In Genesis 1:14, God created the celestial lights “for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.” Then he established the Sabbath Day as a day of rest for people to remember that he rested on the seventh day of creation: “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:3).
2. When God gave the Law to Moses and the Israelites, he codified the celebration of the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15).
3. Most importantly, when God acted to deliver his people and save us from enemies or from our own sins, he commanded us to remember what he did for us. He freed the Israelites from the Egyptians at the Passover, which he commanded them to celebrate every year (Exodus 12:14,17 -“And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.”) The Israelites and then the Jews celebrated important feasts throughout the year to mark what God had done.
4. Even our Lord, when he instituted Holy Communion at the Last Supper, commanded that we are to do this, “In remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19), and Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
5. The Christian church year is comprised of one anniversary celebration after another: Christmas, Epiphany, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Reformation Day, All Saints Day and so on. Each remembers some special work of God on our behalf through his Son, Jesus Christ.
6. Speaking of whom, the weekly Christian worship on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) is actually a miniature Easter celebration. We can rightly proclaim, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” every Sunday – actually every day, because he is still risen!

Okay, so celebrating the works of God through Christ in creation and redemption are worthy of celebration; but what about those special days in our personal lives? What about birthday and anniversaries, for example? I believe they are important days. too, and rightfully celebrated. Not only are they important in our life stories, markers of significant events we want to remember, they also are part of Christ’s story in us. We remember our baptisms, our confirmations, our conversions; we celebrate our marriages (blessed by God who gave our first two parents to each other in marriage, and who blessed the wedding feast at Cana in John 2); we remember the promises of resurrection and eternal life when we commemorate the passing of someone we love.

Christ became one of us, and lived life as one of us, in order to redeem us and reconcile us to the Father. Why would he not celebrate the good days in our lives, and weep with us at the sad days? He rejoiced when someone showed faith in him, and he wept at the death of his friend Lazarus, even though he knew he would raise him. And Scripture says the angels in heaven rejoice at the salvation of even one sinner (Luke 15:10).

Oh yeah, and the Bible even tells us Jesus’ age at two points in his life. (Luke 2:42 and Luke 3:23) Do you think his parents might have had birthday celebrations for him?

So, go ahead and celebrate those special days in your life: birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, especially those days that mark what Christ has done for you and me. Those are days worth remembering!  As for me, I’m thinking maybe tacos for tomorrow . . . Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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: Genesis 40, Mark 6, and Colossians 2:16-19

Back in my first career as a YMCA youth director, I recruited and directed the local Y-Indian Guide program. In this way I was following in my dad’s footsteps, for he had done the same for three YMCAs where he worked. Not only was he the “Wandering Brave” or “Roaming Sachem” for those programs, he also included me as Little Brave to his Big Brave in two of the cities. Actually, I was in the program longer than most boys got to be since my dad was the director, and it was good for him to be a participating member as well as overall leader.

My Indian name was Running Deer and he was Walking Deer, and our “tribe” chose the Kickapoo name for our group of six or seven pairs of braves. The program’s slogan, which we repeated at each meeting, was to be “Pals forever with my dad/son.” I enjoyed the meetings and outings, much like a Scout troop, except our dads had to be present with us at each event. This program was certainly one of the reasons my dad and I had a close relationship right up to his passing in 2013.

So it was an honor for me to lead the program in the YMCAs where I worked. Of course, not everyone understood how the program worked. One dad, a brain surgeon signed up himself and his son after the tribes had already been formed. I checked the rosters, found a placement for them, and called his office to give him the news. The conversation went like this:

• Receptionist: “Hello, Dr. Mirabile’s office.”
• Me: “Hi, could I speak to Dr. Mirabile, please?”
• Receptionist: “I’m sorry, Dr. Mirabile is in surgery right now. Could I take a message?”
• Me: “(pause) Yes, could you tell him that Wandering Brave called and that I found a tribe for him.”
• Receptionist: “(pause) Would you repeat that please?”
• Me: “Tell him that Wandering Brave called and that I found a tribe for him.”
• Receptionist: “Are you one of the doctor’s patients?”

I also remember the day that I arrived at one school to give my recruitment talk to an assembly of grade school boys: as I pulled up to the school, Harry Chapin’s song, “Cat’s in the Cradle,” about a dad who was always too busy with work to spend time with his son, was playing on the radio, and as the final strains of the father lamenting that his boy had “grown up just like me” played, I had to stop and literally wipe away a tear before I could head into the school. I can tell you that my talk that day was the most fired-up one I ever gave, knowing the importance of helping dads and sons build life-long relationships. Later, we expanded to include dads and daughters in the Y-Indian Princess program.

So, how are these programs, that once impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of families each year, doing today? Well, they’re gone, relegated to the fond memories of the vast numbers of “Little Braves” who are now middle-aged adults and seniors. In its place is a program called “Adventure Guides,” which is much smaller and less visible than the original. Hopefully, it still build family bonds the way the program did when I was a Little Brave.

What happened to the program? It was shut down due to increasing complaints about it being culturally insensitive, demeaning, and even racist toward Native Americans. My first awareness of the issue came while I was still a Wandering Brave. I heard that a delegation of Indians had attended the national Indian Guide convention and presented their criticisms of the program. At the time, I was surprised, since to me the program honored the Indian by copying what we saw as positive traits such as strong father-son bonds and reverence for nature. After all, the program got its name – and start – when a real Indian guide from the Ojibwa tribe named Joe Friday commented to the white man he led on a fishing trip, “The Indian father raises his son. He teaches his son to hunt, to track, to fish, to walk softly and silently in the forest, to know the meaning and purpose of life and all that he must know, while the white man allows the mother to raise his son.” These remarks stung the white man, Harold Keltner, who happened to be a YMCA leader. He took it to heart, and with the Ojibwa man’s help, started the Indian Guide program in 1926. So to me, learning about Indian cultures and emulating the father-son traditions were all very positive.

When I read the complaints, though, I recognized that the program had not always been kind to Native Americans or their culture. Fathers and dads sometimes chose goofy names like Running Bear (Bare), Y tribes mimicked Indian dances and adopted stereotypical words (e.g., “squaw”) and broken English (“Me gettum food for camp-out”) in their meetings, satirical logos were used, and religious ceremonies were copied for entertainment. And while some groups studied the culture and history of their namesake tribe, too often the participants just used Hollywood Indian generalities. Admitting these shortcomings, the national YMCA tried to clean up the program, but eventually, decided to drop the ethnic connection.

So, you may ask, why this excursion into Rich’s ancient history? Simply because the issues raised around the Y-Indian Guide program are still relevant today; in fact, the issues have grown in public discussions and are being applied to all kinds of situations. People are being charged with “cultural appropriation,” which is defined by the Oxford Living (online) Dictionary as, “The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” Like when a white kid like me dressed up as an American Indian and called myself Running Deer – though I am not apologetic for having done so.

It’s actually become a hot issue, as the term is used as an accusation against people who use or adopt another culture or components of a culture as their own. The assumption is that doing so is insulting and wrong. But is it? I’ve been mulling over the term and its use, especially as it relates to our faith, and offer the following observations:

• I would make a distinction between appropriation and misappropriation.
  • appropriation is adopting things from another culture which one finds useful, beneficial, attractive, or enjoyable. People like what they see or hear, and desires to make it part of their own lifestyle. Thus, no matter where cell phones originated, people of almost every country and culture use them.
  • misappropriation is adopting aspects of another person’s culture in a way that is harmful, insulting, demeaning, or mocking to that other person. Plagiarism is a form of misappropriation, as is outright stealing. The sin of coveting is about wanting to appropriate for oneself what belongs to others.
• Appropriation of another’s cultural traits proves the  statement, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” It says, “I really like what you do/eat/wear and would like to adopt it in my life.” It is a compliment to the person or culture that developed it.
• People everywhere and throughout the ages have had to solve the same basic challenges of life – food, shelter, clothing, protection, language, reproduction, and so on. They have solved them in different ways based on their different resources and experiences. We can learn from each other how to meet life’s challenges by following their example. Thus, people can learn to eat certain plants and avoid others by observing the experiences of other societies. For example: Native Americans introduced corn and potatoes to the European explorers; where would we be without French fries and corn-on-the-cob today? (Note: French fries are just called that; we didn’t misappropriate them from the French. Likewise, when I introduced a Frenchman to French toast, he made a face and said he would call it “American toast.”) As one person learns from another, so one society can learn from another.
• There would be no culture without appropriation. Everything we have, do, or say has been copied/borrowed/adopted from other cultures. If we have developed something new, the skills, material, and even thought processes have borrowed from others before us. Our world would be much plainer without the variety available to us:
  • clothing: tunics (Romans), telescopes (Dutch), dresses, pants (Germanic tribes), pajamas (Persians), sandals, hats, suits, etc.
  • food: sandwiches and blood pudding (English), bratwurst (Germans), hot dogs, hamburgers (Tartars), tacos (Mexicans), pizza (Greeks and Italians), spaghetti (Chinese), bagels and matzohs (Jews), sushi (Japanese), potatoes (Peruvians), crepes (French), corn (Mayans), curry (Indians), chocolate chip cookies (my wife), and haggis (okay, we can skip that one), etc.
  • tools and machinery, electronics. Mathematics such as Algebra (Arabs), and calculus (English and German). The alphabet (Romans who borrowed from the Greeks who borrowed from the Phoenicians).
  • language is appropriated (made one’s own) from someone else. Few of us will create a new word or thing, and if we do, it will die out and disappear unless people appropriate it for themselves. The fact you can read this blog means you understand English, which comes from the English but had been developed over centuries by contacts and infusions with other languages – including Britons, Celts, Danes, Anglo-Saxons, Normans, Latin writings, etc.
• Appropriation is unavoidable, necessary, and desirable. Proper appropriation is done with respect, honor, attribution, and where possible, permission. The use of one trait by another culture should be a compliment and a way for that trait to persevere.

This is important to recognize because the transmission of the Christian faith depends on cultural appropriation. We are recipients of a faith first begun in the ancient Middle East. We worship with forms handed down thousands of years ago thousands of miles away. The Word of God was written in languages far different than ours, in formats (scrolls and codices) invented by other cultures. Yet those words, and that faith belong to us because we have appropriated it to ourselves (through the work of the Holy Spirit). Likewise, every time we translate the Bible to a new language using words and phrases familiar to that culture, it now belongs to them as well.

When we proclaim the Gospel to a culture other than our own, we seek to find ways to express our faith in ways that people from that culture will clearly understand. Our goal is not to make “Americans” out of the hearers, but believers in Christ. Our desire is not for them to abandon their culture for ours, but to “redeem” it by bringing Christ into their lives.

Acts 17:16-34 gives the example of Paul’s mission work in the very pagan city of Athens. He uses an object from the Athenian culture – an altar dedicated “To the unknown god” – and quotes from their own philosophers, to make a connection for them with the true God.

The ultimate example of appropriation is our Lord himself, who appropriated human form and culture to become one of us (Philippians 2:5-10), in order to save us from our sins and redeem us for eternal life. Just as he did so for us, so one day will we appropriate his heavenly inheritance for our own (Colossians 3:24, Hebrews 9:15, 1 Peter 1:4).

May your life be rich with the proper appropriation of all that is good. It’s not brain surgery – just faith in Jesus Christ.

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: Acts 17:16-34

Back during my high school years, I discovered two books that helped shape my adult thinking and fed my interest in words, their meanings, and their impact on people, both positive and negative. One was a book by Darrell Huff called, How to Lie With Statistics. It has proven quite valuable over the years whenever I was bombarded by arguments using statistics to “prove” a point. Not only have I been able to recognize that the writers were using numbers to falsify the truth, but I have often also been able to identify the techniques the authors or speakers were using to “stack the deck” in their favor. Reading that book put me in the 99th percentile of high school students (how’s that for a statistic I just made up?).

The other book I enjoyed reading was S.I. Hayakawa’s Language in Thought and Action. This professor of English (and later President of San Francisco State University and a US senator) wrote his influential book on the role of semantics. His book dealt with how words have both denotations, or “official” dictionary meanings, and connotations, or additional meanings people find in the ways those words are used. Words therefore can have great emotional impact on their users and hearers far beyond the information their definitions provide. For example, in English usage, “man” was often added to a country’s name to designate a person from that country. Thus you had an Englishman, an Irishman, a Welshman, a Scotsman, a Frenchman, a Dutchman, etc. Likewise, a person from China was called a “Chinaman,” but because the term came to be used as an insult akin to the “N” word, that term is now very incorrect politically and therefore no longer used. The connotation has overwhelmed the denotation. Add to that now, the issue of using “man” when both men and women are included in a term, and you switch “fireman” to “fire-fighter,” and “policeman (and police woman)” to “police officer.” Again, connotations are more important than denotations when it comes to the impact of many words.

The reason I am bringing up these books, especially the one on language, is because there are some words and phrases going around today that have developed connotations that can be divisive. In fact, some terms which have legitimate usages have become weapons in our culture wars; people use them to silence their opponents and stifle speech or actions. Often, it is a case where the terms have innocent, or at least neutral, denotations, but their connotations are loaded with meanings that become “hot buttons.”

Why does this matter? It matters because we use words to convey the Word; our faith is a propositional one in which word meanings – both denotations and connotations – proclaim the Gospel message we present and affect the way in which people receive it. It is incumbent upon us to strive for the clearest meaning (even if I use the phrase “incumbent upon” instead of the more common and clearer term,”important”).

One term which has become a victim of bad connotations is the word, “bias.” It has become highly controversial today and I believe, is often used incorrectly in ways which harm our defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Oxford Dictionary definition of bias includes the following denotation: “Inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.” It then gives two examples: “there was evidence of bias against foreign applicants” and “the bias towards younger people in recruitment.” The dictionary definition also includes the connotation: it is “considered to be unfair.”

But is it? If you watch or listen to the news or media pundits, bias is a horrible thing we always need to avoid. The pundits charge each other with “media bias” and complain that investigators have operated with preconceived notions and biases, People speak of getting judges or reporters with no biases, so that we can trust their words as being fair and honest rather than slanted to favor one side or slam the other.

Granted, bias can be a huge problem, especially when it comes to administering our laws. We want impartial judges who can consider the facts of a case without prejudice, and render a fair and just judgment. In that realm, we work to strain out bias. If you have ever served on a jury, you know from the attorneys’ questions of the potential jurors that they want people who have not decided ahead of time against their side. (When I was once considered for jury duty, I considered wearing my clerical collar and saying, “Judge not, lest ye be judged” but chickened out. I served on that jury.)

So there are areas where we legitimately try to negate the effects of bias. Unfortunately, we often “throw out the baby with the bathwater” by discrediting legitimate testimonies and arguments by claiming the speaker is biased, and therefore doesn’t need to be listened to.

One of the areas where such charges are made is the testimony of the Apostles regarding Jesus Christ and his resurrection. “Of course,” the argument goes, “you’d expect Jesus’ followers to say good things about him and claim he resurrected; they were his followers, after all, and they were biased in his favor. Only Christians reported the resurrection. Therefore, their testimony is discredited.” Of course, we could reply that only non-believers are biased against the divinity or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I’ll answer the charge of apostolic bias, but first, I want to state the following proposition: “Bias is not necessarily bad; in fact, it is necessary to human life.” Okay, set aside your bias against bias, and consider the following illustrations:

• You are living in a cave with your family, while outside the wind howls and wild animals growl and roar. You huddle over a fire and eat some roots and berries you gathered during the day. You see your son reach for some white berries he picked, and recognizing they are poisonous, you swat them from his hand and grunt disapprovingly. Why? Because you know they are poisonous and you are biased against them, and in favor of the red berries your spouse picked. Then your toddler daughter walks toward the cave entrance calling “Here, kitty, kitty! Look daddy! Pretty kitty cat!” and just in time you grab your spear and slay the saber-toothed “kitty cat,” saving your daughter and providing a little meat for the family. Again, your love for your family and life experience have created a bias in you for your family and against anything that would harm them.
• In less dire straits, we are biased for favorite sports teams, certain kinds of music, certain foods, the clothing we wear, the cars we drive, certain people we count as friends, and for things that protect our freedom, security, material needs and opportunities. Likewise we are biased against those things we know will harm us, or that just don’t taste good, look good, or smell good. We constantly make decisions based on our experiences and knowledge of what is good and bad, and that ability is absolutely necessary for our survival. We don’t need to put our hand into a fire every day to prove we are not biased toward it being hot; one burn as a kid is enough to bias us for the rest of our life.
• Likewise, when it comes to our social interactions, bias is impossible to avoid. We learn from other people’s experiences that help us shape our understanding and preferences of the world around us. For example, I didn’t have to take up smoking to know from other people’s studies and experiences that smoking would be bad for me. I also have a bias not to take up cage fighting or run for public office, seeing how brutal both those activities can be!

The problem comes in when bias occurs either before one has sufficient facts or experience to base it on, or after learning false or bogus information. An example of the first bias, was my reluctance ahead of time to try sushi because it might contain raw fish; after I tried it I found I could enjoy it after all. (By the way, I’m still biased against trying haggis.) An example of the second one is a bias against certain nationalities or races based on prejudicial “information” given by people who say bad things about the group. This kind of bias always comes out in wartime, when the enemy is demonized in order to make them worthy of hating and killing.

Biases exist, but can we keep them in check so that they serve us, and not have us serve them? Are we willing to change our biases in light of new facts, (Proverbs 18:17) and are we careful to consider those facts in light of the biases which shaped them? Are we wiling to accept that certain biases are absolutely necessary to knowing the truth?

If so, we are ready to consider the matter of apostolic bias. Were the apostolic writers of the New Testament biased? Of course they were! John states near the end of his Gospel the purpose of his writing it: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). John was not writing a dispassionate, objective, dry chronology of Jesus’ life and death; he was writing a Gospel, that is Good News, about the Son of God and the salvation which his death and resurrection provided him and his readers. He knew Jesus and was a personal witness to both the crucifixion and the resurrection. His bias came from what he knew, heard, and saw, and not from some preconceived notion that Jesus should be the Messiah. Likewise, Peter recounts in 2 Peter 1:16, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

I want the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ majesty and work on the cross to be completely, passionately, and factually biased toward our Savior. I want them to be willing to lose family and friends, jobs and social standing, and even their lives because they fervently believed in Jesus Christ and who he was/is and what he accomplished for our sake. Something happened that completely won these men (and the women who followed them) to Christ, and the same thing should change us.

I am biased that the Bible is true. I am biased that the worldview in the Bible is true. I am biased that Jesus Christ is the Savior, that he came, died, and rose again for our deliverance form sin and death, and that believing in him I will have eternal life. I am biased against all claims contrary to these truths, and will contend for the truth. So, I ask you, “pardon my bias,” because it is the most necessary bias of all!

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: 2 Peter 1:16-21

P.S. For a good rebuttal of the bias charge against the Apostles, check out Steven Bruecker’s article, “Were the Gospel Writers Biased,” at http://biblical worldview academy.org/were-the-gospel-writers-biased/.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s on a need to know basis,” when speaking of certain facts that may be unknown to some people. Only those who have a “need to know” are kept informed about certain sensitive or private information. For example, a military commander may give orders to his troops who need to know their objective, but don’t need to know all the reasoning that went into selecting that objective. It’s become a cliched phrase used so often in movies, that I find myself using it with Karen; she asks me what I want for dinner and I respond with, “That’s on a need to know basis.” To which she replies, “Well, if you want anything to eat, then I need to know . . .” After which, of course, I promptly tell her!

In my last blog, I tested my readers with a series of True/False statements about things that might have happened to me. Checking with some of you, I learned that most did pretty well in ascertaining what was “Fake News” and what was true. However, when it comes to information about me, there is no real, “need to know” basis. You could have gotten those statements all right or all wrong, and it would not affect your life in the least. What’s true about me and my life is hardly important in the grand scheme of things.

That’s also true about much of what we use to fill our minds. The latest Dow Jones average, the stats of the team that won the NCAA basketball tournament, the dilemmas faced by our favorite soap opera character, whom The Bachelor picks, or what the ratings were for the Oscars; all these are transient, ephemeral details that will be replaced and soon forgotten with little permanent impact (except maybe on the stars who experienced them).

Now, that doesn’t mean there is nothing worth knowing; there certainly is! Your anniversary, where you put that winning lottery ticket, the old cheese in the back of the refrigerator, that book report on Tolstoy’s War and Peace that’s due tomorrow, the Easter egg that the kids didn’t find, and your ATM PIN number, are just a few examples. But there’s something that’s much more important to know than any of these: God’s Word as written in the Holy Bible.

Certainly, most Christians know about the Bible, and many are familiar with some of what it says, thanks to hearing sermons in church or to their own personal reading and study. I’m sure that anyone who reads this blog has more than the average level of Bible knowledge (and that’s before you started reading these articles; hopefully reading them hasn’t caused your Bible knowledge to diminish!) But just to test you a bit about how well you know your Bible, I offer the following short quiz. So, here goes: True or False?

1. The first person to translate the Bible into English was King James of England.
2. The Bible consist of 66 books, 36 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.
3. Moses took two animals of each kind onto the Ark (and 7 pairs of each clean animal).
4. The Bible teaches, “God helps those who help themselves.”
5. The Bible claims that two men never died, but went straight to heaven.
6. The wise men took gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the stable in Bethlehem.
7. The Bible says that a donkey actually spoke to a prophet.
8. The Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil.
9. The oldest person in the Bible lived to be 969 years old.
10. Jesus never actually claimed to be God. It was the disciples and Paul who said he was.

The answers are at the end of this blog. See how well you did, after you finish this article!

Knowledge of the Bible itself is incredibly important. Knowing what God said (and what he didn’t say) is necessary for us to be in a right relationship with him. Are we saved by what we do, who we are, or by what we believe? Who was Jesus – just a teacher, a prophet, a model citizen, a social revolutionary, an example to follow – or Son of God and son of man, our Savior? What does Jesus’ crucifixion mean – the end of a promising ministry or its fulfillment? Who are we, who created us, and what responsibility do we have to the earth, our neighbors, and our Creator?

Knowing Scripture is also vital to counter the attacks and false claims by those who are antagonistic to Christ. A lot of nonsense and false charges are made against the Bible; knowing what it says can correct false impressions and slanders against it. One such false claim is that Jesus never claimed to be God; see the answer to Question #10 below for some of the answers to that charge.

Sharing the faith with others also requires some knowledge of what the true faith is, and it is God’s written Word that teaches us the true faith. As 1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “always be[ing] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;” When others see our reverence for God’s Word and how it affects our lives, they will realize that the Bible is not just any book, but rather has power to transform lives – including theirs. Remember, too, that when you quote Scripture, it is not just the sound and meaning of your words that changes lives, but the Holy Spirit who accompanies God’s Word. For “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Knowing the Bible – or at least some of what Jesus called the “weightier” parts of it – by heart can also help us when we are suddenly thrust into critical situations and dire straits. The Bible calls it “laying up,” “letting the word dwell in you,” “storing up in your heart,” etc. as a way to guard our steps and guide the multiple decisions we face every day. The Holy Spirit brings these words to our active remembrance, helping us face challenges and opportunities before us. I like what Proverbs 6:21-22 says: “Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.”

And finally, one more advantage of learning Scripture: it can help you win trivia contests; but that benefit is, well, trivial. (Unless you’re a pastor being challenged by Confirmation students at a “Stump the Pastors” party!)

Let’s face it: the Bible is on a “need to know basis.” But everyone “needs to know” what it says and what it teaches. There is no excuse for a Christian to be ignorant of the Bible unless they came to faith a few minutes ago – and even then the desire to know more about one’s God and Savior should be unrelenting and all-absorbing. Like falling in love with someone and wanting to know more and more about them, reading and re-reading their love letters time and again, seeking to find every hint and shade of meaning in every word, a Christian has the privilege of having and reading the greatest love letter of all: God’s written Word. It is something we all need to know!

And 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: Psalm 1 and all the Scriptures referenced in the answers below

Answers to the quiz:

1. False. The first full English translation was handwritten by John Wycliffe in the 1380s, although parts had been translated into Old and Middle English as early as the 700s. King James didn’t do any translating, but commissioned it, which was finished in 1611.
2. True, although there are 73 books in the official Roman Catholic Bible. They add books from what we call the Apocrypha, ancient writings that we do not consider to be true Scripture.
3. False. Moses didn’t take any animals onto the Ark; Noah did!
4. False. That saying or teaching is not in the Bible.
5. True. The men were Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11).
6. False. The wise men took their gifts to Jesus in a house in Bethlehem.
7. True. The prophet was Balaam, and it says that God opened the donkey’s mouth to chastise Balaam for beating it after it saved his life. (Numbers 22:28-30).
8. False. 1 Timothy 6:10 teaches that the love of money is the root of all evil (or all kinds of evil).
9. True. That person was Methuselah (Genesis 5:27). By the way, he fathered one son when he was 187 years old!
10. False. Jesus asserted his divinity multiple times in many ways, by words and signs. One of his clearest statements was, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Another was, “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And again, when Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” at which point the Jews picked up stones to stone him for blasphemy, since “I AM” is God’s name and they recognized what Jesus was claiming (John 8:57-59). See also Matthew 26:57-68, for how the Jewish Council condemned Jesus for blasphemy in claiming to be God.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about honesty and accuracy in reporting the news. A new phrase, “Fake News,” has entered our vocabulary, and is thrown around or denied by various politicians and media pundits. While some people seem too ready to cast the term accusatorily when they read or hear something they don’t like, as if they could change reality by changing what we say about it, it really is important that we strive to speak, write and report, to the best of our ability, only what is true. We need to be able to trust what we hear, especially when it comes to things that can have an important impact on our lives. Unfortunately, some people report things that are false, not just because they themselves are misled or too lazy intellectually to check their facts, but because they intend to deceive others for some personal or political gain.

With that in mind, I thought I might test your ability to recognize “Fake News.” Following are a number of statements about myself that are either true or false. What I challenge you to do is figure out which is (or are) fake and which is (or are) true. So, here goes; true or false?

1. I was once the only white singer in a Gospel choir.
2. Boris Yeltsin once chided me personally and told me, “Mind your own business!”
3. I was a National Merit Scholar.
4. I rode a Soviet Army tank in Siberia.
5. I won a citywide tennis tournament, undefeated in my division.
6. I shook hands with Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton.
7. I once invaded Canada.
8. I found gold, rubies, and sapphires in North Carolina.
9. I was the lector (Scripture reader) at Martin Luther’s church in Wittenberg, Germany.
10. I visited Santa Claus Land above the Arctic Circle.

Have you decided which of the above statements are true and which are false? Answer: they are all true statements! Yes, even the claim about Santa Claus Land; it’s located in Rovaniemi, Finland, which I visited in 1988! No “Fake News” here! So score yourself accordingly: if you guessed they were all true, you are gullible (but right). If you thought they were all fake, consider yourself skeptical (but wrong). If you thought some were right and some were wrong, you are thoughtful, a discerning thinker who was still wrong part of the time.

As you can tell by my phony labels, “gullible, skeptical, and thoughtful,,” the truth of a statement or claim rests not in the perception of the hearer, but in the accuracy of what is reported. Contrary to postmodern ideas of relative truth and subjective realities, there are objective, real-life events that really happen. What we know about them is imperfect and limited, how we feel about them will be different based on who we are and how they affect us, and what we tell others about them will likely be shaded by our biases. But regardless of flawed human perceptions and motives, there is real news of real events.

This Sunday, we celebrate the greatest real event that ever occurred: the bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. By rising from the dead, as he had prophesied and promised, Jesus proved his sacrificial death for the forgiveness of our sins had been accepted by God the Father, and opened the way for our eventual resurrections to eternal life. He defeated death, proving that his promises to us will also be fulfilled. This is not “Fake News,” but Good News; in fact our word Gospel comes from an old English word, godspel, which means “good news” and is a translation of the New Testament’s Greek word, “euangelion” (evangel).

Because of Christ, others were also brought back to life. There were those he raised during his ministry: Jairus’ daughter (Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8), the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7), Lazarus (John 11). Also there were those saints who rose from their graves at the moment of his death on the cross (Matthew 27:52-53). And not to be forgotten, there were those people raised in Jesus’ name by Peter (Tabitha – Acts 9:36-43) and Paul (Eutychus Acts 20:7-12). But as far as we know, each of them eventually died again, and awaits as we do the return of Christ and the bodily, permanent raising of all people, including you and me, some to eternal life, and some to eternal punishment.

Christ’s resurrection was a real, objective, historical event. It is as certain, from the perspective of history, as any other event that has ever happened on earth.

1. There is the empty tomb.
2. There is the failure of any doubters or persecutors of the Church to ever produce bones or other evidence of Jesus’ non-resurrection.
3. There is the written, eye-witness testimony of multiple apostles in the New Testament.
4. The testimonies were written shortly after the events, and texts of those testimonies dating from within 40 to 80 years of the events still survive. Compare this to Julius Caesar’s Gallic and Civil Wars, which texts date to no earlier than 1100 years after the writing, yet which everyone accepts as true history written by Caesar.
5. There was Jesus’ appearance to the disciples, to over 500 followers, and finally to Paul.
6. There was the self-sacrificing evangelism and willing martyrdom of the disciples. People are not likely to die for something they know to be a lie; all the disciples died for the sake of the Gospel except for John, who was persecuted and exiled on the Isle of Patmos for his preaching.
7. There is even testimony of ancient non-Christians, who though disbelieving the resurrection, gave testimony that the early Christians believed Jesus had risen from the dead. One such testimony was a letter from a father to his son, explaining that the noontime darkness (at the crucifixion, Matthew 27:45) was not from an eclipse, since it was a full moon at the time which made a solar eclipse impossible.

Nevertheless, from the very beginning, there have been people who have cried, “Fake News!” about the claims of Christ’s resurrection. The first doubters were the disciples themselves! They doubted the women’s claims that they had seen the risen Lord, until they saw him for themselves. We think especially of Thomas, who disbelieved the other disciples’ testimony, demanding to touch Jesus’ wounds himself before he would believe.

But the ones who cried, “Fake News!” the loudest were the chief priests who had sentenced Jesus to death and convinced Pilate to carry out the sentence. We are told in Matthew 28:11-15 that they actually bribed the guards they had placed at the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66) to report that the disciples had come and stolen the body. And so the “disinformation” campaign began and was accepted by those who rejected Christ.

One of those people was a man named Saul of Tarsus, who actively persecuted the first Christians. This enemy of Christ and denier of the resurrection, was confronted by Christ himself while on the way to persecute the believers in Damascus. The encounter and call by Christ to serve him, changed Saul into the greatest of the Apostles, who as Paul wrote much of the New Testament Scriptures and established churches around the eastern Mediterranean. His testimony and theological teachings have convinced many millions of the truth and meaning of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. The truth was too much for him to deny; he had to set aside his biases and pride and submit himself to the Truth, eventually giving his life as a martyr for the faith.

That’s what the Truth finally does. It comes out, and proves itself true to all who believe now by faith, and eventually to all, by sight. For we are told in Philippians 2:9-11 that the day will come when “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.”

That’s not “Fake News,” but Good News! For on that day we will rejoice at Christ’s triumph and vindication, and at the final fulfillment of all God’s promises, which are “yes!” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). That’s something you can truly believe in: the Truth which Christ’s resurrection on that first Easter 2000 years ago made real.

May you have a joyous Easter celebration this year, as you celebrate the greatest Good News of all!

Now may the (risen!) 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: John 20 and 21

Today’s blog is from a sermon I preached at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Yuba City last Sunday, March 18th, the Fifth Sunday in Lent:

Have you ever had the chance to meet some well-known person, a celebrity such as a pro athlete or rock star? I have; in fact, I actually met several presidents before they took office, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, the Russian Boris Yeltsin (no collusion involved!), and Martti Ahtisaari (who became President of Finland and won the Nobel Peace Prize, in case you didn’t recognize his name!). But the real celebrity champ was a friend of mine who with confident boldness could almost always talk his way backstage to meet big-name performers – except for the time the Ohio State Police stopped him in his tracks from meeting the performers at the Ohio State Fair. They would not be fast-talked into letting him through. I was with him at the time, and for a moment I thought we were going to be arrested!

In last Sunday’s Gospel, we read about a group of Greeks who wanted to meet a famous celebrity of their day – Jesus of Nazareth. They approached one of the Disciples, Philip, and said, “We wish to see Jesus.” Now, we don’t know why they wanted to meet Jesus: maybe they had heard of his great miracles such as the recent raising of Lazarus from the dead; maybe they were attracted to what they had heard about his teachings; maybe they hoped that he was the long-awaited Savior, the Messiah. Or, maybe they were just thrill-seekers, wanting to add Jesus’ name to their list of famous people they had met.

We don’t know their motivation, though from the text we can learn a few things about them:

1) They were “Greeks” which could mean either gentiles, or Greek-speaking Jews. We are told that they were among those who had gone up to Jerusalem to worship during the Feast of Passover, which would have meant they were Jewish either by birth or conversion. Of all the disciples they could have approached, they chose Philip, who bore a Greek name and was from Bethsaida, a town in a region of Galilee where Greek was commonly spoken.  Philip took them to Andrew, who also had a Greek name.

2) Jesus treated their request with respect, not challenging or testing them as he so often did with the religious leaders like the Pharisees. That would lead us to believe their inquiry was due to genuine interest in Jesus, which he recognized.

3) They got more that they asked for, because Jesus laid down some heavy teachings about his impending death, including the purpose for his death and even the way he would die.

So, what did Jesus have to say to them that was so important? Let’s look at that by comparing what Jesus said to what celebrities today commonly talk about:

• Celebrities boast of all they have gained in life: fame, money, and accomplishments in their fields; Jesus talked of losing his life and what that would accomplish for our sake.
• Celebrities boast of their many fans, endorsements from other celebrities, and what future presidents they have met; Jesus spoke of his endorsement from God the Father.
• Celebrities glorify themselves; Jesus glorified the Father and said he would be glorified by him.
• Celebrities are raised up by adoring fans for their own benefit; Jesus said he would be raised up – on a cross – to benefit the world.

Jesus spoke clearly about his approaching death and compared it to a seed which falls to earth and dies. So why such a somber message from our Lord? Why would he say things that might scare off these potential Greek or Greek-speaking followers? The answer lies in the promises that came with his prophesied death:

1. First, he promised that his death was the seed whose death would produce much fruit. Jesus’ death was not going to be a failure of his ministry. It was not the end of the road for those who believed in him. It would not be a defeat, but a victory. His death would bring about much good by producing eternal fruit in the lives of all who would believe in him. Before coming to Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus made this promise to Martha, sister of his friend Lazarus who had just died. On his way to raise Lazarus from the dead, Jesus promised Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

How did his death accomplish this? In Mark 10:45, Jesus said that he, the Son of Man, came “to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mankind was held hostage by sin, death, and the devil, unable to free itself from the consequences of its sins, so the One who was without sin had to pay the ransom price in our place. He took our punishment upon himself, and we were set free. As Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

How abundant would the fruit of Christ’s death be? 2000 years earlier, when God called Abraham, he promised that all the nations of the earth would be blessed by one of his offspring; and Revelation gives us a vision of heaven populated by a vast multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, and language. The effect in the world is such that 2000 years after the small group of disciples and women watched their Lord die, the Christian faith has more adherents and is wider spread than any other faith ever.

2. The second promise Jesus gave that day was that God the Father will honor whoever follows and serves Christ. I’m reminded of the great scene in the movie, Chariots of Fire, in which the British athlete, Eric Liddell, refuses to run in his favored race because it was to be held on a Sunday. Everyone, even the King of England, appeals to Liddell’s patriotism, but he won’t run on the Sabbath. So instead, he runs on a different day in a different race, not his best distance, as his third race of that day. Just before the race begins, an American runner slips him a note that says, “It says in the old Book, ‘He who honors me, I will honor.’” Eric goes on to win the race. But the greatest honor was yet to come, for the following year Eric Liddell went to serve the rest of his life as a missionary in China, eventually dying in a Japanese prison camp.

Jesus didn’t say the honors would come easily; elsewhere he said that his followers had to take up their own crosses to follow him and that the world would hate them, for Christ’s sake. But the rewards of discipleship, of honoring God before others, will be great. Jesus promised that those who acknowledge him before the world, he will acknowledge before his heavenly Father (Matthew 10:32). Imagine how great that day will be, when we stand before the Judgment Seat of God: our name is read, and Jesus calls out, “It’s okay – she’s with me . . . or . . . he’s with me . . .”

3. The third promise Jesus made was that his death would defeat the devil and all the evil that rebellious creature had brought into the world. Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.” By referring to Satan as ruler of this world, he is not denying his own or his Father’s sovereign ownership of all creation. He is referring to the fact that much of the world is living in rebellion against the true God and has made the devil their god, whether overtly through idols and demon worship, or more covertly through pursuit of wealth, material possessions, fame, pleasure, or power. To the world, the devil is their ruler; but Christ’s unjust murder by the powers of evil has revealed their bankrupt nature and brought judgment upon them. Christ’s death won victory over sin and the devil his resurrection completed the victory by defeating the wages of sin, death as well.

Of course, we still see the effects of sin everywhere in the world. It shows itself blatantly in hatred and violence, murders and wars. But it also permeates even the best of our efforts to live good lives, hurting our relationships and corrupting our institutions – whether political, economic, or religious. Even our own personal sins and mortality show that world is not yet freed of the consequences of evil.

But the difference is that evil is a defeated enemy. Like a rattlesnake that can still bite soon after it is killed, evil is still dangerous. But we know that Christ has won the victory, and that no evil can separate us from Christ’s love or final victory.

And what is the sign of Christ’s victory? His death and resurrection.

Recently I was in Indiana, where I drove past a tire shop that had a sign out front that read, “Jesus will rise, but our prices will not.” I was pleased to see a statement of Christian faith proclaimed publicly. Of course, I couldn’t help but silently correct it each time I drove by, “He already rose! It’s we who will rise, even if your prices won’t!”

As Jesus finished his message to the Greeks and those others who had gathered around him, he said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John tells us that Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die – being lifted up on a cross. But Jesus was also lifted up from the grave and from the earth at his ascension. Together, Jesus’s being lifted up means you and I will also be raised up from our graves, and lifted up from the earth to meet Jesus in the air, to be with him forever.

That’s quite a promise, and quite a message those Greeks took with them that day.

And it’s the message we should take with us in our hearts and in our mouths for the sake of all for whom Christ died. For we are ones who have “crossed” paths with the greatest Celebrity of all.

And 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: John 12

This is proving to be a very difficult article to write.

The first part is easy: to thank all of you who have been praying for my sister during her recent surgeries and for me during my 10-day visit to be with her during this trying time. Your messages sent by email and through Karen have been incredibly moving and encouraging; after about five in a row Karen sent them to me with her added note that she was tearing up just reading what you had to say. Maybe all of you should be writing blogs, instead of me!

Now comes the hard part: knowing what to tell you, and trying to put it into words that draw from our faith and the promises that God made in his Word that he would never leave us nor forsake us, that he would be a very present help in time of need.

First: deciding what to tell you. Without wanting to compromise my sister’s privacy, and recognizing that many of my reactions have been subjective, I can share just the basics: my sister went into her local hospital due to a mild heart attack and collapse of the arteries in her one remaining leg. After two surgical attempts to restore the circulation to the leg failed, the doctors determined that the leg would need to be amputated. This is about three years after losing her other leg. Knowing the blow this would be to her, and her critical condition, I flew out to be with her and help where I could. The doctors did amputate the leg on Monday the 5th. She came through fine surgically, but has medical conditions that still need attention and require her remaining under hospital care until she can be released. When she is stable enough, she will move to a rehab facility in the area.

Unfortunately, her medications and surgery have impacted her mental and emotional clarity. This has been as hard on me as was seeing her suffer before the surgery; I knew the amputation would relieve her pain and infection, but her subsequent mental and spiritual issues have no such clear ending point.

Through this all, we have prayed for a miracle, first that her circulation surgery would take, then that her leg could be saved, and now that she will recover and heal in every way.

During this time, I talked with one of our national church leaders, and after our prayer together, we agreed that we expect God to do a miracle in this situation. I still believe that God will do something powerful and amazing, but as the title of this blog states, “Just Not Yet.”

Faced with the apparent delay in answers to our prayers, I offer the following thoughts:

1. The fact my sister made it through three serious, back-to-back surgeries in spite of complicated medical conditions, is a miracle in itself. God answered our prayers and brought her through safely. (He also brought me home safely!)
2. We don’t know what God has in store in the days and weeks ahead. God is not bound to our timing, definitions of what a miracle is, or what kind of miracle is best for everyone. What I want to see may not be as good as what he will do.
3. The miracle may have already begun without my knowing. God doesn’t have to tell me everything he is doing. My role is not to approve his work, but to trust him completely.
4. This is not just fatalism or wishful thinking on my part: Jesus told us to call on the Father with all our needs in his name, and God will answer our prayers: “Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23). He also encouraged us to pray, saying, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11) Jesus tells us to pray, and then sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede on our behalf (Isaiah 53:12, Romans 8:34, and Acts 2:33)
5. Dealing with my sister’s mental confusion and emotional sensitivity right now has forced me to evaluate my own response to her and her condition. While I have always loved her, we are very different in many ways, and I found that many of her responses to her situation have been difficult for me to handle. This has forced me to consider two things: one, how would I respond to having both legs amputated? And two, I realized better what unconditional love is about and what it demands. She is looking forward to being reunited with her pet dogs and cat, because they give her unconditional love. They don’t care what has happened to her; she is still their world to them. If animals can have and show such unconditional love, then so can I. After all, isn’t that the kind of love Christ showed for me? “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
6. As I wrote in my previous blog, my faith in God and in Jesus Christ does not depend on him answering my prayers. Along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I say that our God is able to deliver us, “But if not . . .” still I will worship only him (Daniel 3). Likewise, as Job said in the midst of his physical and emotional anguish, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15), and “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Therefore, even if there is no further apparent miracle, my faith will not be shaken.

Finally, please continue to pray for her. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her, with serious changes in her life as a result of the surgery. Please pray especially for a strengthening of the true faith in her heart and mind, that she may trust fully in Christ’s atoning work on the cross for her salvation. Let her have assurance of the greatest unconditional love of all, that of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And thanks again for your prayers!

And 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: Matthew 7 and Job 1

This post is a hard one.

As I write this, my sister is undergoing surgery to restore circulation to her foot through an arterial bypass in her leg. The surgery is serious and dangerous, given that she has other health problems, including heart failure. What is especially concerning at this moment is that the first attempt at the bypass seemed to go well, then quickly failed and needs to be redone. So . . . right now she is in the followup surgery.

We are praying for her to come through the surgery, and for the bypass to work well; she already lost her other leg a couple years ago due to similar circulation problems, and having to lose this one would be devastating.

We are praying for successful surgery and healing for two reasons: first, because she needs the healing, and second, because we believe God can and many times does heal, often in answer to prayer. So the prayers are going out to our church’s prayer chain, and to family members and friends.

But what if she doesn’t heal? We were thanking God when she came out of her first surgery, when everything seemed to go smoothly and the bypass was working. But why then the complication? Does it mean that God doesn’t love her? Does it mean she didn’t deserve the surgery to go well, either due to some flaw or sin or lack of good works on her part? Does it mean she didn’t have enough faith? Does it mean that we are not praying hard enough in the right way? No, none of these reasons is valid.

So why then, does my sister have these critical health problems? The answer is: we don’t know. Sure, there are medical reasons that we can point to, but they just push the same question back further: why did she have those medical issues in the first place? Why does one person get cancer and others do not? Why does someone get diabetes and other do not? Why ALS, why Altzheimer’s, why leukemia, etc.? Why do high school kids get shot during classes in one town, or on the streets of another town? We don’t know why any particular person gets sick or hurt or killed, other than to point to the fact that ALL of us are mortal and have bodies that one day will give out, no matter how healthy we may be right now.

Another question we could – and should – ask is, why does God heal anyone? Why does God protect us from harm and preserve our life as much as he does? And why does God promise us eternal life in resurrected bodies that will never again become ill or be injured or die (Revelation 21:4 and 1 Corinthians 15:42-57)? God didn’t have to create us in the first place (Genesis 1:26-27), nor sustain our lives each moment we live (Colossians 1:15-17), nor make a way for us to have eternal life (John 3:16). But he did! And why did he do that? For that question, we have an answer: God created, sustains, and will raise us imperishable because he loves us.

So how do we respond to the possibility that God doesn’t answer our prayers for healing or protection? Do we get angry at God and turn away from him? Do we doubt his love or his power? As God asked Moses when that leader doubted God’s ability to provide for all the Israelites, “Is the LORD’s arm too short?” What do we do?

God’s Word provides us a lesson for such times, which I presented in the book I am writing about miracles. Let me share with you the following excerpt from the chapter titled, “But If Not.”

Three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, stood before the mighty king of Babylon, knowing that their lives could well depend on their next words. Although they held favored positions in the kingdom, that would not save them from King Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath, for they had flouted his authority by refusing to obey his command. And kings do not like to be flouted.

To most people in the Kingdom of Babylon, the king’s edict was harmless enough: whenever anyone heard musical instruments being played, he or she was to fall down and worship a huge golden statue that the king had set up. But to faithful Jews such as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, worshiping a graven image was forbidden by God, and therefore they had not obeyed. Now hauled before the king and given the choice between bowing down and being thrown into a fiery furnace, the three men gave their answer: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18, emphasis mine).

But if not. Note carefully what they said: they knew that God was fully able to save them from the furnace, but even if he did not, they would still hold true to their faith and obey God. Their faith and trust in God was not dependent on his miraculous intervention to rescue them; they trusted in him no matter what would happen to them.

I want to emphasize one point to you in the strongest terms. I praise God in gratitude for his amazing blessings. I honor him as he deserves and I am extremely thankful for every special thing he has done, but  . . . my faith in God and in his Christ does not depend on the personal helps he has given me.

My faith in God and in his Christ does not depend on the personal helps he has given me.

I believe in God and in his Son, Jesus Christ, because I trust what the Bible says. If God helps me with a problem, protects me from danger, heals me or someone I love from illness or injury, or provides my material needs, then well and good, and I am thankful; but if not, I will still believe and trust in him. Should everything suddenly go badly in my life, I will not stop believing in my Savior.

Likewise, although God has given me signs of his presence and power at many critical points in my life, I do not depend on those signs to trust God or to discern God’s will for my life. God did not need to give me any signs to validate what he promised in Scripture, even though he sometimes did so to help me when my faith was weak, or in response to my prayers. But whether he gave them or not was his decision.

God is God. I will praise him and pray to him, whatever comes for my sister – or for me or for anyone else. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

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: Daniel 3

(Update: the second surgery seems not to be working either; she is now in the ICU post-op waiting to see what develops. Please pray for her.)

Today, I thought I would share several short musings which have lately been bouncing around in my head. (Which should be a concern, that there’s so much room in there for several things to be bouncing around!) So, in order to clear out the debris and create enough space to let new things bounce around, here are some of what I have been thinking about, in no particular order:

First, there was the super-blood-blue-moon that appeared on the night of January 31st. Even though the eclipse didn’t begin until almost 4 am and continued until almost 5:30, Karen and I watched a good portion of the event (throwing off our sleep schedule for a couple days!). It really was cool; the moon was large, sort of an orange color, and we watched the earth’s shadow creep over the moon’s surface until it was completely covered. And the great thing was, unlike with the solar eclipse, we didn’t have to drive up to Oregon to see it! But besides the visual phenomenon of the event, what impressed me was that astronomers were able to predict that the event was going to occur, when it would occur – the specific day and hours, and what it would look like. How did they know? For the same reason that star- and sky-watchers all through the ages have been able to predict eclipses, seasonal equinoxes and solstices, and planetary alignments: the regularity of the natural world and its cycles. There is order to the universe, created by God who as the Bible tells us, is not a god of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Genesis 1:14 says that when God created the heavenly bodies, he commanded, “And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years . . .” They could hardly mark times and seasons if their movements were random and chaotic. God is a God of order. We can count on a succession of day and night, as well as so many other physical and natural properties, to sustain life and provide our material needs.

The Bible teaches us that God created order out of chaos in the physical realm (Genesis 1:2 “The earth was without form and void. . .”), and he does so also in the spiritual realm. Though our sinful rebellion has tainted an otherwise perfect creation, and has led to our spiritual chaos and death, God has restored spiritual order by sending his Son into the world to reconcile us and the world to the God of order. Paul can write about how all creation has longed for the day when we are restored as the children of God and creation itself will be free from all the effects of our sin (Romans 8:18-25). When Christ returns, the old things will be made new – and the perfect order of spirit, matter, and energy will become as God desired it to be when he first created us. When that happens, any “blood moons” will only serve to remind us of the shed blood of Christ which made the restoration of perfect order possible.

Second, there was the niche. Earlier this week I accompanied a church member to a local cemetery to say a few words of committal for her husband’s ashes as she placed them in their niche. I spoke the time-honored words, “In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to come, we commit our brother’s body to its resting place – earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” and she carefully set the box into the niche. We watched  the cemetery worker close the niche and then sat and talked while looking at the niche with its temporary label.

The niche was part of a small columbarium, a short wall filled with similar niches for urns containing what are called “cremains.” (The term columbarium comes from the Latin word “columba” and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons.) As my eyes scanned the wall, I saw that about half of the compartments were already filled; this particular columbarium had full-color pictures of the deceased on each niche, along with each person’s name and life-dates. What struck me as I scanned the face-plates and names was the “inclusive” nature of those who had died and been placed there: men and women, young and old, black and white, Asian, and Hispanic. The names reflected a wide range of ethnicities, and some of the information was written in Chinese and other Asian characters.

To me this inclusivity was not politically or socially significant; its significance was spiritual. What it spoke to me was the inclusivity of death. No matter our background, race, age, gender (real or perceived), social or income status, strength or weakness, popularity or lack thereof, every one of us will die (or more nicely put, “pass away”). Scripture says, “it is appointed for man to die once” (Hebrews 9:27), because “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). And yes, the term “man” here is inclusive. Unless we are alive when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), we will all face death.

But of course, that’s not the end of the story; although the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Because God loves us and does not desire that anyone should perish (2 Peter 3:9) he has provided his Son, Jesus Christ, as the path to resurrection and eternal life. For God so loved the world . . . that is everyone . . . he sent his Son. After his own resurrection, Jesus gave an inclusive command to his disciples, that they were to take the Gospel to the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The result will be the greatest gathering ever of all the nations of the world, when heaven will be filled with “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).

That’s an inclusivity that will put the columbarium I saw to shame.

Third, there was the immigration checkpoint. Karen and I just recently vacationed in Arizona. After seeing the big Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, we drove down to the frontier town/tourist trap known as Tombstone, “The Town Too Tough to Die.” While preparing for the trip, we noted a couple things. First, that new, more secure, ID cards will soon be required for all flights in the US; and  second, that the map showed a US Immigration checkpoint on the highway just north of Tombstone – not at the Mexican border, but 50 miles inland from it.

Putting these things together, we decided we wanted to be sure to have definitive identification papers with us, so we took along our US passports – the plastic card versions. In my mind, I imagined us being stopped at the checkpoint and asked to show proof of citizenship; I would smile and whip out my passport, humbling the officer who would apologize and wave us on through. Of course, he would have to check Karen’s, too . . .

We passed the checkpoint on the way south into Tombstone, and saw that they were checking north-bound cars only. At the time we passed, there were several cars stopped in line being checked. We continued on into town, smiling knowingly that we would be ready for our turn the next day. Since we arrived early in the day, we went and did our touristy things, had dinner, and retired to the motel for the night.

Then it was morning – the big day of our Immigration Validation! We packed up and carefully put our passport cards where they could be easily produced, and headed north out of town. There it was! Just ahead! The US Customs and Border checkpoint. And there were no other cars ahead or behind us; they would have an uninterrupted chance to inspect us, our ID’s, and the car. What would they find? What would they say? The tension mounted as we approached. We slowed down as the speed limit decreased, until we came to the designated stopping point. Out from the booth stepped an agent: here it was – the moment we had prepared for – and the agent took one look at us, smiled, waved us on though, and said, “Have a nice day!”

That’s it?! All that preparation, and all he did was wave us through!? Did he profile us? Did we look that harmless? Were we so obviously gringos that he didn’t need to see our IDs? Couldn’t he have stopped us and at least made a show of inspecting the car? He could have found a banana from the motel in the suitcase – would that qualify as contraband? I was so disappointed that we didn’t have to show our cards – but I was polite, so I just shouted “!Gracias!” as we drove on through . . .*

Of course, the experience did raise one question I’d like to ask you: if heaven had an immigration checkpoint to get in (manned by St. Peter, of course), how would you prove your citizenship to be allowed in? Scripture says our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), but on what basis?

That’s it for this time. Until later,

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: Psalm 8, Romans 8

*Actually, Karen talked me out of it . . .

Happy Candlemas Day, or as it is known in some circles, Happy Groundhog Day!

I know what you’re thinking: “Okay, Pastor, what do you mean, ‘Candlemas Day’? Did you mean to say ‘Christmas’ and the spell-checker changed it to ‘Candlemas,’ instead?” Not likely, since my spell-checker has flagged “Candlemas” as a misspelling. Apparently, whoever programmed the spell-checker was as unfamiliar with the celebration of Candlemas, as most Americans are, and as I was (until just today!).

So, what is Candlemas? It is an ancient Christian holiday, still celebrated by many churches in various parts of the world, which commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, 40 days after he “opened the womb” (Luke 2:23) – that is, the 40th day after Christmas, or February 2nd. It was traditionally on that day that Mary and Joseph followed the Jewish law and presented the baby Jesus to God in the Temple, redeeming him with the offering of two turtledoves or pigeons (Luke 2:22-38). During that visit, an aged prophetess named Anna, and an elderly man named Simeon, came to them and recognized that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting to see. Simeon took Jesus into his arms and prophesied that Jesus was his salvation, and that Jesus would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:32). Because of the reference here, and elsewhere, to Jesus being “the light,” Christians often light candles on Candlemas or take them to church to be blessed that day in celebration of Jesus as the true Light that came into the world (John 1:9). (See also John 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”)

Interestingly, and appropriately, I was already pondering the matter of light and darkness today before I came across information about Candlemas. What got me thinking about it was the more well-known (at least in America) celebration known as Groundhog Day. Yes, I confess I was more knowledgeable about a goofy secular tradition than about an ancient Christian holiday! But what had struck me this year about Groundhog Day, from a spiritual point of view, was how Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and was therefore frightened back into his hole for six more weeks of winter, or so the superstition goes.

Now, I don’t take that prediction seriously. Sure, it is an economic boon to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where people flock to watch the annual groundhog celebration, but there is no correlation, let alone causation, between the groundhog casting a shadow and the weather patterns that follow. So that is not what interested me.

What interested me was this question: assuming a groundhog comes out on a bright day, a day when the sunlight casts its shadow, and it is frightened enough to run back underground, what is it really being afraid of? (Besides the crowds of spectators?!) You could read it either of two ways, either of which could have spiritual symbolism.

1. First, there is the possibility that the groundhog sees its shadow (as the tradition says) and is frightened by the darkness and runs away. I see a connection between the shadow and all the evil things in the world which might frighten us: disease, crime, war, an asteroid hitting earth, a super-blood-blue-moon, temptations, or the devil and his demons. We rightly avoid or even run away from certain evils when we can, not putting ourselves in situations or relationships which might endanger us physically or spiritually. In fact, Scripture tells us to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness (a list of such deeds is found in Galatians 5:19-21) and even to flee from them (1Corinthians 6:18). Paul admonishes us in Romans 13:12, to “cast off the deeds of darkness, and put on the armor of light.”

At the same time, though we avoid such works of darkness, we need not fear them, for Scripture promises us that we are “more than conquerors,” and that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37-39). He is in us, and is more powerful than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Therefore, we don’t need to live in constant fear of our shadow, worrying about what is going to happen to us. Nothing can take the Lord by surprise; God’s “got our back,” and the rest of us, too.

Sometimes it is right to stand up, speak out against, or take action against the forces of evil in the world. There is a time and place for our rulers to “bear the sword” (Romans 13) to restrain evil, and for you and me to speak out and rebuke wrongdoing. But ultimately, the remedy against darkness is light, specifically the Light which is Jesus Christ. As the Gospel spreads and people are converted from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of heaven, darkness is pushed back and the light advances. Every person redeemed from evil and brought to Christ is a defeat for the devil and a victory for God. While governments bear the sword, the Church (which is all Christians) bears the Gospel. And as the Gospel advances and pushes back evil, we see the continuing fulfillment of the prophecy, “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light,” – the Light of life who is Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:46).

2. Of course, there’s a second possibility with good old Phil the groundhog: maybe he’s not really afraid of his shadow; maybe he’s afraid of the bright sun. Likewise, those who do evil, or like to dwell in sinful deeds, shun the light. We know from experience that many sins and crimes take place in the dark, away from people’s eyes that would see the acts of wrongdoing. There are hours of the night when it’s just not safe to be out walking – or even driving. Sometimes evil deeds take place in hidden places, but often at night, when the darkness of the night matches the darkness of the person’s heart and hides them from sight.

Scripture teaches this also, saying that people rejected the Light of the world because they loved the deeds of darkness: “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). They didn’t want the light to shine and reveal their evil thoughts and works, so like cockroaches that scurry for shelter when you turn on the kitchen light, they too try to cover up their misdeeds.

The only problem is that God sees all; the darkness is as night to him (Psalm 139:12), and he will hold everyone accountable for the hidden deeds they do in the dark. God is not mocked, he cannot be fooled or avoided or rationalized against. What is done in darkness will be revealed – and that is why many people hate to hear the Word of God, because it convicts them of the wrong they are doing. It sheds light on their deeds of darkness, and they try to jump back in their holes to avoid the painful light of God’s righteous truth.

As Christians, we should never have to fear someone finding out what we were doing. We should never be scandalized by a microphone that is left on, by a phone call or text made to the wrong person, or by something we did when “no one was watching.” We should welcome the light of truth being shone on us, because our actions are showing what it means to live in the light of Christ. Transparency in government is nothing compared to transparency in the life of a Christian.

So there you have it. As your life reflects the light of the true Light who came into the world, I hope you had a great Groundhog Day, I mean, Candlemas Day. Oh, and be sure to dress warmly for the next six weeks – just in case Phil was right!

And 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: Psalm 139, John 1:1-18, Galatians 6:1-10

This week I tried out a new restaurant and the experience reminded me of a spiritual truth.

A friend of mine and I had lunch at a restaurant – new to us and to our town – that specializes in a kind of Chinese food that I hadn’t had before: Taiwanese hot pots (no, not that kind of pot, even if it’s legal now!). This was different from other Chinese foods I have long enjoyed, such as Cantonese and Szechuan dishes, and even faux-Chinese foods such as chop-suey and fortune cookies (which are both American inventions). The new restaurant’s food turned out to be quite tasty, so I’ll find some excuse to go back there sometime in the future. Although, there are so many other restaurants I haven’t yet tried and really should: a man’s work is never done. . .

So what spiritual truth did I think about? Was it that gluttony is one of the “seven deadly sins” as decreed by Pope Gregory in 590 AD? After all, according to medieval scholar Thomas Aquinas, gluttony is not just eating too much food; it can also be committed by eating too expensively, too daintily, too soon, or too eagerly! (So maybe I do need to repent!)

No, the spiritual lesson that came to mind was the similarity between my enjoying new culinary experiences by trying out new restaurants and food varieties, and something that the Church has struggled with over the centuries, something that theologians refer to as, “novelty.” That is, the desire of people to seek novel, or new, spiritual ideas and experiences beyond what God has already revealed in his Word and in the historic Christian Church’s teachings.

This desire for spiritual novelty shows itself in several ways.

1. One way is by seeking new beliefs. The old beliefs may be difficult to understand or accept, so some people seek ideas that are more to their liking. They hear an interpretation that sounds better, so they abandon what they were taught for the “novel” idea. This is how many of the historical heresies arose; for example, when people found it hard to understand how Jesus could be both God and man, they fell into one of two opposite but equally false doctrines: adoptionism, which taught that Jesus was just a man chosen and empowered by God to be the Savior, and docetism, which taught that Jesus only seemed to be a man, but was in reality only God (or a god!). The Nicene Creed was written as it was primarily to counter a popular heresy of its day, Arianism, which taught that Jesus was just a man. Thus, the Creed states that Jesus Christ is “true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father.”

Paul refers to this tendency to seek other teachings in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

One of my professors at seminary warned us “budding theologians” against pursuing novel doctrines. He put it this way: because the Church has studied and wrestled with the Scriptures for a couple thousand years now, it has considered all the legitimate options for understanding any passage. Therefore, if you do your diligence and study multiple commentaries on a certain biblical passage, and you come up with a new interpretation different from all those you read, then you are wrong. Not just different, but wrong.

[If] you come up with a new interpretation different from all those you read, then you are wrong.

Another reason people seek new teachings is that the old ones are just that: old. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt, and when people hear the “same old, same old” over and over again, they may become mentally bored with hearing the “old, old story” no matter how true and wonderful it is. A new teaching sounds exciting; it stimulates the mind and gets them thinking in new ways. They feel they are at the cutting edge of religious thought, and feel pride (another deadly sin!) in their intellectual ability. Besides, how could something written 2000-3000 years ago have relevance to today’s digital world and rapidly changing social norms? The truth that we are still the same people with the same sins and the same righteous Lord and Savior gets left behind in their drive to stay up-to-date.

You can understand the challenge Bible-honoring preachers face. We must take eternal, unchanging truths and make them understandable, interesting, and clearly seen to be relevant, to a culture that has “heard it all before.” We need to keep our message fresh to each new generation, and to those who have heard it their entire lives. And we need to do so again and again, never changing the core message. As one stand-up comedian said, “I could never be a pastor – to have to face the same audience every week and come up with new material each time just terrifies me!” Fortunately, we pastors have a great source book to draw from!

2. Another way is by seeking new spiritual experiences. People can hold to the right doctrines and still be given to seeking “novelty” in their faith by becoming addicted to the spiritual “highs” that come from certain religious activities. These may be conferences, retreats, mission trips, or small group meetings. They may include healing services, the use or witnessing of charismatic gifts, or a big-name evangelist’s crusade. Whatever the event, people go from one “mountain-top” experience to another, always restless with their mundane church life until they can go do something again to feel closer to God. They come back from the event or activity all aglow and happy, but after a while the glow fades as the daily grind takes hold. They begin to long for the next event to recapture the glow once again.

Is there anything wrong with those activities I mentioned? No, such things can be God-honoring and believer-edifying. We all enjoy some of them from time to time. The problem comes when they serve as an addictive drug for the participants, when the activity, rather than Christ, takes center stage. The events become an end in themselves. We participate to get our “fix” rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Another problem with seeking new experiences is that they can deceive us. Just because something makes us feel good or spiritual doesn’t mean that it is from God or beneficial to us and our faith. An experience may touch us deeply, evoking powerful emotions and giving us a sense of release and healing, yet not be good for us at all. Our subjective feelings are not a good indicator of true spirituality. Like the former hit song, “If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” we can find many reasons to validate our feelings, even when they go contrary to God’s will and Word. Doing something that feels right to us is no defense either in a court of law or before God.

The other problem with seeking new experiences is the tendency it creates to minimize the objective truth of the Scriptures. Our faith is based on God’s Word, and is true however we feel about it. Whether we feel sad or happy, angry or peaceful, strong or weak, the promises of the Christian faith are there day after day and are unchanging. When we base our contentment on how excited we feel, we diminish God’s promises and the solid fact of what Christ did for us. Does my knowing about Christ make me happy? Absolutely! But even if I don’t feel happy, I still know what Christ did for me on the cross, and that is enough!

But even if I don’t feel happy, I still know what Christ did for me on the cross, and that is enough!

3. Finally, people may seek novelty in a new church: Just as hearing the same doctrines may get old to us, sometimes we just get tired of the same songs, the same decorations, the same order of service, and dare I say it – the same preacher(s). We want something new and more exciting. We’re feeling a little bored at church and know that out there somewhere is the perfect church just waiting for us: a fast-growing church with great music, happy and sinless people, rousing preachers, and a feeling of being where God is doing a special work.

There may be good reasons to change churches: your current church or denomination may have departed the faith and started teaching heresies (that is what brought Karen and me to The AALC and St Peter’s). Or you are genuinely called by God to change churches for the purpose of serving a church where God has a place and mission for you (again, relevant to Karen and me coming to St. Peter’s). Or if by staying, you would damage the current church or cause a schism to develop and split the congregation (not relevant to Karen and me). Or, of course, if you move away. The biblical example of separation is the split between Paul and Barnabas, who had worked together on their first missionary journey, then split and led two different missions with other partners – to the end that twice as many people were reached with the Gospel.

But unless there is a genuine call from God to leave your church and join another church, there are real problems with church-shopping or church-hopping. One is that you never really belong to one body; the more you leave over whatever reason, the easier it is to leave the next time. When Karen and I moved to Indiana, it took a couple years before we joined a church. Even though we attended services, we kept looking for the right church to join and didn’t find it – until we went ahead and joined a church anyway – the church where I would eventually receive my direct call from God into the ministry.

Another problem is that whatever issues you had in your previous church, unless they are resolved, will carry over spiritually into your new situation. If you had something against the pastor, guess what – that will eat at you even years later. And of course, the other big problem with looking for the perfect church is: there is no such thing. There is no perfect church out there – this side of heaven – that will make you happy.

As with job changes, sometimes it is better to change yourself in your job, than to change your job. Sometimes it is better to examine yourself, repent, and let the Spirit change you in your current church, than to change churches. A new and better you is better than a new church, any day!

A new and better you is better than a new church, any day!

So is it wrong to try out new foods or restaurants? No, of course not; Jesus himself showed that all foods were permissible (Mark 7:19 – “Thus he declared all foods clean.”). But don’t let that enjoyment of new experiences at the table intrude into your faith, for it is a precious and life-giving food which was “once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). That’s better than spiritual gluttony. Chew on that!

And 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: 2 Timothy 4, Hebrews 12

By now, just about everyone has heard about the false alarm sounded in Hawaii last Saturday morning. A government emergency management employee pushed the wrong button during a test of the state’s emergency notification system, and a million people received a text message that a ballistic missile was inbound on Hawaii. It told people to seek shelter and ominously added the warning: “This is not a drill.”

For thirty-eight minutes, until the state sent a new message saying the alert was a false alarm, people scrambled to find shelters such as bathtubs, storm drains, and reverse slopes of nearby mountains. Many thought the end was near, with one newlywed couple despairing that their new life together would end as soon as it had begun. When the alert was cancelled, the people certainly felt relief, but also anger that such a scary mistake had even happened. Others have since expressed my concern that the false alarm could have a “boy who cried wolf” effect, so that any future real emergency alerts could be ignored.

When I heard about the false alarm, I thought back to my early grade-school years. During those days, the nuclear threat from the Soviets seemed very real. Civil Defense groups and shelters were organized (I remember one being in the basement of the YMCA building where my dad worked), some people built underground fallout shelters in their back yards, and schools held air raid drills. Yes, I grew up with those: when the school alarm sounded, we all had to leave our classrooms and line up along the hallway walls, with our hands on our heads and our heads tucked between our knees. They never told us what we were to do next if there had been an attack, but since they were just drills, we always went back to our desks and classes resumed.

Later, when I was in college, someone had a poster in his room which gave the same air raid instructions, but with a slight twist: the final line read, “Tuck your head between your knees and kiss your (you-know-what) good-bye.” That irreverent poster poked fun at the naïveté that thought our actions would save us from a real atomic bomb, but you have to remember those days were less than 15 years from the end of World War II, during which people did survive bombs and missiles. Also in defense of those drills was their usefulness in doubling as tornado drills; the procedures were exactly the same, and the likelihood of a tornado was much greater.*

Today (January 15) I was listening to Tom Sullivan’s talk radio show, and after talking about the false alarm in Hawaii, he asked a very good question: “What would you do if you heard that a nuclear missile was headed your way?” The responses were all over the place: one caller said he would go up onto his roof to watch the fireworks, another said he would start drinking because he heard that radiation cannot pass through alcohol (he was joking), while others said they would just express their love to those they care about and wait for the end. People generally realized that trying to evacuate their city would just result in massive traffic jams, and that there was nothing they could do to survive the attack. I guess those fallout shelters of the 1950’s and 60’s weren’t such a bad idea after all . . .

Tom’s question and the various answers seemed to center on practical, physical actions that people might consider when faced with such an impending disaster. Would they try to flee, hunker down in their homes, or seek better shelter nearby? That’s an interesting question, one that everyone should at least consider. Having a family action plan in preparation for any disaster is a good idea, whether that be for a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake, a volcano, a riot, the zombie apocalypse, or a nuclear attack. Having a few provisions, extra food, water, and clothing on hand is always prudent.

But while practical actions can be important, I am more concerned with people’s spiritual preparation for the end. If you knew absolutely that today is your last day on earth, what would you do about it? How would you spend your day?

• Will you try to avoid thinking about it by keeping entertained or by self-medicating with drugs or alcohol?
• Will you contact all your friends and family to tell them you love them and say good-bye?
• Will you reconcile with those whom you have wronged, and forgive those who wronged you?
• Will you spend your last hours in prayer, reading the Scriptures, confessing your sins and receiving forgiveness?
• Or will you charge up a bunch of stuff on Amazon and opt for same-day delivery?

The question about your spiritual preparation for “the end” is not an idle, hypothetical exercise. After all, we all face the end in one way or another. If it’s not a nuclear missile flying our way, it could be a car accident, a wildfire, a mudslide, a sudden or chronic illness, or a violent crime, to name just a few dangers. However our lives end, they will end, unless the Lord returns before we die – and if he does, then spiritual preparations will mean everything!

So how do we prepare? God’s Word gives us instructions:

1. Recognize that we are mortal, and that we will die. “For dust you are and to dust shall you return.” (Genesis 3:19) and “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) and “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls.” (1 Peter 1:24). These are just a few among many passages that affirm our mortality.
2. Rejoice that God loves you and has provided a way for you to overcome death and live forever – through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. John 3:16 summarizes God’s love and provision through Christ; other verses include 1 Peter 3:9, which says that God does not wish “that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” And let’s not forget Jesus’ own promise in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
3. Realize that the time of our departure is not up to us. Jesus told a parable about a rich farmer who delighted in his bounteous crop and built bigger barns to hold all his harvest. “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you!” (Luke 12:20). Similarly, Jesus warned that no one knows the day or hour of his own return; he said he would return like a thief in the night, so we should always be ready. (Matthew 24:43, also in 1 Thessalonians 5:2)
4. Reconcile to God through faith in Jesus Christ, and to others with whom you may have hard feelings. “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Ask forgiveness for the wrongs you have done, and forgive others who have wronged you. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
5. Receive God’s own peace, the peace that passes understanding, that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)

These are good practices whether we know a missile is on its way, or not; after all, even though we pray that day will never come, our own personal time is approaching. And as for putting your head between your knees, how about just putting your knees on the floor, bowing your head, and spending time in prayer to your Creator and Redeemer instead?

After all, this is not a drill!

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: John 3, 1 Thessalonians 4

*(In fact, a tornado hit a church preschool in Franklin, Indiana during a tornado drill, destroying all the classrooms but not harming anyone, since they were safely in the hallway, heads tucked between their knees . . . I spoke with one of the firemen who responded to the tornado; he said that it happened on a beautiful day, and that the preschool director ordered the drill after a passing thought that they hadn’t had a drill in a while. When the fireman arrived on scene, he was in horror and expected to find bodies everywhere, but found instead that no one was hurt. He said it was absolutely God’s protection that saved the children.)

It has now been one full year since I retired, and one year that I have been writing my blog. It’s hard to believe that twelve months have gone by so quickly!

1. Karen and I have enjoyed the lighter schedule and increased time together, and we have been able to get some household projects done (and to do some travel when we were tired of doing household projects!). We visited family and friends back in the Midwest twice, once in May and the second time in October. And, we drove to Oregon in August to get a better view of the eclipse and learned that our best tent camping days – no, make that, all our tent camping days – are behind us.
2. For the first time in my adult life, I was no longer under an employer’s health plan, so we had to navigate the uncharted waters of our changing health system. Being of mature age, I came under Medicare, and found I needed to pursue not only supplemental and drug coverages, but also locate a doctor who was taking on new patients. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that after two months, I finally got hooked up; which was after being assigned to a retired doctor no longer in practice, then to a doctor who quit halfway through my first exam with him (was it something I said?), then to an obstetrician (true!) before finding the right physician.
3. We have continued to worship at St. Peter’s, and have enjoyed friendships and participating in events sponsored by the men’s and women’s groups. Karen has continued to be active by leading the very-busy email and daytime Prayer Chains, and by coordinating funeral luncheons for the church’s Women of LIFE.
4. As far as my ministry involvement, I conducted four funeral services, filled in to preach and teach one Sunday, taught a couple advanced Bethel Bible Series classes, and conducted a chapel program for our church’s school. Then, in the fall, Karen and I attended the AALC’s 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation celebration in Minnesota. While there, I gave presentations as Martin Luther during the two luncheons. Other than not being able to fully relax until the second presentation ended, I enjoyed the chance to teach and entertain with the Reformation and Gospel truths which brother Martin discovered. The new issue of the AALC newsletter, The Evangel, has a wonderful article about the celebration and the part I played.
5. And then there’s the blog . . . I remember the second article I wrote last January in which I pondered what I might write about next (“Okay, Now What?” Jan 19, 2017). I was afraid I would run out of ideas before last February, but then I thought, “Hey, I’m a pastor! I’m used to speaking and writing about all kinds of things!” What’s even better, since I can’t see my audience when blogging, I don’t get discouraged to see people sleeping, checking their phones, or leaving in the middle of my sermon! As it turned out, last week I posted my 45^th blog! It’s still hard to believe there have been that many. Of course, each time I sit down to blog, I still ask myself, “Okay, now what?” but the ideas come and my fingers start flying across the keyboard (Okay, that’s a euphemism for my typing style known as “hunt and peck” or what a German friend once called, “Die Adler Methode [the eagle method] – hover and dive!” Personally, I call it the “Biblical Method” – “seek and ye shall find”. . .). If there is one thing about my youth I would change if I could, I would have taken typing in school. (“Typing” is an archaic word that meant, “keyboarding” and was done on a manual typewriter using an inked ribbon. You can Google those terms if you are under 40.)
6. Your responses to my articles have been especially gratifying; some of you have written comments which show up in the blog, others have sent email notes separately, and still others have spoken to Karen or me personally with requests to keep blogging. Whether you actually enjoy the blogs or just want to keep me busy and out of trouble (“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”), I am grateful for your encouraging words.
7. There are two things that I was sure I would get done in 2017 that are still in the “unfinished” category:

• Cleaning out the clutter and accumulation of books and other stuff from the 20 years we have lived in our current home, not to mention our 43 years of marriage (See “Too Much Stuff” from Feb 18, 2017 for more details). We are discussing the options: storage shed, storage unit, large dumpster, or moving away quietly in the middle of the night. No decision yet . . .
• Finishing and publishing my book, Raising Ebenezers, which is in the revision stage. I really must complete it so I can get on to writing the Great American Novel. I actually have one in mind; it starts off with a clever opening, “It was a dark and stormy night . . .” I will announce publishing plans and progress for Raising Ebenezers as soon as I know them.

8. Finally, there’s one spiritual matter I’d like to share briefly, and that has to do with how retirement has affected my understanding of who I am in Christ. After five years preparing for ministry (part-time and full- time seminary studies), a year of internship, and 22 years of pastoral service, it was quite a change to no longer be a pastor of St. Peter’s. I was used to people seeing and talking to me as their pastor, asking my counsel, and offering their help in areas of ministry. I was used to many meetings and staff working relationships. In a sense, I defined myself by my work (as men usually do) but more so because I was serving the Lord. Now, as a retiree, I still have friends at church, but the relationship is necessarily different – not worse or better – just different.

Likewise, my self-understanding is different. Who am I in Christ? I am still me, the person God has called and saved as his own. I am loved of God and love him in return (“We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19). That has not changed. After all, I don’t believe in Christ because I was a pastor; I was a pastor because I believe in Christ – and was called by him to serve in that calling.

A year ago I wrote this in my first blog: “I understand my retirement as not so much retiring from one vocation, as retiring to a different one, a new vocation. This new vocation is also a call from God to serve Him, but in a new way.” Only by recognizing that God calls us into different seasons in our lives, have I been freed to relax and enjoy this time, even as I stay alert to new calls which God may give in 2018 (such as my recent appointment to the AALC Clergy Commission). Please pray for me to always be faithful to Christ and his call, whatever that may be!

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:  1 John 4

During the final weeks of the old year, there were many parties and other celebrations which commemorated the birth of Jesus Christ – at least in our circles. For many other people, the parties were more about the onset of winter and the arrival of a new year. But for us, Christ was at the center. So, with many of our church friends, we attended our school’s elementary Christmas program, the Sunday school program, a Christmas Choir Cantata, the Christmas Home Tour, and a house party. To ensure good parking places and good seating – not to mention politeness to those hosting the events – we made a point of arriving on time, or even early. It was the right thing to do!

Likewise, the shepherds were on time to their Christmas party. They made it on time, of course, because they were in nearby fields when Jesus was born, and they were summed by what you might call a “singing telegram.” (And yes, you can still send them!) You can almost hear the angel’s words as recorded in Luke 2 announcing the birth and commanding the shepherds to go and see for themselves: “Stop shaking and get off your duffs and go check out the stable . . .” Well, actually, it was more like, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12) They made it to the party on time, and got to see their newborn Savior with his mother Mary and Joseph. That just started their celebration, for we are told that they went from there, glorifying and praising God for what they saw. Party hearty!

But for some people, some very important people, you might say they were late to the party, They didn’t make it there for the blessed event because they began their journey far to the East. These “latecomers” were the wise men – magi as the Bible text of Matthew 2 calls them – who also received word of the birth. Their notice was by way of a special star that rose, signalling the birth of the Messiah – the King of the Jews. Whether the star appeared at the moment of Jesus’ birth, and it took a while for the magi to prepare for their trip, or whether the magi set out as soon as the star appeared later on, we don’t know  – the Greek words in verse 2 can be translated either as “For we saw his star when it rose,” or “For we saw his star in the east.” – though I favor the first translation based on what happened later. Either way, they saw the star, knew its significance, and set out to see Christ, and to bring him gifts to bless and honor him. So in their case, the “baby shower” came after the birth! And how many magi were there? Answer all together now, “We don’t know; all it says is that they brought three kinds of gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Correct! The names often ascribed to the magi – Balthazar, Melchior, and Gaspar (or Caspar) – come from an Armenian tradition and not from the Bible.

The evidence that they arrived long after the birth is found in Matthew 2.

1. The first point is found in verse 11: “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” House, not stable. There’s no mention of the manger, so it is obvious some time has passed with Mary and Joseph staying in Bethlehem with the infant Jesus until the time was right to leave.
2. The second point is the Greek words used to describe Jesus: Luke calls him a brephos (baby), while Matthew uses the term, paidiov, (little child). This difference implies some aging between the two events.
3. When King Herod decided to kill Jesus to remove any potential rival to his throne, he ordered the murder of all the boys in Bethlehem, and in the region around it, who were two years old or under. Why that range? Verse 16 tells us that age was “according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.” which meant from when the star first appeared. This event is called the “Massacre of the Innocents,” and those murdered boys are considered the first martyrs for Christ.

Since the wise men weren’t at the stable, does that mean we have to clean up our manger scenes and get rid of the (always) three wise men figures, their camels, and their gifts? You can if you want, but I’ll keep them in our nativity sets, especially the one made of balsa wood that I hand-carved for our first Christmas, 43 years ago. Because even though the magi were late for the first party, they threw an incredible second party when they finally got there! And the point of the manger scenes is to celebrate Christ taking on flesh and becoming one of us, regardless of who got there or when.

There’s also a special reason to celebrate the arrival of the wise men, and that is the fact that the magi were Gentiles – non-Jews – to whom the Savior was revealed, and who came to find and worship Christ as King. Their arrival is celebrated today, January 6, and is the start of the Church season known as Epiphany. Epiphany means “manifestation,” or “appearing,” and marks the revealing of Christ as the Son of God to the world, including both Jew and Gentile. During this season we mark the arrival of the wise men, the ministry of John the Baptist and the baptism of Christ, Jesus’ first miracle at Cana, Peter’s confession of Jesus as Christ and Son of God, and Christ’s Transfiguration before his closest disciples. Together, these events signify Christ’s true identity and nature.

There’s another reason for the delayed arrival of the wise men to Bethlehem, and it leads me to the opinion that maybe the magi weren’t late after all: maybe they arrived perfectly on time and according to God’s plan. For their job was not only to announce that the kingship of Christ would be for the whole world, it was also to provide the material riches they bestowed on Jesus and his family. Sure, their gifts had powerful, symbolic meanings, but they were also valuable resources that would provide for Jesus and his earthly parents during the years they fled to Egypt. The magi also indirectly triggered the escape by informing Herod about Jesus’ birth without returning to Herod to tell him Jesus’ specific location. Their gifts kept Jesus safe until Herod died, and fulfilled the prophecy that God would call his Son out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15).

So in God’s plan, the shepherds had one role, the wise men another, and you and I have still another. The story of the wise men should encourage us all in our faith, for no matter how “late” in life we come to believe, God has a place for us in his eternal house, and he promises that the party will be absolutely AWESOME!

And 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: Matthew Chapter 2

“I don’t celebrate Christmas!”

So said one of the callers who called in to the Tom Sullivan Show this past week. He was answering the question which Tom had put out to his radio listeners: “Is Christmas a religious holiday, or not?” I was not so surprised that someone in our country doesn’t celebrate Christmas; what got my attention was that the caller identified himself as a Christian pastor.

It was enough for me to stop playing with my Rodney Reindeer stuffed toy, turn off the CD which was playing, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” and postpone my plan to grab a couple Christmas cookies and spiced cider.  That’s how much he had my attention.

The caller explained that while he could have fellowship with other Christians who do celebrate the holiday, he and his family do not observe Christmas because it is not a religious celebration. He added that many of our Christmas traditions have pagan roots, including the choice of December 25 as an appropriation of pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. To him, Christmas is not religious.

I pondered his comments as I placed some of Karen’s gingerbread cookies on my Frosty the Snowman plate and filled my Santa cup with some cider. As I looked toward the living room, I noticed that an angel ornament had fallen off the brightly-decorated tree to land near the beautifully-wrapped present I had gotten for Karen. I walked over and put it back on the tree next to a plastic snowflake, being careful not to step on the poinsettia.

“He may have a point,” I thought, as I lingered underneath the sprig of mistletoe, hoping Karen would walk by . . .

Okay, so most of what I’ve just said was an “imaginary illustration” (that sounds better than saying I just lied to you). Except for the caller and what he said*; that was real, and it did cause me to think about the interaction between the Bible’s proclamation of the Savior’s birth and the public, or private, celebration of that birth. Following are some of my thoughts on this matter:

1. The charge that our celebration comes from pagan roots is not new. People have asked me about it and even sent me articles connecting Christmas to everything from the Roman winter holiday of Saturnalia, to druid tree-worship, to satanic temptations of greed and envy (did you realize that Satan and Santa have the same letters??). That may be true, and I would avoid celebrating Christmas if by doing so I were worshiping trees, greed, or the start of winter. Or if by doing so, I led other people into such false beliefs. (1 Corinthians 8:9-10) What do I mean when I wish someone Merry Christmas – “Go be a druid” or “Christ our Savior is born”? To me, obviously, it is Christ and his birth which I celebrate.
2. Our modern American Christmas is a recent development. Over the centuries, many, if not most, Christians have not observed the holiday. Some churches, such as the Puritans, forbade such festivities in England and even in Boston – making it illegal to celebrate. I am happy to say that Lutherans – including Martin himself – kept the celebrations and added to the traditions.
3. Even though some of our Christmas traditions were adapted from questionable roots, it doesn’t mean that our appropriation of them is wrong – as long as the original meaning is stripped away and Christ is proclaimed through them. For example: pagans did (and do) have reverence for evergreen trees as a sign of life during the dark of winter. The ancient Greeks used them in worship, as did the Romans who tied bits of metal and wood to their trees to honor their gods. But to a Christian, the evergreen is a sign of resurrection and eternal life, brought to us by Jesus, the child born that first Christmas. The ornaments we put on (okay, some of the ornaments we put on) symbolize Christ and the promises of our faith. Our sanctuary’s tree is decorated with what are called, “chrismons,” which are Christian symbols such as mangers, stars, triangles, crosses, and fish. Whatever meaning any of those symbols may have had before Christ, they now proclaim him even to those who cannot read.
4. We don’t need any of our traditional Christmas trappings – snowmen, reindeer, Santas, trees, lights on our houses, or even giant blow-up lawn decorations – to celebrate Christ coming into the world to save us from our sins. Such things are what we call “adiaphora,” which means things neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture, like the robes or clerical collars we pastors wear, or the seasonal altar cloths (paraments), or the use of an organ, or having a Christmas tree in the sanctuary: we can worship God, proclaim his Gospel, and minister the sacraments – things which are commanded, with or without any of those things.
5. Non-religious activities, songs, movies, and decorations can be an enjoyable part of our Christmas celebrations. It’s okay to have a winter-themed holiday and sing songs about snowmen and sleigh rides. It’s okay to give gifts and eat goodies (disclaimer: within reason and according to your specific dietary restrictions and needs). It’s okay to watch the Grinch. As long as the messages are consistent with the Christian faith – love, forgiveness, reconciliation, generosity and care for the needy, etc. – enjoy them.
6. Appropriation can go both ways. If we use evergreen trees in our celebrations, our society has taken over the powerful biblical symbol of the rainbow and given it a meaning far different from what God intended: his promise never to destroy the world again by a flood. The cross, a sign of God’s love and sacrifice for our sake is used in numerous movies as a sign the person wearing it is unbalanced. And as we are discussing, Christmas has become largely a secular winter celebration, a chance to get off work (except for pastors!), party, and get gifts. To many people, it’s not much different than Thanksgiving or Labor Day. That’s more my concern, than Christians “redeeming” things from the world and using them to serve Christ.
7. Finally, there are two powerful examples in Scripture – one in each Testament – which illustrate believers appropriating pagan things and using them for good. In Exodus 12, when the Israelites finally leave Egypt after the last plague, it says that many of the Egyptians gave the Israelites their silver and gold. Verse 36 says, “Thus they plundered the Egyptians.” Here were pagans giving their resources to the people God had chosen as his own. They didn’t refuse the riches because the pagans had owned them first. Then, in Acts 17:22-31, we read how Paul used a pagan altar inscribed “To the unknown god,” to explain to the Athenians who the real God is and what he did for them through Jesus Christ. We call such use “redeeming the culture,” and speak to a Christian using worldly things for eternal purposes.

So, is Christmas religious or not? I would say it has largely lost that meaning in our culture and society. That it still retains any focus on Christ is a testamonly to the Holy Spirit working through his people to proclaim the Gospel and to do so whatever the season. Let us continue to tell the world about their Savior, so that the true meaning of Christmas will take hold in their hearts.

And as for Karen and me, whether we hang pictures of snowmen or bake cookies or put a bow on our cat, we will celebrate Christmas. For us, Jesus will always be the “Reason for the Season.” May he always be that for you as well!

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 lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Luke 2, Acts 17, 1 Corinthians 8

*I hasten to add, that if we did have any mistletoe, I would stand under it waiting for Karen to walk by . . .

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

In my previous blog, I illustrated the changeability of the “truths” which people hold, by describing some old magazine advertisements that used questionable “scientific” claims and now-embarrassing social attitudes to purvey their products: from the antique Coca Cola ad which proclaimed it is “the  ideal brain tonic, specific for a headache, relieves mental and phisical (sic) exhaustion” to the Lux Toilet Soap ad which admonished women, “You’ve WON him, now you must KEEP him” by using its cosmetic-cleansing properties to remove old makeup. We laugh at such ads or just shake our heads, but must admit that one day people will laugh at things we think are true and reasonable. For example, there are the pharmaceutical ads on TV which show happy, attractive people doing enjoyable activities with smiling friends and family while a purring voice-over describes the possible side-effects of the drug – including heart attack, stroke, coma, and death. But at least you won’t have itchy skin any more!

Another example comes from my own days in Junior High. Our history class was discussing the Civil War and the topic of slavery came up. I remember watching and listening in amazement as the consensus of the students changed from one extreme to another: one day they all agreed slavery was bad (my view), and the next day they argued that it was mostly beneficial and that the slaves were better off because they had food and shelter. Fortunately, I think the class went back to the “slavery=bad” view by the time we moved on to a new subject. But, the idea of what was “true” changed depending which opinion was in favor on which day. Even though I was not yet the sophisticated, highly educated, clear thinker which I am now, this flip-flop caught my attention as to the unreliability of consensus “truths.”

Truth is not determined by popular vote.

This first became evident to me even earlier, when I was in first or second grade. Our teacher asked us whether the sun is closer to the earth in the summer or in the winter. Everyone but me raised their hands to vote “summer.” But for some reason, I waited and voted “winter,” much to the jeers and laughs of my fellow pupils. Their laughing stopped when the teacher said, “Yes, Richard – you’re right!” This was an early lesson for me that truth is not determined by popular vote. (Okay, if our class had been in the Southern Hemisphere, they would have been right and I would have been properly laughed at. But we weren’t.)

So where do we go for the truth? Is there something that is unchanging and reliable, that doesn’t vary with the passage of time, popular attitudes, or the latest scientific theories? Fortunately, we have such a dependable source. It is God’s Word, given through the prophets, embodied in the person of Jesus Christ, and recorded in the Bible. Isaiah 40:8 proclaims, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Jesus affirmed this in Mark 13:31: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

The Bible is God’s written Word, and that is where we find dependable, unchanging truth. It is, as Psalm 119:105 attests, “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” dependably guiding us in a world of changing ideas, attitudes, truisms, and “scientific facts. As I promised in my last blog, here are some of the reasons why I fully trust God’s Word for all matters of faith and life:

1. It is a matter of faith. I believe the Bible is what it claims to be: the inspired Word of God. It claims to have been written by men moved by God’s Spirit to convey his revelation to the world, and I trust it to be true. I know this is my “subjective” belief, but without this foundation, Scripture just stands alongside other great writings, subject to the same kinds of flaws and levels of importance they have. But because of faith, God’s written Word has authority over me, no matter what issues I encounter in areas of evidence or interpretation. Jesus loves me, this I know. . . why? . . . for the Bible tells me so – and I believe the Bible as a matter of faith.
2. It is a matter of authorship. Because God is the ultimate Author of Scripture, it is always absolutely true. God tells the truth because
   • he knows the truth about everything. He is all-knowing (omniscient), whether it is men’s hearts or the reasons things happen or the science behind creation or what will happen in the future. He knows the end of something from its beginning (Isaiah 46:10).
   • he tells the truth because he “will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind” (1 Samuel 15:29).
   • he wants us to know the truth because he loves us and desires that we turn from darkness and enter into his light, for our eternal benefit (John 1:9, 3:16).
3. It is a matter of reliability. We can have full confidence that the Bible texts we have today are true to what the original writers wrote under God’s inspiration. There is more textual evidence for the books of the Bible than for any other ancient book. For example, the earliest copy of Julius Caesar’s Gallic and Civil Wars dates to about 1000 years after he wrote it. In comparison, the earliest fragment of John’s Gospel dates to 115 AD, or less than 30 years after it was written. A scrap of Mark’s Gospel in Greek is believed to be among the Dead Sea Scrolls, which dates it to within 40 years after Christ’s death and resurrection. And speaking of the Dead Sea Scrolls, they have pushed back by 900 years the copies of Old Testament books available to us, and they agree with the newer texts we had been using. One other example: when the King James Version was written (1611), there were five ancient manuscripts of the Greek New Testament available to the translators; since then, another 5,000 such manuscripts have been found and the texts are almost completely the same (with minor variations due to copying variations). There are no contradictions when it comes to doctrine or historical accounts in either Testaments. Finally, related to the charge that the Roman Catholic Church picked and chose which books would go into the Bible, suppressing  or changing books they didn’t like: no one church ever had such control over the Bible; the books were copied and distributed in many places around the ancient Mediterranean world until a consensus was reached, before there even was a church known as “Roman Catholic.”
4. It is a matter of preservation. Related to the reliability of the biblical texts is the fact they still exist after thousands of years of opposition and persecution. Many have burned Bibles and persecuted to the death those who read and believe it, yet in spite of such horrendous suppression the Bible still flourishes and is available around the world in every medium and almost every language. God has preserved his Word among us, and indeed has allowed it to spread until, as Paul wrote in Romans 1:8, the faith is being preached in the whole world.
5. It is a matter of consistency. The Bible was written over a period of at least 1500 years in three languages by dozens of (inspired) human authors. The books vary in style from historical narrative, to songs and poetry, to proverbs and prophecies, to biographies and parables; yet they combine to tell a consistent story of an all-powerful, holy, and loving Creator God against whom we rebelled, yet who in mercy has provided us forgiveness and eternal life through the substitutionary death of his own Son. The thread of God’s plan winds its way throughout the scriptures, culminating in the return of Christ one day to bring everything to completion.
6. It is a matter of validation. Although the truth of the Bible does not require validation by other fields of study, it is still encouraging to see how many times the Bible has been shown to be true by discoveries in archaeology, history, and science. While this subject is way too big for me to adequately present here, a few examples may be helpful.
   • Skeptics used to criticize the Bible for speaking of the Hittites because their existence had been lost to history, until archaeologist rediscovered that powerful civilization in 1884.
   • Another validation was the victory by British General Allenby in World War I over a Turkish army in Palestine, using the same tactic used by Saul’s son Jonathan to defeat the Philistines at the same location (1 Samuel 14).
   • Critics said the Bible was wrong when it said in Daniel 5 that the last king of Babylon was named Belshazzar. Wrong, they said, it was Nabonidus. But as more recent archaeology has shown, even though the last king of the Babylonian empire was Nabonidus, he didn’t like the city of Babylon and moved away from it, leaving his son to rule in his place. His son’s name? Belshazzar, of course.
   • And there are stone inscriptions which corroborate biblical events and the names of kings, including Omri, Ahaziah, and David.
7. It is a matter of changed lives. As predicted by the Bible itself, people of every nation, tribe, and language have embraced Jesus Christ by the power of God’s Word. Their lives have been changed for the good in consistent ways: feeling grace and forgiveness, and being able to forgive others; being at peace even in death’s shadow, being confident of eternal life with God; sacrificing one’s time, resources, and life in Christ’s service; improving society and helping the hurting; accepting martyrdom not as a way to kill others, but to bless them; and cleaning up their lifestyles to reflect biblical standards of morality and holiness. God’s Word is not just about God’s power, it is God’s power to effect salvation. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:13, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” and in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

God’s Word is not just about God’s power, it is God’s power.

There is much more that could be said about each of these reasons – in fact  much more has been said in the many good books on Christian apologetics that are available. Here, I have just touched on them to show the range of reasons I accept and trust the Bible to always be true.

Unlike those who seek fickle ideas that by tomorrow are “just so yesterday,” may you find the unchanging and unshakeable truth of God’s Word, fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ, who “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). And in finding him, may you find a peace that passes all understanding!

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: Hebrews 13 and John 14:1-6

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Thus reads Isaiah 40:8, one of the lessons from this past Sunday, the Second Sunday in Advent.

I thought of this verse while reading an email from a cousin of mine who likes to forward articles, videos, humorous photos, and inspirational stories. In yesterday’s email, my cousin sent a collection of old print advertisements under the caption, “You read it and just shake your head – it can’t be . . .” The caption is absolutely correct; I had to laugh while reading them, thinking to myself, “I can’t believe these were actually used as advertisements. Did we really think that way back then?” Back then, as in the 1950’s and 60’s, when I was growing up.

Among the craziest or most politically-incorrect ads were the following: the Del Monte catsup ad that shows a smiling woman holding a bottle with the caption, “You mean a woman can open it?” Then there’s the encouragement to buy your wife a vacuum cleaner, with the promise, “Christmas morning (and forever after) she’ll be happier with a Hoover.” Another ad shows a man holding up a yardstick to his dress-wearing wife under the caption, “How to measure your wife for an ironing table.” And don’t forget the woman boasting that she has all the dates she wants now that she has gained weight from eating ironized yeast, whereas before, “Men wouldn’t look at me when I was skinny.”

But the really scary ads were the ones advocating certain products that are so obviously dangerous we wouldn’t think of using them. For example, there’s the ad for “Asthma Cigarettes: For Your Health.” Yes, seriously. Dr. Batty’s cigarettes “effectively treat asthma, hay fever, foul breath, all diseases of the throat, head colds, canker sours (sic) and bronchial irritations. Not recommended for children under 6.” Which means they are recommended for 7-year olds? Or Lucky Strikes as a weight-loss tool which “No One Can Deny.” Or how about the “Cocaine Tooth Drops” available at all “druggists,” which ad shows two little kids building a toy house out of sticks. Or the cola ad that shows a mom and her baby and asks, “How soon is too soon to start drinking soda pop?” The answer it gives is it’s never too soon, if you want your child to gain acceptance and “fit in” socially as a teen or preteen. Finally, there’s the ad with a smiling woman holding a loaf of green bread with the caption, “Try Penicillin; Made from mold, you can get this drug from your doctor or prepare it yourself.” (I’ve tried to do the last one myself, but Karen always catches me in time and makes me take a fresh slice of bread.)

We can laugh at such ads from our more informed and “enlightened” perspective, but the scariest thing about those ads is how many times they appeal to “scientific studies” to prove why you should use their products. Laboratory tests “proved” the social benefits of soda pop; the longer length of Pall Mall cigarettes means the smoke is filtered more (charts prove it so much even Santa is puffing away!); and clinical experience shows that Mr. Merke’s “New Kind of Hat” will grow hair if worn just 10 minutes a day! Unless those advertisers just made up their studies, their appeal to science shows the temporary nature of most knowledge. What we “knew” then is dangerously obsolete; much of what we assume as true today – including our ads and scientific studies – will one day be laughed at by email readers of the future (if there even is email in the future!). They may look at what we write and say, “That’s just so yesterday!”

Science is a fickle master that would claim to represent proven, objective truth, but it varies with the latest study. It also subject to the politics of whatever scientific establishment currently has authority, and on who is paying the bill for the research. Is it any surprise that studies funded by milk producers prove the health benefits of drinking milk, while a 1996 tobacco industry study of nicotine proved it improved people’s cognitive performance? In 2008, scientists sponsored by the Sugar Association proved the dangers of Splenda, while Splenda’s manufacturer hired scientists who showed it was safe. And a scientist discovered recent DNA in a dinosaur bone, but lost her job because the university for which she worked feared her work would support creationism.

By saying this I am not making the post-modern error that asserts there is no objective truth, and that all so-called “truth” is relative and subjective to each person. If I did, then maybe “asthma cigarettes” would be good for those who believe in them. No, I believe that there are truths and errors, even if the public consensus or attitude toward them changes. We can rightly shake our heads at the Schlitz Beer ad showing a man consoling his wife (who is crying over a burned meal) by telling her, “Don’t worry, darling, you didn’t burn the beer!” It was objectively a bad ad!

What I am saying is that what we are told is true today, may be proven wrong tomorrow. A compliment today may be harassment tomorrow. What was a planet yesterday (e.g., Pluto) may be demoted to a “dwarf planet” today, and then reinstated tomorrow. What had two genders ten years ago now comes in 58 according to Facebook.

Some of my favorite examples of changing scientific “orthodoxy” are in the field of anthropology. Every few years some scientist finds bones and publishes papers claiming to have found the “missing link” between apes and humans. The media announce, “This changes everything” and “Science has to rewrite its books.” Then, other scientists study the findings, and report that they were either faked (Piltdown Man) or mistaken (Lucy), and another “ancestor” is relegated to the dust bin of scientific history because the bones belong to either a full ape or a full human, or in one case, a pig (so-called Nebraska Man)!

My point is not that scientific study or research is bad; it has discovered a lot and taught us much, and much good has been accomplished. The medicines I take, the computer on which I am writing this blog, and the car I drive are just three examples of the countless ways scientific research and application directly benefit me. My point is that we need to be careful not to jump aboard every new report as if it’s a dependable truth, the final answer to life’s questions. If we do, we will be disappointed and led into error. That may be okay, if we’re talking about which laundry detergent gets our clothes the cleanest; but if we’re seeking the meaning of life and are trying to order our lives to follow God’s will, then we better make sure we have the definitive, unchanging truth as our guide.

Fortunately, we have such a dependable source. That is where Isaiah 40:8 comes in: “the word of our God will stand forever.” Jesus affirmed this in Matthew 5:18 when he said, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” And in Mark 13:31: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

The Bible is God’s written Word, and that is where we find dependable, unchanging truth. It is, as Psalm 119:105 attests, “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Why is it so dependable in a world of changing ideas, attitudes, truisms, and “scientific facts”? Tune in next time and I’ll cover some of the reasons why I fully trust God’s Word for all matters of faith and life. For now, I’m heading to the fridge to get me a soda pop so I can be socially accepted by my peers . . .

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: Psalm 119 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Merry Christmas, er, that is, Merry Advent! I’d wish you a “Merry Christmas!” but it’s not Christmas yet . . . even though all the stores and online advertising seem to think otherwise – except for the one that has Easter candy out already! Just kidding (maybe).

This Sunday, December 3, is the day we enter a new church year and a new church season, namely, the season of Advent. Advent means “coming” and refers to someone or something that is approaching us or arriving. It is applied to the four weeks leading up to Christmas as we anticipate the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The season of Advent is a time of preparation, prayer, and pondering about Jesus’ birth and why he came to earth to become one of us. It is a time to consider what his coming means for our lives, both here now on earth, and in eternity.

The season has been observed at least since the Middle Ages, when it was treated as a somber season of repentance before Christmas, the way Lent is before Easter.

Today, Advent is a season with its own special traditions: special songs and hymns like “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel,” the Advent wreath, special wall banners, Advent calendars to mark off the days until Christmas, and in some churches, midweek Advent services. Advent is not just four weeks to get through before the real celebration of Christmas.

At the Eddy home, we have a few Advent traditions. First off, we hang a lighted, 26-point Moravian star from our front porch. It’s called a Moravian star because it is popular among members of the Moravian churches. In fact, our star was a gift from a Moravian family Karen provided child care for in Indiana. We also hang an Advent buzzard, either a full-size one made of black cloth and a white sock with buttons for the eyes, or two miniature ones I made out of paper, which we hide on the Christmas tree for people to find. The tradition calls for striking the buzzard as you walk past, saying with force and determination: “I renounce the powers of darkness, and put on the armor of light!” (Romans 13:12). Then there’s the beautiful wooden Advent calendar Karen gave me one year, with little doors hiding scriptural quotes and tiny gifts. Maybe I’ll ask her to put that up for me again this year!

Unfortunately, in our culture around us, Advent has totally disappeared and been replaced by the season of “Let’s shop and party and get stuff.” To our society, the Twelve Days of Christmas are the last twelve shopping days before Christmas, rather than the real twelve days that begin on Christmas and last until January 6, the Epiphany,  when we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men. Even in many churches, Advent is squeezed out as they move straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas in decorations, song choices, and programs. (And yes, we do some of that, too!)

Advent is an important time for Christians because we know that the true meaning of Christmas is more than parties, decorations, gifts, and songs about grandmas getting run over by reindeer. It is about more than even the sentimental “family-discovers-the-true-meaning-of-Christmas” TV specials this time of year (none of which actually gets around to mentioning the name of Jesus!). Advent reminds us each year of just who Jesus is and why we needed him to come to us. We are reminded of the prophecies that foretold His birth and sacrifice for our forgiveness. It truly prepares us to celebrate His birth with our eyes and hearts and minds wide open to the wonderful life-giving miracle of God becoming man.

Advent is about more than just pre-Christmas preparation, because during Advent we recognize that Christmas is only one of three ways that Jesus comes to us. There are actually three Advents:

1. Advent #1 – Christmas, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, when the eternal Son of God took on flesh and became one of us. We call this miracle of God becoming man the Incarnation. It was essential for our salvation that the eternal Son of God came to earth in order to live a sinless life and become the pure sacrifice for our sins. By his death our sins were paid for, and our punishment canceled. Paul tells us in Romans 5:19, “For as by the one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s (Jesus’) obedience the many will be made righteous.”

Jesus became true man, able to suffer thirst, hunger, pain, sorrow, and death; he also remained true God, able to forgive sins, do miracles by divine power, and provide a sacrifice great enough to atone for all the sins of every human being. As Martin Luther stated in his explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, Son of the Father from eternity and true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.”

2. Advent #2 – the Return of Christ. Christ’s return is sometimes called the Parousia, which is the word used in the Greek New Testament for his Second Coming. Our word advent (actually, adventum) is the Latin translation of that word.

But, whatever you call it, the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is coming back, visibly and physically. As our Creed states, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

Christ will come with a shout, descending to us in heavenly glory from the clouds. He will bring with him all who have died in him, and at his return resurrect them. We who are still on earth at that moment, will be changed and receive our resurrection bodies. And we will be with him forever.

Christ’s return will set all things right. All authorities will be deposed and all evil and wickedness removed. Those who are in Christ will rejoice and receive their rewards, while the unrepentant unbelievers will face everlasting judgment. All prophecies of Christ’s return will be gloriously fulfilled,

3. Advent #3 – Christ Comes to Us Personally. Besides the other two Advents which have world-wide, even cosmic impacts which affect everyone, there is an Advent in which Jesus comes to us personally to redeem, forgive, indwell, and give us new life. Christ comes to us in the written words of Scripture, when his Spirit moves us to believe and draws us to God. He gives you and me new life in the waters of baptism, and he nourishes us spiritually by his own true body and blood given in, with, and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion. He comes to us daily through prayer and works to change our lives that we might be transformed to become more and more like him. This is the individual Advent each of us needs.

In Revelation 22:20, the Apostle John wrote about Christ, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’.” Then John added, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

We join that chorus and say, “Amen! Come Lord Jesus to us at your birth, at your triumphant return, and to each of us personally through your means of grace.” And to all of you I say, “May Christ come to you powerfully this Advent season.” Amen and Amen!

And 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: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, Matthew 28:16-20

This Sunday we were shocked to learn of another mass killing in our country, this time taking place during a church service in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Over forty worshipers were killed or wounded by a man who apparently was angry with his mother-in-law and decided to attack her church. Ironically, and fortunately for her, she missed church that morning. I say “fortunately,” but imagine how she must feel knowing she was the target, and that so many others were shot instead of her. The whole situation was a tragedy, and we will pray for all the victims and their families, to “the God of all consolation, who comforts us in our sorrows, that we may comfort others in their sorrows with the consolation we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Before the news broke about the Texas shooting, I was already going to blog about a previous shooting, and in extension, about all the other murderous acts which have been performed recently around the country, and around the world. What “triggered” my attention was a report about the Las Vegas shooter, specifically the news that the authorities were arranging for the dead killer’s brain to be examined, in an effort to learn whether there was some disease involved, such as a brain tumor or some other degenerative illness that could have caused, or at least influenced, his actions.

My immediate response was to shake my head at the attempt. And the results so far have validated my doubts that the answer to the horrific murders can be found in a laboratory. According to the Clark County, Nevada, coroner, the exam showed no signs of abnormality. The next step will be a neuropathological examination of the brain tissue by Sanford University’s Department of Pathology. They may find something abnormal, or they may not, but I continue to doubt they will find the answer they’re looking for to the question, “Why did he do it?”

In one sense, we already know why he – and every other killer, mass or otherwise – did it. But before jumping to the answer, there are several things we need to consider first.

1. Our brains, along with the rest of our bodies, have been affected by sin and God’s curse upon his creation. When God pronounced death on all living things, that meant that our bodies (including our brains) would eventually all break down and die. This has led to all our diseases, including those that directly affect our brains, such as tumors, dementia, strokes, and formative defects.
2. Because of the intimate connection between our brains and our minds, the health and functioning of our thought processes – our minds – can be directly affected by what happens in the brain. Alzheimer’s, brain tumors, injuries, and even low blood sugar and dehydration can greatly affect our perceptions and reasoning functions. So do psychotropic drugs, prescribed or otherwise – which is why they are taken in the first place.
3. However, and this is a critical point: brain and mind are not identical. A physical problem in one’s brain does not determine what a person’s thoughts or feelings have to be. Conversely, a healthy brain does not mean that a person will have good and healthy thoughts. Some of the worst criminals and brutal dictators have been geniuses, able to plot and plan and execute their desires with great intelligence. And, some of the most loving and gentle people have had serious brain malfunctions. There is not a one-to-one correspondence between mental ability and mental activity, let alone personal actions.
4. As actor and comedian Steve Martin says, we are “thought machines.” We are constantly absorbing stimuli, images, sounds, smells, and other memories from ourselves and others. Those thoughts impact us, change our perceptions of the world, and motivate us to many of our actions. How we are raised, how people treat us, whether we succeed or fail in something, what we enjoy or dislike: all these things affect what we think and what we do. In many ways, we are the sum of our experiences. Two people with the same brains may have totally different mental processes and attitudes, based on different people and events in their lives. These experiences cannot be read in the laboratory, but even if they could be, they will not tell us what we did with those memories or how they affected other areas of our lives.
5. Conversely, two people can go through the same experiences, yet come out different. One can feel positive and encouraged, another negative and discouraged – over the same words and events. If you doubt this, check out various commentators’ reactions to statements made by political leaders. Same speech, but one person cheers and the other boos.
6. For all these reasons, even if the lab techs discover some chemical or biological abnormality in the killer’s brain tissue, they still won’t be able to tell us why he did it.

So why did he kill all those people, and why do other killers do what they do to cause so much death, pain, and grief? The answer is neither physical nor mental, but rather, spiritual. And that is why the answer won’t come from a test tube. Again, there are several aspects to this explanation:

1. Murder has been with us from the beginning: the first human born on earth, Cain, murdered his brother Abel. God called that a sin (Genesis 4:1-16). After the Flood, God condemned murder, establishing the death penalty because to murder someone was to strike against someone made in God’s image (Genesis 9:5-6). Later, God commanded us not to kill (murder) in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). The Apostle James condemned murder, explaining that we kill because we do not have something we want (James 4:2), and Christ expanded the definition of murder to include anger and “hate speech” (Matthew 5:21-22).
2. In his explanation of the command not to murder, Martin Luther wrote, “We should fear and love God that we may not hurt nor harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need (The Small Catechism). Luther recognized that the commandment not to murder was part of Christ’s greater command to love our neighbor as ourselves. The command requires positive actions to bless, and forbids negative ones that can harm. Because we are sinners, we ignore both aspects of God’s commandment.
3. Hatred and the desire to murder are fruits of sin. They are described as “works of the flesh” by Paul in Ephesians 5:17-21, and are contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit in 5:22-25. Those who live by the flesh will disobey God and exhibit many destructive attitudes and actions, while those who are led by the Holy Spirit will have peace, joy, love, and the other fruit which grow as Christ’s Spirit indwells and leads us.
4. Mankind’s inherent problem is that we are sinners who live in open rebellion against God. We want to live in darkness and shun God’s light, enjoying (temporarily!) the fruits of selfish desires. Our hearts (and minds) are not right spiritually; in fact we are spiritually dead. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Matthew 15:19 proclaims, “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.” and John 3:19 says, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” Paul adds, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).
5. People are especially good at rationalizing their sinful actions. They feel justified doing horrible things because the other person “deserved it.” They may lash out in revenge for some real or perceived slight, believing their own action is righteous, that they are better than the other person. Warped religious or cultural attitudes can help a killer justify his actions. But our having what the Bible calls a “seared conscience” (1 Timothy 4:2) does not justify our evil actions in God’s eyes.
6. There can also be other spiritual forces at work in someone considering an evil act, and those forces can be evil spirits. The devil and his spirits hate God and those made in God’s image, and so he encourages murder and war as ways to destroy those whom God loves. While an evil spirit can take advantage of physical or mental issues, their victim doesn’t have to have any underlying disability other than sin. Temptations to hate, covet, harm, and kill can trip up the otherwise healthiest and clear-thinking person.

So, if murderous intent and actions are primarily spiritual problems, what can be done to prevent such horrific acts as we have recently witnessed far too often? Let me suggest a few things, though I recognize that as long as we live in this sinful, fallen world, some people will murder each other.

1. Make sure that we care for the amazing brains which God created in us. This means not abusing them with drugs and alcohol so as to become stoned or drunk (Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit”). Sobriety is a spiritual virtue, drunkenness is a vice. Many evil acts have been committed by those “under the influence,” so we should be careful not to allow our consciences to be chemically compromised.
2. Learn what God says about anger, coveting, and murderous feelings by reading his Word. Recognize from the Bible our own sinfulness and God’s love for all people, so that we not build up a “better than thou” attitude which might help us justify harmful actions. Our attitudes should be shaped by the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: instead of the Pharisee’s comment that he was glad not to be a sinner like the tax collector, Jesus praised the tax collector’s prayer, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:9-14). When we recognize our own humility before God, we stop judging others – or justifying their murders.
3. Everyone is tempted, but God has made a way out for us whenever we are tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13). If we seek him and look for the way out he has provided, we can avoid doing some terrible things.
4. Prayer, worship, reading of Scripture, and association with fellow Christians can help us deal with life’s problems; we especially are called by Scripture to cast our burdens on Christ, and to seek the counsel and strength of the Holy Spirit.

You may have noticed that these admonitions are for self-control, and do not directly deal with how we can prevent others from doing such evil deeds. There are social, legal, and political aspects to our response as a nation, but even the best of intents, laws, and actions will not solve what is a spiritual problem. Only if people are self-controlled and regulated by their fear and love of God (and empowered by his Spirit) will their actions show civil righteousness. We can’t do that for them; our work is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that people believe and their lives are transformed to seek what is right by God’s power. Only then will evil actions diminish as those who would have done them are changed to become agents of righteousness rather than destruction.

And that’s not something you can locate in a person’s brain; you might even say “it’s a no-brainer,” because it’s located in one’s heart and spirit. Only there can lives be changed and transformed into Christ’s likeness.

And 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: Galatians 5:16-26

Once again, here are a few items that I’ve been holding onto, that I have wanted to share with you in a less-than-full-article manner. So, here they are, in no particular order:

A. The benediction at the end of each blog: Those of you who regularly attend our church services recognize the benediction that appears at the end of each of my blog postings. It is roughly the same as what the pastors proclaim at the end of each church service: “The Lord bless you and keep you, etc.” Where does that come from, or do we just make it up each week as something that sounds nice to say? While the actual wording varies a little based on the translation that is used, the original blessing is found in Number 6:22-27, and reads like this in the ESV: “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, “Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, ‘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.’ “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” This blessing was commanded by the Lord God, who told Moses that Aaron and the other priests were to bless the people with these words. Because the command was given to Aaron, this has come to be known as the Aaronic Blessing. Christian churches have adopted its use for their services as well. As I mentioned, due to a translation difference, we may say “favor” instead of “countenance,” since the latter is no longer common in everyday speech, but the meaning is the same. You may have noticed that I have switched over to the ESV version of the benediction (which word comes from the Latin word for blessing: benedictionem, from bene [well] and dicere [to speak]).

B. Indulgences: With October 31st fast approaching, I am reminded once again of the theses which Martin Luther nailed to the church door 500 years ago. The primary theme of those Ninety-five Theses was the Roman Catholic practice of indulgences. An indulgence, as defined by Rome, is “The remission before God of the temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven” (Catholic Glossary of the Archdiocese of St. Louis). Let me unpack the meaning of that theological statement: Catholic doctrine agrees that the sins of believers are forgiven by Christ’s sacrifice, but there are still punishments to be suffered by the believer after death. Death itself is one punishment (since forgiven Christians still die), but to the Catholics, there are still many temporal (that is temporary, time-related) punishments which must be laid upon believers after death and before they are “purged” and allowed into heaven. Their guilt is gone, but punishments remain. The punishments are said to be agonizing and hellish, but only temporary, though the length of time to be punished may go on for millennia. As I wrote previously, such doctrines rob Christ of his glory and allow the Church to exert a fearful control over its members, as the Church leaders are the ones with the power to shorten the time of punishment.  In Luther’s day, the pope sold indulgences to raise funds for building St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and for fighting the Muslim invasion into Europe. A typical believer would pay to see special relics at the churches (such as the bones of saints, pieces of the Cross, straw from Jesus’ manger, or even fire from the burning bush) or just pay cash directly for a certificate of remission. One collector of such payments was named Johann Tetzel, who traveled Germany collecting funds with the promise: “As in the box the money rings, the soul from Purgatory springs.” Luther challenged the practice, insisting on true repentance for forgiveness of sins, and asking, “Why does not the Pope deliver all souls at the same time out of Purgatory for the sake of most holy love and on account of the bitterest distress of those souls?” rather than charging them money to do so.

We should note that indulgences are still offered by today’s Popes, though usually in exchange for good works. For example, in the Jubilee Year of our Lord 2000, Pope John Paul II offered a special indulgence to Catholics: they could look forward to spending one less day in purgatory for each day they refrained from smoking or doing drugs. Interestingly, a new relic – a vial of Pope John Paul II’s blood – is even now being taken around the world for veneration.

C. My Parents the Gangsters? In my recent articles extolling the wonderful legacy I have received from my parents, I didn’t have room to tell about their brushes with Prohibition Era gangsters. First, my mom: she and a girlfriend were enjoying a day at one of Chicago’s Lake Michigan beaches, when a good looking young man approached her and asked her out. He told her he made a good lasagna, and invited her over to have some. She blushed, but recognized him as Ralph Capone, Jr., nephew of the infamous Al Capone. She declined the invitation, and later said she was glad she did, because she knew the woman who married him and saw how that woman became hardened by the kind of life the Capones lived. Even so, whenever Mom told that story, even into her final years, her eyes still twinkled as she would say, “He was so handsome!” For my dad, I can’t prove such contact (other than moving to Chicago and marrying someone asked out by a Capone), but the circumstantial evidence is there: Fact #1 – my dad was raised in a town in central Florida, a town close to where Ma Barker and her gangster sons moved in 1935. The gang was discovered because the boys went out shooting ducks with their “Tommy guns,” which local farmers reported hearing. Fact #2 – before moving to hide out in Florida, the Barkers spent time in Chicago, the same city where my mom was living. Coincidence? Maybe. . . Fact #3 – The Barkers were from Lawrence, Kansas, the same town where my dad was born. And finally, Fact #4 – the first house where my dad lived in Lawrence was on – wait for it – Barker Street. Fact #5 – my dad married a woman who was in the favor of at least one Capone. I rest my case. It’s amazing they both turned out to be as good as they were. It must have been the influence of their kids . . .

Until later, 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: Number 6:22-27, 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, and Exodus 20:12

The stark headline on the front page of the October 15th Sacramento Bee declared: “Hell on Earth.”

Below it was a large picture of devastated buildings, followed by an update on the horrendous wildfires raging across California, especially in the northern half of the state. The sheer numbers are staggering: some 20 different simultaneous fires burning 200,000 acres, leaving 42 dead, 53 missing, and 100,000 evacuees. The fires are ravaging seven counties and have destroyed 6000 homes, many businesses, a hotel, and even a hospital. As the flames spread, evacuation centers had to be evacuated as the fires closed in on them. Firefighters were working triple shifts, and planes dropped an average of 500,000 gallons of fire retardant per day for the past week.

Tragedies are not found so much in the numbers themselves, as in the individual lives affected, ruined, or taken by this disaster

The fiery devastation, and the human efforts to contain it, have been beyond comprehension. But the tragedies are not found so much in the numbers themselves, as in the individual lives affected, ruined, or taken by this disaster: an elderly disabled couple who died together in their home, a firefighting driver who took a wrong turn and dead-ended (literally) on a blocked road and was engulfed by flames, missing and unaccounted-for family members, and shell-shocked used-to-be homeowners who stare at the smoking cinders of what used to be their homes.

While the fiery images in the papers and the gripping videos on TV do recall biblical descriptions of hell, the same levels of death and destruction have also recently been caused elsewhere in our country by other forces. Hurricanes and tornadoes have devastated sections of Texas, Florida, and all of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The death tolls from the three hurricanes stands at 209, and most of the island of Puerto Rico is still without power or basic services. So, whether it’s fire or it’s wind and water, the results have been equally hellish in terms of human suffering, of anguish, injury, property loss, displacement, and death.

Whenever such large-scale tragedies occur, we find ourselves asking questions beyond the practical issues (“What could have been done better to reduce the damage?”) or the political issues (“Who could have done their job better?”). We seek answers about the meaning of such events. Why did they happen? Why did God allow them? Did God send them as a message or punishment, like a modern-day Great Flood? We want the events to make sense, and not just be random, meaningless events that ruin so many lives which themselves do have meaning.

We want the events to make sense, and not just be random, meaningless events that ruin so many lives

I can’t say I have all the answers to such legitimate questions, but let me offer some of my thoughts:

1. The Bible teaches that we live in a fallen world that was cursed by God due to our sinful rebellion (Genesis 3). With two notable exceptions, Enoch and Elijah, (both of which begin with an “E” just like Eddy; I’m just saying . . .), all humans, and indeed all living things, are terminal. As we read in Hebrews 9:27, “it is appointed for man to die once . . .” Therefore, whether it’s due to a fire, a hurricane, a blizzard, a war, a crazed sniper, or “natural causes” such as a heart attack, a stroke, or cancer, we all face an end to this life. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 rightly proclaims, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.”
2. Though death (like taxes!) is inevitable, when and how it comes to each of us makes a big difference. A great-grandmother sleeping her way into the Father’s arms while surrounded by her descendants is a far cry from a baby girl being aborted in the womb. A young concert-goer struck down by a bullet or run over by a terrorist is much different from the person who gets to say goodbye to his family after a full and active life. Someone who sacrifices his or her life to save others has experienced a more noble death than the guy who overdoses on heroin. I could go on, and you can probably think of even more stark contrasts, but the point is that there are some means and timings of death that are just wrong.
3. God’s Word makes it clear that human life is of supreme importance and is precious to God. We were made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), murderers (and animals) are condemned for taking human life because we were made in God’s image (Genesis 9:5-6), and murder is prohibited by the Fifth Commandment (Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17). We read that the death of God’s people (his saints) is precious in his sight (Psalm 116:15). He does not desire anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). But most of all, we know that our lives are important to God because he gave his only Son to die for us that we might have eternal life (John 3:16, etc.).
4. Even though death is inevitable, we are still commanded by God to save lives when and where possible. We are to love and care for each other, including fighting diseases, binding up the injured, protecting the defenseless, and practicing safe and healthy lifestyles. Romans 13 tells us that God gave the authority of the sword to rulers in order to restrain evil, that is, to protect people from harm. It is a sign of our love for God that we love and care for others, including improving and prolonging their lives.

These points I’ve just presented are fairly “safe” statements with which most Christian would agree. But now we move on to two other, more difficult questions, the answers to which can be very controversial. (Can I stop my blog right here? No? Okay, here goes . . .)

1. Did God send the California fires (and/or the hurricanes) as a warning or judgment? My bold, well-thought out answer to this question is . . . I don’t know. Certainly, God could have done that, because he has the power to do so, and according to Scripture, he has done so in the past. He sent the Great Flood in Noah’s day, he stopped the building of the Tower of Babel, he poured out the plagues upon Egypt, and allowed the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans to punish his Chosen People for their idolatry and rejection of Christ. At times he brought judgments against individuals for their sins. Also, the Bible speaks of future, world-wide calamities that will accompany Christ’s triumphant return. So, what we have experienced is not beyond God’s power or right to do. But regarding these specific calamities? I have to say again, that I don’t know, because God has not revealed that to me or in his written Word. But because the disasters could be warnings or judgments from God, we need to examine ourselves to see if we have done anything deserving of such disasters (Note to theologians reading this: yes, I know we all have done things deserving of God’s punishment, but so did the ancients – and God used such calamities as corporate judgments on entire peoples for his purposes.). Usually God used such events to call his people back to himself; if nothing else, we need to examine our own lives and ask if we have been faithful to God in thought, word, and deed. Have we so shut him out of our lives that he needed to get our attention? Have we so strayed from his Word that it takes a disaster to remind us of our utter dependency on him? Has America so turned its back on God that God is allowing us to see what it’s like to live without his protection?
2. Were those hardest hit by the disasters the most deserving of God’s punishment? This one’s a lot easier to answer; the answer is: “No.” And on this point, I have Christ’s own words in Luke 13:1-5, where he spoke about two disasters that had befallen some Jews in Jerusalem. Listen to his words: “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” His point was that the victims in both cases were not singled out for God’s judgment. Like the victims in our fires and hurricanes – or in the Las Vegas shootings – they were in the wrong places at the wrong times. Were they sinners? Of course. Were they worse sinners than the rest of us who weren’t affected? No. But Jesus goes on to warn that there is a judgment coming for all of us, and that we need to prepare for it by repenting of our sins. Therefore, as with the question of national judgment, we cannot look down upon other sinners as if they deserve God’s punishment more than we do; instead let us all examine ourselves, repent of our sins, and trust in Christ for forgiveness and deliverance from death – however and whenever it comes.

Disasters – natural and man-made – can be a real test of faith as we consider the magnitude of suffering – our own or that of others. We may not be able to make sense of it all, except to know that we have a loving God from whom no disaster can ever separate us. He will be with us no matter what. Our work is to love him in gratitude for the many who are protected and delivered from disaster, and to extend ourselves in prayer, giving, and serving those who have been harmed by the “hell on earth.” We must show them that there is a “heaven” to come.

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 13:1-5,  Matthew 13:36-43, Revelation 20:7-15

In my previous blog post, (Ninety-Nine and Counting), I talked about my father and some of the influences he had on me during my childhood and youth which remain with me even today. I mentioned that he would have turned 99 this fall had he not passed away at the age of 94. After expressing my gratitude for having had the dad I did, I posed the obvious question,  “Okay, Rich, we get it about your father. But what about your mother?” I closed my post by saying, “. . . that’s another story. . .”

Well, it’s time for that other story. My mother would have turned 100 this past spring, if she hadn’t passed away in 1999 at the age of 82. One hundred years would have been a significant milestone in her earthly life, but as with my father, my mother’s story doesn’t end with her leaving this world. She also was a strong Christian in faith and life, so I have complete confidence that she is indeed still alive in Christ’s presence for “Ten thousand years and then forevermore” (from the song, 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman). As did my dad, she had a profound influence on me, (besides the obvious fact that she bore me and brought me into the world!): on my faith, on my education, and on my worldview.

Here are some of the events and situations involving my mom which I remember most, and which helped to make me who I am today:

1. The first event actually took place before I was born, while my mom was still carrying me in the womb. She told me how one day she was standing on the concrete back steps of their apartment building, when she suddenly felt a push that propelled her headfirst down the steps. There was no way to stop or catch herself, but at the last second she felt a hand against her chest that caught her and set her (and me!) safely down on one of the steps. If that hadn’t happened, one or both of us would have certainly been injured or even killed. Of course, in my own prideful thoughts, I figured God wanted to save me, but even if it was only my mom he wanted to rescue, and I was just collateral “un-damage,” that’s okay with me!
2. During my early grade-school days in Detroit, my mom and I would go downtown to see some movies. I especially remember seeing “The King and I” starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner. Some of my memories were of my mom singing along with the movie’s songs with her beautiful voice (unfortunately I got my dad’s genes in that area. . .). But the song I remember the most was “Getting to Know You.” Besides the tune being catchy, the song taught about learning other cultures and appreciating people who are different from you. My mom not only sang that song enthusiastically, she also talked about the theme in ways that a little boy could understand.
3.  My mom’s acceptance of others was more than a nice idea; it carried over to real-life relationships. She was friendly with the Chinese couple that lived next door, and with a Japanese family that went to our church. Later, after we moved, and our small all-white Methodist Church merged with a same-size all-black Methodist Church in the mid-1960s, she enthusiastically encouraged the merger to show we could be united in Christ. She later supported keeping the black minister and getting rid of the theologically-liberal white one, and encouraged my decision to join the all-black (except for me) Gospel Choir. She even supported me after I botched a solo in church one Sunday morning with that choir, giving me a hug and saying, “At least you tried!”
4. She also supported me the day I trimmed our cat’s whiskers. I had just gotten a haircut myself, and decided the cat needed to get one, too. A  lot of moms would have panicked or shrieked to see what I did, but my mom was impressed that I had neatly laid newspapers on my bed to catch the whiskers – a fact she never forgot and often cited even decades later.
5. My mom was sentimental in many ways, especially when it came to patriotism. She loved our country, and was proud of the good things in our history. She would get a little teary-eyed and choked up when seeing a patriotic movie or hearing certain national hymns. I learned from her about our history, and was encouraged by her to show my patriotism to others.
6. She also had a soft heart for things English, and loved finally getting to go there with my dad after his retirement. Which isn’t surprising, considering she was Virginia Elizabeth, named for England’s “Virgin Queen,” Queen Elizabeth I. (Just as I was named for King Richard the Lion-Hearted; see my previous blog about that . . .) We even went and saw Queen Elizabeth II when she came to Chicago soon after her coronation.
7. My mom put a high value on education, making sure I had good opportunities to learn at school and at home. She supported my going into our school district’s advanced academic program, and showed up to defend me before a teacher who had criticized my homework. She celebrated and attended academic awards ceremonies, and watched my TV appearances on a high school academic-challenge quiz show. She and dad sacrificed and made sure I could go to college, even though I passed up our less-expensive local state university. She set a high bar, since she had read a lot and had a gifted memory; even in her later years she could still recite poems she had learned in grade school, such as Old Ironsides by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
8. My mom loved languages and had what the actor John Carradine called, “a love affair with the English language.” She studied Latin and German in school, and though I didn’t learn German at home, she would sometimes throw out phrases such as “Guten Morgen! Hast du gut geschlafen?” (Good morning! Did you sleep well?) and “Gesundheit!” (Gesundheit!). She also would play on my dad’s name by saying to him, “Ich liebe Dick” meaning “I love Dick,” instead of the correct “Ich liebe dich,” (I love you). She instilled that enjoyment of language in me, especially when she would make puns in English: one of her favorites was, “Use incongruous in a sentence: In Congruous they pass many laws . . .” She would also order Sanka beverage in a restaurant, and then say to the server, “Sanka very much!” when the drink arrived.
9. As you can tell, she had quite a sense of humor (?), which she passed on to me. She would get laughing so hard sometimes she couldn’t even talk; we had to wait to find out what had struck her as so funny. She enjoyed comedians such as Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, and Red Skelton, but could find humor in life situations as well.
10. Finally, like my dad, she was strong in her faith in Christ, and showed it by word and action, She was active in church choirs and circles; she worshiped faithfully and read her Bible; she sewed cloth pads for cancer patients; and she was a generous giver, often writing letters in response to charity solicitations, explaining why she couldn’t send more. She was a faithful wife and mother, fulfilling those calls in her life, including raising me, her favorite son (Okay, her only son). And she supported me going to seminary, sacrificing and then proudly placing the red stole over my shoulders at my ordination. (Though, on the way out from the service, she said, “It’s too bad you couldn’t have become a Methodist minister!” She was not joking.)

My mom blessed her family even in her passing, by which she showed how a Christian should die: at peace and ready to go to heaven to be with the Lord. I was proud to conduct her funeral service sharing about her faith and our Christian hope even in times of loss.

But her final blessing was reserved for someone else: one of my sister’s friends came to the funeral, heard about my mom’s faith and the promises of scripture, and left the service telling her husband that she also now believed in Jesus Christ and the promises of eternal life she had heard. Her husband called my sister a week later to tell her that his wife had suddenly died. But he was at peace, knowing that his wife had come to faith. Who knows how many other people she had similarly blessed over her 82 years? Who knows how many you may affect similarly!?

And 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: Psalm 22:9-10; Proverbs 1:8-9

About two weeks ago would have been my father’s 99th birthday. I say it would have been, because he passed away in the Spring of 2013, at the age of 94. My dad was also named Richard Eddy, though he usually went by the nickname, Dick. I could not have chosen a better person to be named after (other than Jesus, but that just isn’t done in Anglo cultural tradition). Neither did they name me after Martin Luther, because, well, my parents were Methodists, not Lutheran. I think they would have found “Marty Eddy” a little awkward, too. They could have named me after the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, but the last guy to be named after him was John Wesley Hardin, and he turned out to be a vicious, gun-slinging outlaw. So they had to settle with naming me after my dad – though I used to fantasize that I was really named after England’s King Richard the Lionhearted (refer to my Anglo background).

It’s common for a child to esteem, or even idolize, his or her parents. They seem so much bigger than life, they know and can do so much, and their loving commitment to their family can make us very proud of them (“My dad can lick your dad!”). In my case it was easy: my dad did know a lot, was strong and wiry, spent his off-work time doing things with or for the family, and was a faithful Christian gentleman who humbly worked as a YMCA director for 40 years and served as a lay leader in every church to which he belonged. He and my mom were married for 57 years until the day he laid her to rest, after caring for her in her final months at home. Yeah, I loved and admired my dad, and followed in his footsteps in my faith, in my college choice (his Alma Mater), and in my first career as a YMCA youth director.

It would be easy to go on and on about my dad, but I can best describe him by relating a few special incidents that illustrate his character. My purpose is not to put him up on a pedestal or even to idolize him, but to share some thoughts about how faith in Christ can impact how we live. So, here goes . . .

1. There was the baseball incident. As youth director of the Racine, Wisconsin YMCA, my dad was responsible for the youth sports leagues the Y sponsored. So it was that when he drove me to one of my games, and learned the umpire hadn’t shown up, he stepped up to the plate – no, actually, to behind the pitcher’s mound since he had no protective face mask with him – to call the game. It was I who stepped up to the plate. The pitcher wound up and threw: “Strike 1” as I swung and missed! The pitcher threw again, but this time the ball came right at me. I instinctively backed away, my bat and hands held horizontally in front of me. The ball clipped my knuckles (a knuckle ball?), then grazed my chin, and finally bounced off my collar bone. I got up, dusted off, and was halfway to first base when I heard my dad call out, “Strike 2!” Everyone, even the other team, looked at him in shocked surprise. He explained, “I heard the ball hit the bat. That makes it a foul ball and therefore, strike 2.” I went back to the plate, and proceeded to miss again for my third strike. I still couldn’t believe that my own dad had called a strike when no one in the world would have questioned him sending me to first base. But as time went on, I came to appreciate that call, and even praised it at his retirement dinner. It’s true that no one would have questioned him sending me to the base, but my dad was certain he heard the ball hit the bat, and that made it a strike. He had to do what was right, even at a cost to his own son (me!). That show of integrity stuck with me much longer than any bump in my meager sporting life. He always felt bad for that call, but I assured him it was right, especially when I later learned that if a pitch hits a hand that is holding a bat, it technically is a foul ball. So dad was right all along . . . and he taught me something about integrity in the process!
2. There was Indian Guides. Back when it was cool to honor Indians by dressing up and learning about them (before cries of “cultural appropriation”), my dad and I were members of several Y-Indian Guide tribes. We were in the program for six years – twice as long as usual – because my dad was the Y staff member who led the program at the Y’s where he served. So I got to go with him to the meetings, on canoe trips, and on camp-outs. I enjoyed being Running Deer to dad’s Walking Deer, partly for the cultural interest, but also because the program helped fulfill the purpose of its founders: to help dads and sons spend time together and develop life-long bonds of love and respect. I was “Pals Forever with my Dad,” and was honored by him that he spent what could have been free time, with me.
3. There were the haircuts. Some of the special times we spent together were under the guise of him cutting my hair. He did it to save money (and probably to make sure I didn’t let my hair get too long!), but to me those times we spent together were very enjoyable. He would put on some old 78 rpm records and we’d listen while he trimmed – usually some humorous songs, but sometimes a patriotic tune like “The Ballad of Rodger Young.” We sang “O My Darling Clementine” and “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” together, and listened to Burl Ives sing about the “Big Rock-Candy Mountain.” (Yes, I am dating myself.) We would talk while his often-malfunctioning electric trimmer clipped away, but mostly I enjoyed his made-up stories. People talk about “quality time” but I think “quantity time” is just as important, if not more. Though he never charged me for the haircuts, there was a price to be paid: all the way through high school I always had a crew cut.
4. There was the “off to college” incident. It was the day my family prepared to take me to college. As my dad and I loaded up the family car with my essentials, he took me aside for a little fatherly advice. He basically said two things. First, he said, “I’ve had 18 years to teach you about what’s right and wrong, and how to live. If you don’t know by now, nothing I say today will make a difference. But I trust you will do what is right.” It was nice to hear his vote of confidence. But, then he said something that really stuck with me. It went like this: “As you face situations in your life ahead, you’ll want to know what God would have you do. We want to hear his direction loud and clear, but I’ve found God usually works more quietly in leading us.  When Elijah encountered God, it wasn’t in the wind and the fire and the earthquake that God spoke to him, but rather in a ‘still, small voice.’ Son, listen for God to guide you with that still, small voice.” I always appreciated his advice, and found over the years that God often directed in quiet, intimate ways that I would have missed had I looked only for the spectacular.
   
5. There was the 50th Anniversary surprise. Our family gathered in greater Chicago for my parents’ 50th Anniversary celebration. That was where they had met and married and first lived (and where I was born). Many of my mother’s family still lived there, so it was an appropriate venue for the event. We ate a nice dinner, and then the family shared stories and congratulated the folks on their accomplishment. During that time, a man – a stranger – walked in on the party, and asked to say something. As I said, none of us knew him, but it was obvious he had somehow learned about the party and had felt the need to address us. He said he had come to thank my dad for teaching Sunday School some 50 years earlier. He said that it was during one of those classes that my dad prayed with his students, and this man had given himself to Jesus Christ during that prayer. He had always wanted to thank my dad for leading him to Christ, and would be eternally grateful for it. I don’t remember any of the other testimonials or gifts given to my parents that day, but that man’s joy and gratitude, I will never forget.

Like I said, I could go on for hours talking about my dad. He was very special in many ways, but his greatest legacy for me is my faith in Christ. I saw the difference it made in his life of humble service and faithful family leadership, and heard it in the words of faith he shared with me. There was no hypocrisy, only faith lived out with a dependence on the Lord for strength now and eternal life to come.

Why did I title this post, “Ninety-Nine and Counting,” when my dad passed away at the age of 94? I did so because I believe he is with the Lord in whom he deeply believed and for whom he lived. And like the song, “10,000 Reasons,” (which I played at his funeral service), he will be alive with the Lord for “10,000 years and then forevermore.” So 99 years is just a warm up for the main event. Thanks to my dad for all his loving service, and to our Lord, Jesus Christ for giving me the dad I had and for reconciling us to our heavenly Father above.

About now, you’re ready to ask, “Okay, Rich, we get it about your father. But what about your mother?” Well, she would have been 100 this past Spring. But that’s another story. . .

And 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: 1 Kings 19:9-13 (“Still, small voice” in the KJV = “sound of a low whisper” in the ESV)

Five hundred years is a long time for anything to live. Sure, if you’re a bristle-cone pine that lives 5,000 years, you can look down on a mere 500 year-old and sneer, but for the rest of us, enduring 500 years is quite an accomplishment. Until the Resurrection, none of us can hope to (or want to) live that long. Then, according to the words of Amazing Grace, “when we’ve been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”

Eternity is one thing, but here on earth during this age, we can marvel at something lasting 500 years. We can celebrate it, as we are doing this year during the 500th Anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, recognizing the great movement put in motion by a certain German monk named Martin Luther. For it was on October 31st, 1517 that Luther nailed a document with 95 Theses to a door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The firestorm set off by his questions about the Roman Church’s practices ignited the vast religious and social revolution we know as the Reformation. From that humble beginning developed the huge portion of Christianity known as Protestantism, which now numbers around 500 million.

As Protestants, we have taken the Reformation for granted, seeing in the accomplishment of Luther and his contemporary reformers a permanent change in the Christian Church. More precisely, we see in the Reformation a returning of the Church to its historical and biblical foundations. We see a stripping away of non-scriptural accretions to the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3), and a re-emphasis on the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. To us, the Protestant Church is the true Church and we are grateful to be a part of it.

But now, it seems, the Reformation is in danger. The truths for which Luther and the reformers contended are losing ground among the very believers who are part of the great tradition they began. Looking at  what is happening, we may very well ask, “Is the Reformation coming to an end?”, “Will our celebration of the Reformation’s 500th Anniversary actually be its wake?” and, “Will it be: Reformation – born 1517, died 2017, Rest In Peace?”

Why would I ask these questions? A friend and alert blog reader, Dave K., sent me an article by the Pew Research Center, an organization known for its surveys of religion in America. According to their recent survey, US Protestants are no longer defined by the “controversies” which separated them from the Roman Catholics 500 years ago. The key questions asked by the survey were about justification (how are we saved – by faith alone or by faith plus works), authority (Scripture alone or Scripture plus something), and purgatory (after death, do we face temporary punishment for our sins before going to heaven?). While the differences between the reformers and the Catholic Church were once clearly defined and affirmed in documents such as the Lutheran Augsburg Confession, the survey found that many of today’s American Protestants are abandoning their distinctive doctrinal heritage.

Among the survey findings: 1. Only 46% of Protestants hold to the belief we are saved by faith alone (sola fide), while a majority of 52% agree with Catholics that we are saved by a combination of faith and works. 2. Likewise, 46% of Protestants believe that Scripture is the only source of religious authority (sola scriptura), but 52% believe in scripture plus the Church’s traditions and official teachings, again siding with the Catholics. 3. When combined, only 33% of Protestants believe in both Reformation principles of sola fide and sola scriptura. There are differences between liberal mainline denominations and evangelical churches, but even then only 44% of evangelicals hold to both fundamental beliefs. 4. Concerning belief in purgatory, almost one-third (30%) of Protestants say they believe in it (though as far as I know, no Protestant church has ever taught purgatory to be true).

I was dumbfounded, and worried, to read these statistics. Though I don’t use surveys to determine what is true (“Let God be true and all men be liars” – Romans 3:4), I was disheartened to learn that so many Protestants would give up the basic, defining tenets of the faith. But, Protestant churches have held to the principles of sola fide and sola scriptura (and denial of Purgatory) for hundreds of years, so why would so many people raised in that Protestant faith now reject it, yet still consider themselves to be Protestant? Worse, why would so many Christians reject that which is essential to the Christian faith, and still call themselves Christians?

I think there are several reasons for this defection from the faith, and believe these reasons are traps we also must beware of ourselves.

1. The weakness of preaching and teaching. Whether it’s been laziness on the part of preachers and teachers, or the desire of some preachers to be popular by scratching the itchy ears of their congregations (2 Timothy 4:3), the teaching of doctrine and the basis of the Christian faith has suffered for a century at least. People have not heard or been taught about the importance of the Protestant distinctives. This has led to . . .
2. Ignorance of history and of essential doctrines. Most people have heard of Martin Luther (though some confuse him with a certain Dr. King), but I doubt that most could tell you who he was or what he did that has impacted the Church so greatly. They don’t know the doctrines that Protestantism restored to the Church, or the importance of them. Their attitude is sometimes summed up in the phrase, “My karma ran over your dogma,” meaning that how I feel about God and faith is more important than stated doctrines or dogmas. They would agree with Britain’s Prince Charles, who said he would change the royal title of “Defender of the Faith” to the less specific, “Defender of Faith,” since what people believe is not important – just so they believe something.
3. The desire to avoid controversy and division.  “Can’t we all just get along?” applies to matters of religion as well as to society in general. Sometimes, people just want to avoid conflict. They feel uncomfortable arguing for points of the faith with people who seem to be good Christians but believe differently. Others earnestly desire that we all be one, even as Christ is one with God (John 17:21). They seek the lowest common denominator (lowest common denomination?) to find common ground with just about anyone – sometimes, even with those who deny Christ! So when someone says something that sounds reasonable and plausible, why argue with them?
4. The denial of objective truth. One of the prevalent philosophies of our age is the denial of objective truth. Instead, truth is said to be subjective, that is, open to each person’s own opinion. “What’s true for you may not be true for me, so let’s just agree to disagree.” According to this view, not only are different doctrines equally valid, there is no one doctrine that is actually true for all times for all people. So those Reformation guys? They were just dealing with issues of their own day which don’t apply to me.
5. The emphasis of the so-called “social gospel.” Seeing all the suffering and injustice in the world around them, many sincere and compassionate Christians have set aside the teaching of eternal salvation for the improvement of people’s lives here and now. Some feel they are teaching Christ through their good works, and that what you believe doesn’t matter compared with what you do. They would emphasize James 2:26, which says, “Faith without works is dead.”
   
6. The cult of celebrity. Of course, Protestants don’t have one central authority figure, like the Roman Catholic Pope, to whom they look for definitive answers about God and salvation. Instead, there are many “little popes” around whom many Protestants gather and to whom they look for authoritative answers. Television has multiplied and empowered these religious celebrities to exert their influence over vast numbers of people. They speak all kinds of theological trash ex cathedra but are revered as so nice and caring and knowledgeable. “Certainly, what they say must be true because of the size of their churches and the number of books they’ve sold! When it comes to matters of faith, I have my Bible, but how can my ideas stack up to theirs? Bible study is hard; I’m glad I have someone to teach me what’s right!”
7. The desire to participate in our own salvation. One of the major obstacles to believing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ applies not only to Protestants, but also to Catholics, Orthodox, and even non-Christian religions and cults. That obstacle is our prideful desire to save ourselves, or at least to participate with God in our salvation. Faith alone seems too easy; surely there is something I have to do to be judged worthy of being saved, right? Since God will save only the righteous, then I must be good if I want to be saved. How good? I don’t know, but surely if I try, that’s all that matters – God will see my effort and reward me. After all, doesn’t God help those who help themselves? (Actually, no . . . that statement is not in the Bible!). By accepting this idea of cooperation in salvation, Protestants have become in essence Roman Catholics, because Catholics believe that God’s grace empowers us to do the good works (of love) that produce merit and save us. This idea is contrary to Scripture and the Reformation, which teach that we are justified by faith alone apart from works (Romans 3:28).

So, what are the results of giving in to these forces and influences? There are indeed unhappy consequences for the individual and for the Church. I’ll address these consequences next time, along with comments about Purgatory, and offer some suggestions about how we can contend for the Reformation truths won for us 500 years ago. Reformation: RIP? I pray not!

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 3:21-31, 4:1-25

P.S. Please join us in praying for the safety of all who are in the path of Hurricane Irma, including our family members who live in Florida: Karen’s brother Jeff and his wife, Terri (in Jacksonville); and my cousin Larry and his wife Elke (Orlando). Both couples have other family members living in Florida as well.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, Karen and I went camping near Grants Pass, Oregon, to get a better view of the recent solar eclipse. We had a good time getting “back to nature” for the four days we were there, and got to see the eclipse at about 93%. Because of smoky air from some extensive wildfires in Southern Oregon, the sun took on a reddish-orange hue, which added to the eeriness of the event. But in the process, we learned two valuable lessons: first, that we are not as young as we used to be when we last camped 11 years ago; and second, there is a reason most people live in houses with real beds, air conditioning, and indoor plumbing. Contact me if you’re interested in a slightly used tent and air mattress.

The trip reminded me of our previous venture into Oregon, which also included some tenting. However, there were some amazing things that happened on that trip which I wrote about in my (hopefully) soon to be completed book on miracles. I share with you an excerpt from the book which includes the following account of what all happened:

“Several years ago, Karen and I vacationed in Oregon. We planned to camp, go to a rock and mineral show in Salem, and see the sights, especially Crater Lake. We set out from our home in California and I drove us north for about four hours before finally nearing the Oregon border. All at once I became very tired, and decided to pull off into a roadside park to catch a nap before proceeding.

After I dozed a while, a woman came up to the car and asked for help. She told us that her grandmother was in the hospital and she needed some money to go see her. We began to doubt her story when she explained her grandmother had frostbitten toes from nearby Mount Shasta and the surgery would cost $200, but we figured she needed help; besides, Jesus told a parable in which the lesson was, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

I took out my wallet and gave her a precious $20 bill, which of course, we had planned to spend on our vacation. The woman thanked us and walked away. I wondered if we had done the right thing, but as I soon learned, it was the best $20 we have ever spent.

We reached our intended campground, pitched our tent, and did some tourist things in that area for a couple days, before packing up and heading north toward Crater Lake. We enjoyed the beautiful drive, and became more excited as we reached the national park. We headed straight for the crater, planning to circle the rim before continuing on to our next campsite.

The only problem was, the road to the rim was very steep, and halfway up the slope our car’s clutch decided to give out. We tried to go on but couldn’t, so I had to coast back down the hill, using our momentum to swing into the visitor center parking lot. Of course, it was almost closing time, but I was able to find a pay phone (cell phones did not work there). I called our motor club and learned they had one tow truck in Klamath Falls, about 60 miles away.

The truck arrived and loaded my stricken vehicle onto the flatbed; we hopped into the cab and the driver carried us to Klamath Falls. He called a motel for us on the way, and dropped the car off outside the (closed) car dealer’s service bay. Then he drove us to the motel. So far so good, but I was afraid to hear the towing charges, since we had only the local towing plan with our auto club. For the driver to come 60 miles to get us and then another 60 to get us to the repair shop, and to spend at least three hours in the process would have to be expensive.

I gritted my teeth and asked, ‘What do we owe you?’ His answer: ‘Nothing. You’re covered.’ Stunned, I said, ‘But you drove 60 miles to come get us and I only have the local towing plan.’ He smiled, said, ‘It was local for me,’ and drove away.

We walked into the motel office to register. After giving my information to the clerk, I asked how much the room was going to cost. She looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘Well, you just got off a truck to get here, so I’ll give you the trucker rate. That will be $20 off your bill.’ We ended up staying there two nights, and we got the special rate both nights.

The next blessing came with the bill for the car repair. When the service manager first looked at it he quoted me a price which sounded fair, even though I could hardly have declined even if I had wanted to. Two days later, when the car was fixed, he sat down with me to explain the final bill. He said they had to do some additional repair which required having machine work done because of the damage to the clutch.

He started punching numbers on his calculator, and I steeled myself for what would be a huge total. He hit the ‘Total’ key, but when he saw the results, he said ‘That can’t be right,’ and ran the numbers again. This time he sat back with a funny look on his face before handing me the bill: it was for $60 less than his original estimate. He said he couldn’t explain how it added up the way it did, but I paid the reduced bill gladly and we continued our trip.

Because we had not yet actually seen Crater Lake, we returned there immediately and drove up to the rim – this time making it easily. We spent some time there before hitting the road toward our next destination. By the time we got to the city of Roseburg, Oregon, it was late, so we decided to look for another motel rather than trying to find a campground.

We pulled into the motel’s parking lot and I went in to check on a room. The clerk said they had one room left, and actually turned away some people who came into the office right after me. When I asked how much, she gave me the rate, but when I pulled out my wallet, she looked at her desk and picked up a piece of paper. She said, ‘Here’s a coupon someone couldn’t use so they left it here. I’ll apply it to your room, and it will save you $20.’

I could go on with some additional, and unexpected, non-financial blessings we received later on that vacation, but even as these things were happening, I felt that God was blessing our obedience to help someone in need, even if I had given the money with some reluctance. I also couldn’t help but wonder whether God would have blessed our trip the same ways if we had been more tight-fisted with our money.”

Just to be clear, my book explains more fully that God did not owe me anything for helping that woman at the roadside. What he did was a complete, unearned blessing that he could have done without my generosity, or not done at all. I would believe in him regardless, and thank him for all his blessings, especially the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. To him be all the glory! (But it sure was cool the way it worked out . . . )

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; Job 13:15

Well, we survived it. We survived the total eclipse of the sun. (More importantly, Karen and I survived our 4-day tent-camping sojourn in Grants Pass, Oregon, where we went to get closer to the totality zone. More on that in next week’s blog!) Contrary to the usual chorus of gloom-and-doom prognosticators, civilization was not wiped out by the passing of the eclipse over geological hot-spots like the dormant volcanoes of the Cascade Range, the super-volcano underneath Yellowstone Park, the New Madrid fault in Missouri, or the nuclear plants in the Tennessee Valley. Nope; we survived. It was not what doomsday prophets refer to as TEOTWAWKI: The End Of The World As We Know It.

It seems that whenever there is some astronomical event, certain people begin publicly announcing the end of the world, or at least the world as we know it: TEOTWAWKI. When the Hale-Bopp comet sailed past in 1997, members of the Heaven’s Gate cult committed suicide in order to be “taken” up into a space ship that was supposedly following the comet. When an alignment of planets was predicted for 1982, the combined gravitational pull known as “the Jupiter Effect” was supposed to cause massive devastation from a great earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. And back in 1780, when the daytime sky turned dark during a meeting of the Connecticut legislature, the legislators ran around moaning and wailing that the end of the world had come.

Books and movies have certainly played to this apparently inherent fear we have that the world, or at least the civilization we are used to, will come to an end. Whether it is presented as an asteroid screaming toward earth (Deep Impact, Armageddon), invasion by hostile space aliens (Independence Day, Battleship), or a zombie apocalypse (World War Z, The Walking Dead), life as we know it appears doomed!

Life as we know it appears doomed!

Why such fascination with these end-of-the-world scenarios? For one thing, it sells: the 1974 book, The Jupiter Effect, became a best-seller; the movie Armageddon took in half-a-billion dollars; and the hit TV show, The Walking Dead, is in its seventh season. Another reason such prophecies are popular is that they create a sense of excitement, an escape from the routine of our sometimes-boring daily lives. But I think another major reason is that they play on our fear of death: we want our lives and the world we know to continue on indefinitely, but disaster movies remind us that the world, or at least our time on it, will end some day. The world as we know it will indeed end.

Which, according to these movies, is a bad thing. But is TEOTWAWKI really so bad?

Now don’t get me wrong: catastrophes are bad. Hurricane Harvey is causing suffering and destruction on a huge scale. Massive tornadoes kill and destroy. Earthquakes have killed hundreds of thousands at a time. A large meteor hitting earth would cause devastation and loss of life on a scale we can only imagine. And don’t get me started on wars! I don’t want to personally experience any of those life-shattering events, nor do I want to see anyone else go through them either. We are to pray for people’s protection and relief, and help where we can.

Nor do I want to see the earth itself be destroyed; it is a wonderfully suited home for us in this life, and according to Scripture, the creation itself testifies to God’s magnificent power, wisdom, and divine nature (Romans 1:20, Job 40 and 41; Psalm 8).

So, no – I’m not advocating disasters to either mankind or the earth; what I am asking is, “Is The World-As-We-Know-It the best we can hope for?” Consider the following facts about The World As We Know It:

1. It is a world full of illness, injury, and death. All life – human, animal, and plant – is mortal. We all have an expiration date, no matter how healthy we are or how carefully and well-protected we live. Whether we live in a high-tech bubble with the latest advancements of science, or in an edenic, organic, back-to-nature commune, we will only experience this World As We Know It for a relatively short period of time. “There is a time to be born, and a time to die. . .” (Ecclesiastes 3:2).
2. It is a world of strife and warfare. Scripture says we kill because we do not have (James 4:2-3). We fight each other, cheat and steal. We betray and hurt each other for our own selfish purposes. There are places where it is not safe to walk at night; there are places it’s not safe to walk in the daytime. Our courts are filled with lawsuits and our jails with violent people. And when did you last let your child go to the neighborhood park alone?
3. It is a world of sin. Not only have we all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:28), according to the Lord, there is no righteousness in us! (Romans 3:10-18, Mark 10:18). Most of the world around us ignores God, disrespects his word, and seeks self above God’s will. The description of the generation that died in the Flood of Noah’s day sounds applicable today:  “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

(“Thanks for the encouraging, uplifting words, Pastor!”)

Fortunately, things will get better! This World As We Know It is not the highest end we can hope for; there is better to come!

This World As We Know It is not the highest end we can hope for; there is better to come!

According to the Bible, this world will end some day. Revelation 21:1 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away . . .” Matthew 24:29 says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Also, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Interestingly, the Bible does use the language of cosmic and astronomical events when describing the coming Day of Judgment: the stars falling from the sky, the sun ceasing to shine, the moon turning to blood, etc. But whether you read those passages as literal descriptions of physical events, or understand them as symbolic and spiritual, either way The World As We Know It will end. It has an expiration date, just like us. Things will not continue forever as they are. But what is to replace them?

The answer is: TWAWWKIF (okay, I just made that up . . .) – The World As We Will Know It Forever. The Bible promises that there will be a new (or renewed) heaven and earth, one where God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” There will be no sin, nor any evil done in our new eternal home. No wars, no stealing, no lying, no cheating. Only joy in the presence of God surrounded by his glory and love. That’s worth looking forward to; that’s worth giving up what we have now to receive. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” With you, I look forward to what God has prepared for me – and for all who trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Until that day comes, let us be thankful to God for the blessings of this earth, knowing that there is even greater to come.

On the day that the Connecticut legislators were terrified by the sudden darkness, someone made the motion to adjourn. At this, another legislator arose and said: “Mr. Speaker—It is either the day of judgment, or it is not. If it is not, there is no need of adjourning. If it is, I desire to be found doing my duty. I move that candles be brought, and we proceed to business.” The adjournment was withdrawn, and they went back to work: a good lesson for every Christian as we await the Lord’s return!

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: Revelation chapters 21 and 22

A couple weekends ago, I had the enjoyment of accompanying my friend and fellow pastor, Eric Ishimaru, the new senior pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, on a road trip to Southern California to visit a couple museums for which he had arranged tickets. The destinations were the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, and the Mullin Auto Museum in Oxnard. The way the timing worked out, we were also able to tour the Mission San Fernando Rey de España, one of the original Spanish missions from the late 1700s. It was a great trip which deserves a few comments and thoughts which I would like to share with you. Just don’t tell Pastor Eric anything you read here . . . it’s just between you and me . . .

1. I was not Eric’s first choice to be his travel companion. He and another friend had made all the arrangements, but at the last minute his friend was unable to go due to health reasons. Since the admission tickets were already purchased, Eric decided to find a replacement. So he called his friends. Then casual acquaintances. Then residents of the nursing home he preached at the week before the trip. Then he asked people holding signs that said, “Will work for food,” but apparently they didn’t want to ride for food. With all his avenues exhausted, he finally gave in and asked me. I gladly accepted after getting permission from my wife to go.
2. Not sure how exciting ten hours in a car with Eric would be, I loaded up a few contingencies for the trip: a book, an mp3 player with a hundred songs in it (church songs, so he couldn’t fault me for listening to them), ear plugs, and a blindfold. Even if the blindfold didn’t help me sleep en-route, it might add a little excitement if a police car passed us and saw me wearing it in the passenger seat. Even more excitement if the cops saw me wearing it in the driver’s seat.
3. As it turned out, riding that far and conversing with Eric for all those hours was very enjoyable. He is so knowledgeable on so many topics in so many fields, that we never ran out of things to talk about or church members to gossip about (ha, ha – just kidding – members were NOT a topic for discussion). Eric knows so many details most people would consider to be trivia, because they are, but besides those minutiae he also knows an amazing amount of things about history, music, languages (he can tell you the members of the Finn-Ugric language family, which ones are extinct, and recite for you the world’s longest palindrome – in Finnish!), and theology. He is especially conversant in aberrant and heretical doctrines, which concerns me a little . . .
4. Eric showed how much he knows about about classic cars, especially Citroëns, when we visited the Mullin Auto Museum, which was showing an amazing, multi-million dollar exhibit of Citroëns and Bugattis, all owned by Mr. Mullin. The docent who led the tour was extremely good and knowledgeable about the Citroëns (other than mispronouncing the name as sit’-ree-own). But several times I knew what the docent was saying about a certain car model’s history or special features because Eric had already told me the same story on the way there. Why would Eric know so much about Citroëns? Because he has one of his own – one of the model you see in World War II movies being driven by the Gestapo. The fact that Eric drives what another church member referred to as a “German Luftwaffe staff car” does concern me a little . . .
5. Our time at the Mission San Fernando was enjoyable as well. The grounds were quiet and peaceful, and the church has been restored beautifully. Because it is a working church, we walked through it just before a funeral began, and I had to persuade Eric not to offer to officiate or sing at the service. The historical exhibits were quite interesting. Of course, when Eric saw some musical manuscripts in one of the cases he tried to chant the songs in Latin. The fact his eyes glowed when he gazed upon various statues of the saints does concern me a little . . .
6. We ate at a Thai restaurant near our hotel in Chatsworth. It was a very good choice for our dinner, but when we pulled into the parking lot the only space left was in front of the Purple Haze Smoke Shop. We joked about stopping there after eating, but when I got out of the car, Eric was aiming his phone camera at me. The resulting photo, suitable for framing or for blackmailing, shows me in what looks like a doped stupor walking out of the shop. Note to anyone who sees that picture: it is NOT what it looks like . . .
7. Monday evening we had some free time after dinner, so Eric took me to some of his old stomping grounds in the Hollywood and Hollywood Hills areas. We cruised Sunset Strip and crossed Hollywood and Vine. We drove past Grauman’s Chinese Theater with Eric pointing out the window as we drove past, “There’s the theater! There’s the Walk of Fame! There’s the Hollywood Bowl! There’s a new building I know nothing about!” and so on. I had hoped to see some famous actor-types, but did he introduce me to any of them? No.
8. But seriously . . . the highlight of the trip was seeing the Reagan Library. What an awesome tribute to President Reagan and to our country! Not only was it an amazing recounting of his life, it was also a walk through our own history, as we remembered many of the events and people depicted in the displays. There is too much to tell about: the replica of the Oval Office, Reagan’s actual Air Force One, the interactive displays and audio-visual presentations including parts of Reagan’s movies and speeches are just a few highlights. But I should mention a few of the more poignant and moving displays: Reagan’s speeches extolling the American spirit; the special exhibit showing when Reagan was shot – including his bullet-torn suit and x-ray showing the bullet in his chest; his dramatic call in Berlin to the Soviets, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”; his announcement to the public about being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s; and his funeral, including the written note from Margaret Thatcher: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” His failures and foibles were also shown, including his apology to the American people for allowing what is called “Iran-Contra” to happen on his watch, but after viewing the final video at the end of the tour, I doubt many people can walk away without a renewed love for our country and a tear in their eye.
9. Finally, there was the ride home. Having driven most of the trip, Eric turned the wheel over to me so he could lie back and rest a little. I took the car over the Grapevine successfully (On “the 5” as they would say in Southern California) and was approaching Bakersfield, when Eric suddenly woke up, took one look, and asked if I had really wanted to take the wrong road (which I had done). After my articulate answer, “Oops!” I turned us around and after a little backtracking, put us on the right road again. All according to my plan, so Eric will never again ask me to drive, allowing me next time to lie back with my blindfold on and listen to my music between naps.

That pretty well sums up the trip, except to thank Eric for the great time we had on our excellent adventure together!

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: Psalm 133:1

Disclaimer: Some of the above was exaggerated just a bit. Pastor Eric has read and approved this article. And by the way, he has already started circulating that picture of me.

Many restaurants have what they call their “signature dishes.” These are menu creations that they are known for, either due to their own special recipes, or to their unique methods of preparation or presentation. People go to those restaurants because they want to order those “signature” foods. As a budding chef myself I am still looking for something to call my own signature dish, though it will probably include heating water in the microwave and opening a packet of dehydrated noodles. I’m toying with calling it, “ramen” or something like that . . .

As it is, I actually do have sort of a “signature dish” when it comes to the sermons I have preached.

As it is, I actually do have sort of a “signature dish” when it comes to the sermons I have preached. My “signature sermon” is a portrayal of Martin Luther, the great reformer. I dress in costume, affect a German accent, and tell his story. Sometimes I have presented him on the way to nail his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg; sometimes I have him on the way to his wedding with Katie von Bora; sometimes he is in the Wartburg Castle working on translating the New Testament into German; and most recently, I presented Luther on his final journey to mediate a brotherly dispute in Eisleben, Germany – a trip from which he did not return.

It’s hard to believe, but I have preached as Martin Luther now for over 30 years! I have been privileged to speak before nine congregations in three states, before a high school class and other high school groups, during elementary and middle school chapels, before Christmas Eve services with  900 people in attendance, and even for the national Pastors Conference of the AALC (I was the entertainment for the banquet). I also preached as Luther for a Lutheran women’s missionary gathering. It was one of the first sermons I preached at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Elk Grove during my internship in 1994, and it was one of the last I preached before retiring at the end of 2016.

Luther has been with me all those years, and for some reason, people still ask, “Is Martin going to show up again?” Well, as it turns out, I have been asked by the Presiding Pastor of the AALC, Dr. Curtis Leins, to portray the reformer at our national church body’s upcoming celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation on October 31st. Once again, I will be the entertainment, this time during lunch. Once again I will dust off my black robe and beret, practice singing the first line of “Ein’ Feste Burg” (A Mighty Fortress), and work on my German accent and real Martin Luther quotes.

But how did this all begin? How did I get started acting as Luther (and then get type-cast in the role)? To answer that we have to go back to the mid 1980s when Karen and I lived in Columbus, Indiana. I was director of a large, local youth agency known as the Foundation For Youth, and Karen ran a daycare business in our home. We were members of First Lutheran Church in Columbus, where I had recently been appointed as Assistant Sunday School Superintendent.

About mid-October, the Superintendent came to me and said he was going to be out of town for Reformation Day (the last Sunday in October), and asked if I could conduct a special Sunday School program that day, known as an “intergenerational” because all the ages and classes were to meet together. He then suggested I look up information about Martin Luther and the start of the Reformation, and maybe even portray Luther. So, I went to work, did some research, and wrote a short dramatic monologue. Then I grabbed a beret and borrowed a black choir robe from church.

Then, when the gathered children and adults finished singing “A Mighty Fortress” I came striding in from the back. My first words were, “Catchy tune, ja?”

When the day came, I had helpers start the program. Then, when the gathered children and adults finished singing “A Mighty Fortress” I came striding in from the back. My first words were, “Catchy tune, ja?” in reference to the fact that Luther wrote that great hymn and tune. And then I held up paper and a hammer and told the story of why he nailed the Theses to the church door. Somehow, I got through it and everybody seemed to like it – as did the pastors, who immediately dragged me into the sanctuary and told me to repeat my presentation during the announcement time at the start of the next service!

Later, I got to repeat it for the church, and eventually my pastor asked me to preach it for a nearby church in Edinburgh, Indiana – St. George – who were without a pastor. They also received it well, and asked me to return and fill in for the vacancy for the next eight months or so (though not as Luther every week!). By the time I went off to seminary, I had developed several versions, and realized I would probably be presenting them in the future. So, when a local costume shop in Kenosha, Wisconsin went out of business in 1993, I was able to buy a better costume, which I have used ever since.

I have enjoyed portraying Martin Luther over the years, though I am afraid that someday I will have to answer to him in person for what I have said and done. I am also grateful that most people have enjoyed those portrayals, though I feel a little awkward when some tell me, “You’ve missed your calling and should have gone into acting!” It is precisely because of my true calling to proclaim the Gospel that my acting as Luther has made any impact.

. . . my portrayals of Martin Luther are not about me, or even about Luther, but about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That is because my portrayals of Martin Luther are not about me, or even about Luther, but about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and about the biblical truths which the Reformation restored to the Church and the world. These key truths include:

• Justification by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (stated in Latin as sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus). Justification is by faith apart from works.
• Our righteousness is from Christ and not from ourselves.
• The authority of Scripture alone over popes, councils, and other writings (sola scriptura).
• The priesthood of all believers.
• Rejection of certain church teachings and practices, such as purgatory, the sale and effectiveness of indulgences, the validity of holy orders (monks and nuns), and praying to the saints.
• That all glory belongs to God (soli Deo gloria) rather than to Mary, the saints, the popes, or the priesthood (or I would add, to Martin Luther!).

Of course, as much as possible I use Luther’s own words to relay these truths, usually translated into English – or into a hybrid mixture I call “Germish” (just as people who blend Spanish and English are said to speak “Spanglish”). As I like to tell people, I had a good writer for much of my material!

There is however, one part of many of my presentations that I cannot attribute to Luther (nor would he want me to!) – and that is the “song” with which I close many of my talks: the Luther Rap! I wrote this early on, and still think it conveys much of Luther’s message. It goes like this:

• So you say the Devil’s caught you in his trap?
• Well, come and listen to the Luther Rap!
• You say you’ve sinned and are feeling blue,
• And want to know what you can do?
• Nothing! Nothing! What could you do?
• Jesus has already done it for you!
• You say you’re good, und big, und strong?
• I tell you you’re thinking wrong;
• Throw yourself at Jesus’ feet,
• And he will give you peace so sweet.
• You give your gold, und always behave?
• Das ist gut, but it does not save!
• We do this out of love for Gott
• Whose precious blood our lives has bought.
• For Gott by grace our sins does forgive
• Und we with him shall always live.
• Eternal life we shall inherit,
• But not because of our own merit!
• So come with me, your sins to toss,
• At the foot of Jesus’ cross;
• Throw yourself at Jesus’ feet,
• And he shall give you peace . . . so . . . sweet!

And that about “raps” it up!

I’ve enjoyed portraying Luther these many years, mainly because I understand his struggles with seeking righteousness through good works. His struggle, though more dramatic than mine, was of the same nature: we both realized after much struggle to make ourselves acceptable to God that Christ accomplished our forgiveness on the cross, and that by God’s grace we receive forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life through faith in Christ alone. When Luther realized that truth, he felt “born again and entered into paradise through gates that had been flung wide open.” I also felt the peace of truly understanding God’s grace for the first time during my college senior year, but rather than describing my experience, I will go with Luther’s description, because he used “catchy words, ja?”

And so, with the peace of knowing we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ and do not depend on our own merits: 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: Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 1:16-18, Romans 3:21-28