Pastor Rich Eddy

“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

 

 

 

Recently, I wrote three blog articles in which I presented some of my favorite Bible verses, along with the reasons they are so special to me. I called them “A few of my favorite things” after the song from the musical, The Sound of Music. I refrained from singing that refrain (is that an oxymoron, “to refrain from a refrain”?), but did share quite a few of those meaningful verses. I also invited you, the readers, to respond and tell me some of your favorite verses, because with all the wonderful words of Scripture that there are, I could hardly have exhausted or even dented the list of the verses that have affected your lives: words that have given you hope, comfort, encouragement, and faith.

A number of you have responded and shared your favorite verses; it is with gratitude to you, appreciation for your choices, and praise to the divine Author of those verses that I now present:

“These Are a Few of Your Favorite Things”:

1. Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (From Carol E.) This is a great passage in which the risen and glorified Jesus proclaims his desire to be with us; he knocks at the door and anyone who hears and opens will receive him. And the promise is for true fellowship and fulfillment with Christ, symbolized by supping together.
2. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (From Dave K.) Here Jesus speaks of the things that take up so much of our attention – and worry – things that we need in life: food, drink, and clothing. Jesus says in verses 31 and 32 not to worry, because our heavenly Father knows we need them. Instead, Jesus says we are to seek first God’s kingdom, and he will take care of all those other needs. Our greatest need is God himself; he and his will must be our priority.
3. Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (From John K.) These encouraging words come from Paul after he described the unhealthy and destructive results of living according to the sinful flesh – such as idolatry and jealousy. Now he turns to the benefits of living according to the Holy Spirit who resides within the believer. He calls these holier outcomes, “fruit of the Spirit.” Note that the term, fruit, is singular; these attributes are all part of the singular fruit of living according to God’s Spirit: love, joy, peace, etc. all work together in the life of the faithful believer who seeks God’s will. You will note that Paul sets these against the Law because they are not a new Law which Christians must fulfill; they are blessings given to us by God through his Spirit to better our lives and to show his nature toward others. It is the Spirit’s fruit in us, rather than our fruit for God.
4. Luke 18:8-14 “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (From John M.) The reader who submitted this said that this passage helps to keep him humble and appreciative of God’s grace. Certainly this was Christ’s intention in teaching this parable, for he told it to those who were proud of their own righteousness while despising those they viewed as inferior to them. This parable emphasizes both God’s desire for our humility before him, and the grace which he gives to those who repent and don’t trust in their own righteousness. (See also Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5)
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (From John M. and John D.) One reader wrote that these verses help him to be thankful and accepting of God’s will. Paul wrote this conclusion at the end of his epistle which instructed the Thessalonians about the coming return of Christ and the resurrection of the saints. In light of those blessed events, what are we to do? Worry? Count the days? Sell everything and live on a mountain top waiting for the end? No, we are to live in the joy and thankfulness which is our privilege as redeemed members of the Body of Christ: to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances.
6. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (From John D.) This is a powerful verse that gives confidence to us believers to face whatever challenges, struggles, or difficulties that may come our way. Our strength to endure these crises, good or bad, comes not from some personal ability that we may or may not have within ourselves, nor from our material resources, nor from any network of human supporters, but from Christ himself. Our confidence is in him, rather than in ourselves. Christ is a greater reality than what we see or feel or hear. By his grace, he gives us power and confidence to face good or bad. As Paul said in the verse just before this declaration, he had endured every situation: “In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  His secret? To do everything through Christ who gave him the strength. The same Christ gives us the strength to meet our challenges: not necessarily to always “win” and achieve all of our own selfish goals, but to cope with situations and succeed in doing God’s will.
7. John 3:16 (KJV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (From Todd D.) This reader learned his favorite verse in third grade and remembers it “easily to this day.” Certainly this verse is many people’s favorite, not just because it is repeated so often publicly, but primarily because it contains the essence of the Gospel in just one verse. It is known as the Gospel in miniature, the one verse to know to remember or teach about salvation. It includes God, his love and grace; our need of salvation to prevent our perishing; the gift of God’s Son to save us; the call for us to believe (faith, not works); and the destiny of believers, which is eternal life. Hard to say all that more clearly or succinctly than this verse!
8. Psalm 119:114 (KJV) “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” (From Diane B.) This favorite verse speaks to God’s protective care of those who belong to him; no matter what comes our way, we can trust in him to protect and deliver us. He can hide us from dangers we don’t even know exist, and he can ward off attacks by the enemy as a shield guards against blows. Ultimately, nothing can snatch us out of God’s hand or separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39). What is also special about this verse is the writer’s dependency on the Word of God for his hope. We don’t trust in our own abilities or goodness, nor in the weapons or maneuvers of man; we trust in God alone according to his gracious words of promise. By the way, there is a great song, “You Are My Hiding Place,” by an artist named Selah. You can listen to it online.
9. James 4:8 (NIV) “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (From Doug D.) This is another promise verse of Scripture, which reveals God’s desire for us to love him and seek him. It invites us to approach him with confidence, knowing that as we draw closer, he will make himself more known and present to us. But how do we come closer to God? The answer is two-fold: first, through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we have access to the Father through forgiveness of our sins and adoption as God’s children; and second, through what is stated in the second half of James 4:8, which reads, “Wash you hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” This calls on us to repent, that is turn away from the sins we do (wash our hands) and change our thoughts and attitudes to be consistent with God’s will and commandments (purify our hearts and minds). As we put off the thoughts and actions of the flesh, our sinful nature and the world around us, we will come closer to God and his will for our lives.

That’s about it for now. 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 lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Galatians 5 and Philippians 2:5-11

Over the past two decades of my service as a pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, I have been richly blessed by the many believers who came into my life as faithful members of this wonderful congregation. They are all saints in God’s eyes, in spite of their failures, foibles, and struggles, because no matter what they experienced, they held fast to their faith in Jesus Christ.

They have taught me by word and example, showing by their lives the truth of the Gospel and the reality of a loving God who has redeemed and changed them. Their dedication and love for the Lord showed through their loving service in the various missions and ministries of the church, and in their personal relationships with others. Their attitudes and words were loving and gentle, and though they often spoke boldly for the truth, they spoke the truth in love. They have not always lived easy lives – in fact, often the opposite – yet it was in their difficult times that their faith often shone the brightest. Their response to adversity was a powerful testimony to the One who empowered them to endure and even triumph over pain and loss.

I was and am blessed by these disciples of Jesus Christ, by their faith and their works, and have found that my own faith has strengthened and grown because of them. I am a better man today than I was when I began my ministry 23 years ago, thanks to knowing Christ and these, his faithful servants.

I am a better man today than I was when I began my ministry 23 years ago, thanks to knowing Christ and these, his faithful servants.

With this in mind, I have been touched and saddened by the passing of two very special women over this past month – both very special, faithful, and active servants who endured the ravages of terminal diseases on their way to be with the Lord. The first was named Karen (not my wife of the same name), and now this week the second, named Diana. Their loss has been palpable, and has impacted many people, just as their lives impacted many people for the good through their unselfish service and powerful Christian testimonies.

In both cases, these women glorified God even in their deaths by living their final months in the same way they lived their lives previously: at peace in the Lord, and in service to him. They comforted their families and friends by their continued strong faith and acceptance of the Lord’s will for their lives, but they also gave of their remaining strength to serve others in ministries that were close to their hearts. Karen continued to lead the local GriefShare ministry, helping men and women who have lost loved ones and who are struggling with their losses – even as she knew her own time was fast approaching. Diana returned to serve the ministry of God’s Hidden Treasures in Ukraine, where she helped minister to wheelchair-bound children and adults, even as her illness was robbing her of her own motor abilities, so that she would need a chair herself.

Their deaths provided them with relief from their physical illnesses, but more importantly, they opened the way for their entry into heaven, where they will enjoy the presence of their God and Savior forever.

Even as I ponder these two special women and thank God for the privilege of having known them in this life, there are a few passages of Scripture that come to mind which give me comfort and a healing perspective:

Psalm 116:15. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” I always liked this verse, because it affirms that God really cares about us, each and every one, and not just the great heroes written about in the Bible – like Ruth, Moses, David, etc. And he not only cares about us in this life, but he knows when our life here ends; our deaths are precious to him, that is they are important and meaningful to him.

And he not only cares about us in this life, but he knows when our life here ends; our deaths are precious to him, that is they are important and meaningful to him.

And this is from the almighty Creator and God of the universe; our insignificant lives could come and go with no impact or effect on God at all, but because of his great love he truly cares for us and about us, and whether we live or die or perish eternally matters to him. Why else would he send his Son to die for our sake that we might not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)? So, when I think of the two special women who have just passed away, I know that they and their deaths were precious in the sight of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote so many wonderful things: eternal truths, personal struggles, and practical encouragement to fellow believers. What I like about this passage is its two-fold approach to grief. First, Paul affirms that we do grieve, for we do lose loved ones and experience the destruction of death which ends so many beautiful lives in this world. He affirms this even for Christians; we are not blind to the struggles of sickness and death in the world. We are not “Pollyannas” who refuse to see anything wrong, who live in a happy, make-believe world of puppies and kittens and unicorns. Christians are realists – the only true realists. The second thing that Paul affirms is the reason we grieve differently from the rest of the world, and that is because we do have hope. We know that death is not the end; those who die in the Lord have only fallen asleep and await the day that the risen Savior, Jesus Christ, returns with those who have fallen asleep in him. The rest of this chapter describes the great day of resurrection when our bodies will be raised imperishable and our spirits reunited with them, to be with the Lord forever. That’s why our grief is different: it is a temporary grief, soon to be replaced by unending joy and happiness in the presence of the departed saints and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

That’s why our grief is different: it is a temporary grief, soon to be replaced by unending joy and happiness in the presence of the departed saints and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:8. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. This is another great, inspired word from the Apostle Paul. We who believe in Christ are his, no matter what happens to us, whether we are alive in this world, or whether we die – correction: when we die. As Paul wrote elsewhere, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, neither life nor death nor anything else (Romans 8:35-39). This is good to know, for not only are we inseparable from our Lord and Savior, we also are his, that is, we belong to him. He owns us by right of creating us, by right of sustaining us, and by right of redeeming us from the sin and death which we had deservedly brought upon ourselves. We are his, bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20 and 7:23), and he will in no way be denied his eternal inheritance, which includes us all. This perspective is critical for us to understand, for if we belong to him, then everything we do, say, or think in this life is on his behalf. We speak and act not on our own account, but on his. What we accomplish is his doing and for his glory, not for ourselves. This attitude was one of Karen and Diana’s greatest attributes, for they both realized that Christ is the center of their lives, and that whether they lived or died, they were the Lord’s.

Psalm 30:5 (NKJV). “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” A temporary grief, indeed!

There are many other passages that give me hope at times like this, but today these stand out. I thank God for the honor of knowing these women (and other men and women like them!) and seeing them demonstrate the Gospel in their lives. Pray for comfort for their husbands and families, and pray that we are encouraged to follow their examples, as we live our lives as faithful followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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 look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4,  and Romans 8

 

 

Normally, I am a calm, serene, and contented kind of guy, usually able to deal with people and potentially tense situations with gentleness and aplomb. Lots of things just roll off me like water off a duck’s back, mostly because I take to heart Paul’s blessing in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

That said, there are a few things – some pet peeves – that do tend to “get my goat” (Why all the animal references – ducks, goats?). Peeve #1: the misuse of the words “its” and “it’s”. I see the wrong word used so often that I have caught myself starting to do it, too. Basically, “its” is the possessive form, as in “I took my car to the shop because its tires were worn out.” On the other hand, “it’s” is a contraction of “it is”, so I would properly use it in a sentence such as, “It’s a beautiful day for the fair.” If I use either one in my blog posts, check to make sure I have the right one!

Peeve #2 is related: people are writing plurals by adding an apostrophe-s to the end of noun, when apostrophe-s actually expresses possession. For example, someone writes, “The restaurant sold ten pizza’s,” when he or she should have written, “The restaurant sold ten pizzas.” I have even seen both spellings on the same sign, such as, “On sale: apple’s and oranges.” Talk about mixing apples and oranges (or is it, apple’s and orange’s?)

Pet peeve #3, another grammatical error: for some reason, people are using the personal pronoun, “I” as an object (or indirect object) of a sentence, when the correct pronoun is “me.” For example, “Our friends gave my wife and I a basket of fruit.” The correct form is, “Our friends gave my wife and me a basket of fruit.” The test is whether the pronoun could stand alone in the sentence: “Our friends gave I a basket of fruit” is obviously wrong, while saying they gave me a basket of fruit is correct.

I have to say, though, that these pet peeves of mine aren’t that important in the big scheme of things. While I would prefer certain word usages, there is no crime or sin in going against what I prefer. Whether people commit one of these grammatical errors or not does not change my attitude toward them; I don’t get angry about it or start throwing things. You might say these pet peeves are really just “petty peeves.”

You might say some pet peeves are really just “petty peeves.”

But there is another pet peeve of mine that is more consequential and does bother me more deeply when I hear it, and that is the cavalier way in which people say, “O my God!” (OMG) to express surprise or shock or some other emotion, with no intent to actually call upon God.

I hear it on the decorating shows we watch, when the homeowners see the designer-host’s renovations to their house; they open their eyes and shout OMG! in amazement at the make-over. I hear it from youth who say it without even thinking about what they’re saying; it’s (notice my use of the contraction for “it is” . . . ) part of their everyday speech and texting. And when out having lunch recently while pondering this article, I heard someone in the booth behind me combine an OMG with a curse.

These OMG’s (or is it OMGs?) are not in the spirit of either Scripture or some of the great hymns of the Church. OMG is not the same as, “O Lord my God” from How Great Thou Art. It does not mean the same as the “Save me, O my God!” from Psalm 3:7. It is not the lament of the messianic Psalm 22, in which the One being crucified cries out, “O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.”

And that’s the problem. Most people who say “O my God” are not calling upon God at all.

And that’s the problem. Most people who say “O my God” are not calling upon God at all. They are not praising him, worshiping him, or even crying out to him in grief or anger. Their words have nothing to do with God, and that’s why they’re wrong. They are taking God’s name in vain.

The Lord warned in the Ten Commandments about misusing his name. The Second Commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11). The Israelites and later the Jews understood the seriousness of this command, and therefore avoided even saying God’s name of Yahweh. They would substitute the word, “Lord” instead. This has carried over into today’s Bible translations; when you see the word “LORD” in all capital letters, that means the word in the Hebrew text was Yahweh. You may occasionally see this concern for God’s name expressed even in the newspaper: sometimes the letters to editor will refer to God as G_D, indicating a Jewish writer not wanting to misuse God’s name or have it misused when the paper is thrown away.

Christians have not generally gone to those lengths to avoid even saying or writing God or Yahweh. Because we are in Jesus Christ by faith, we believe in the name of the Lord our God, and bow to the name that is above every name, confessing Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). And yet, faithful Christians have also from the beginning sought to honor God by obeying his commandment to treat his name with honor, respect, and love.

In Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, he explained the meaning of this commandment as follows: “We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.” Luther directs us to both negative and positive aspects of this commandment. On the negative side, we are not to misuse God’s name by swearing, lying, or using God’s name as a magic spell. This forbids us from cussing in God’s name or from false swearing in his name. This is why Bibles were used in courtrooms for the swearing-in of witnesses; when people feared God’s judgment, it was thought they would not dare to forswear (lie under oath). On the positive side, this commandment compels us to call upon the name of God in prayer, worship, and praise, giving thanks to the One who provides us with life and all our needs.

We can cry “O my God” in times of need, in times of repentance, or in times of praise – as long as we are actually addressing God, and not just using the word “God” as part of a meaningless expression that has nothing to do with the almighty Creator of the universe.

When I hear people saying, “O my God” on TV, I usually turn to Karen and say, “Isn’t that nice; they’re thanking God for their nice new home (or whatever they’re excited about)!” Of course, I’m speaking ironically, but that’s okay because it’s a pet peeve, and you can do that with pet peeves. But even as I say that, I have to ask myself, “Am I truly keeping that commandment in all I do? Am I not only refraining from misusing God’s name, but also using it as often as I should? How often do I pray by calling on God by name, instead of just thinking fuzzy thoughts and knowing God will understand me? How often do I thank God publicly and appropriately for his blessings? And do I seek to encourage others to speak God’s name with sincerity and affection?

Hopefully, this post will lead you to think about how you use God’s name in your daily walk, whether you’re speaking of God as Father, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit. He is worthy “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12) So let us give him the honor he is due by using his name with reverence.

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

Read: Philippians 2:5-11 and Exodus 20:1-17

 

“Huh? What does Pastor Eddy mean, ‘Have a Kosher Fourth’? Is he saying we should all convert to Judaism or at least keep a kosher kitchen (or BBQ grill) for our Independence Day cookouts? No pork-filled hot dogs, no milk shakes with our steaks, and only matzoh buns for our burgers? Is he saying we need to go back and keep all the food regulations given to the Israelites in the Book of Leviticus?”

No, I’m not advocating we return to the dietary rules of the Old Testament (though some have advocated doing so for a healthier lifestyle). The books of the New Testament make it quite clear that the food laws do not apply to Christians. God’s dietary restrictions have been set aside, not because they were bad or rejected, but because they were fulfilled in Christ. Jesus perfectly fulfilled all the law, including the God-given food laws, and completed their purpose. Therefore, if we are in Christ by faith, we too are deemed by God as perfectly fulfilling the same laws. It’s like a parent buying a family pass to some attraction: everyone in the family gets in without paying any extra because they’re with the parent and are in the family. We who are in Christ are part of his family (Matthew 12:46-50; John 1:12).

The specific passages which confirm our freedom from the kosher laws are found in: Mark 7:19 and Luke 11:41, where Jesus says our food does not make us unclean; Acts 10:15 and Acts 11:9, where the Lord shows Peter a sheet filed with “non-kosher” animals and commands him to eat; and 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, where Paul makes food choices a matter of freedom and consideration for others; and especially Colossians 2:16-17 which explains that the laws were but a shadow of Christ who is the substance to whom they pointed. As Jesus himself said, he came to fulfill the law.

So, no, I’m not advocating going back under the food laws. I’m using “kosher” in its original sense, from the Hebrew word which means “fit” or “proper.” To be kosher is to do what is right and proper. In that sense,  I suggest we celebrate the Fourth of July with the proper attitude when it comes to our dual allegiances to God and to country.

I suggest we celebrate the Fourth of July with the proper attitude when it comes to our dual allegiances to God and to country.

One of my favorite illustrations of this dichotomy comes from a 1991 commercial for – what else? – a kosher hot dog! In it, a smiling Uncle Sam clothed in red, white, and blue faces the camera with a hot dog in his hand. The narrator says “The US government says we can make our Hebrew National franks from frozen beef. We don’t. They say we can add meat by-products. We don’t. They say we can add meat fillers. We can’t. We’re kosher, and have to answer to an even higher authority . . .” The camera pans to the cloudy sky above Uncle Sam and you hear thunder, leaving no doubt as to who the Higher Authority is.

I used this illustration in a sermon one year, complete with a real hot dog and bun for a prop. Since I had it sitting on the pulpit for about 12 hours that day, by the time I finished preaching at the evening service, it was starting to smell pretty ripe; no one would have eaten it, kosher or not! The point I was making had to do with the tension between two biblical mandates: our obligations and loyalty to our country, and our obligations and loyalty to God.

Jesus was confronted by this question one day when some Pharisees tried to “ensnare him in his words.” Matthew 22:15-22 gives us their question and Jesus’ answer. They asked him, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” – a question designed to get him in trouble with the people if he said “Yes,” or in trouble with the Roman authorities if he answered, “No.” Jesus’ reply has become famous; after asking to be shown a coin used for such taxes (a denarius), he asked whose picture and writing was on it. They told him, “Caesar’s.” To which he replied, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

1. Things that are Caesar’s. Beyond the natural love we have for our country, our fellow citizens, our history, and our form of government, we are charged by God’s Word with certain responsibilities to our nation. God commands us to pay taxes, show honor and respect to those in authority over us, to pray for our rulers, and to generally be good citizens. (Check out a dollar bill; whose picture is on it? Washington’s. Therefore, render to Washington that which is Washington’s . . . ). Besides Jesus’ words regarding coinage and taxes, Romans 13:1-7 tells us to be subject to the authorities whom God has placed over us. We are to pay them taxes, revenue, respect, and honor. This includes respect for our military and the police, who we are told are God’s servant, “who does not bear the sword in vain” but is “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (verse 4).

Then also, 1 Peter 2 tells us to submit to all institutions, even the unjust ones, for it is God’s will that we live good and honorable lives for the sake of Christ and the Gospel. This is especially important to understand, for we seldom approve of everything our governments (at whatever level) do. Therefore, we file our taxes, water our lawns on schedule, follow traffic laws, and treat even obnoxious bureaucrats with patience and respect. It is pleasing to God to do so.

2. At the same time, like the kosher hot dog makers, we have to answer to a Higher Authority. Our allegiance to our country must come behind our obedience to God.

Our allegiance to our country must come behind our obedience to God.

As Christians we must weigh our obligations as citizens against what God has commanded regarding right and wrong. Too often throughout history, and even today in our country, governments make poor decisions and do evil things. Rulers go to war, oppress their people, endorse sins which God has forbidden, deny justice, and ruin people’s lives – abrogating their God-given mandate to protect and bless the people God has put into their care. Of course, governments are made up of sinful people like us, but because they are allowed by God to serve as rulers, they are accountable to God and his purposes in elevating them. They are responsible to God, even if they don’t know it or even believe in him.

God has brought down rulers and nations that have forgotten their place in God’s order. In the Book of Daniel, God brought down Nebuchadnezzar temporarily when that Babylonian king boasted pridefully of his own might and power. In Exodus, God brought judgment on Pharaoh and Egypt for their oppression of the Israelites and disobedience to God. God even brought down the kingdoms of Israel and Judah for their idolatry and injustice. No matter whether a kingdom, an empire, a democracy, or a republic, governments owe their position to God’s permission.

Because our society has pushed God and his Word away from our public life, many government decisions and regulations have been made which run counter to God’s teachings and our Christian faith. I don’t need to elaborate them right now (they seem to change and be added to each week, anyway!) but I’d like to encourage you to pray and become aware of legislation, court decisions, and executive orders that affect our lives and that may run counter to what the Bible teaches. We have the opportunity and the right (rare in the history of nations) to speak up, argue, vote, and sue at court to stand up for what is right. We are the government in many ways in this country, so we share that obligation to make sure we are governing correctly in God’s eyes.

There may come times when we have to take a peaceful and non-violent stand and just say “No!” to certain laws and decisions and orders, but only when doing so is to render to God what is God’s. If and when we do, we must be willing to accept the consequences of doing so, whether social mockery or legal fines and incarceration. Throughout history and around the world today, Christians are sacrificing their freedom and even their lives in order to remain true to God. We must be ready to take up our cross and follow Christ wherever his Word and our conscience demand.

We must be ready to take up our cross and follow Christ wherever his Word and our conscience demand.

So then, what is a “kosher” attitude to Independence Day? It begins with thanksgiving to God for our great nation and the liberties it affords us, especially the freedom we have to worship (and write blogs like this!). It includes gratitude to all who have gone before, who by their sacrifices and struggles have built this nation and achieved its political independence in the world. It includes honor and respect for all who serve to protect us from every danger, here and abroad. It includes appreciation of all the blessings we Americans enjoy in goods and services. And, it includes our commitment to be good citizens and neighbors to those over us and those around us, to each do our own part to share and extend our blessings and make sure that this great and unique nation, under God, may continue to flourish and carry out its God-given purpose in the world.

And with that, I look forward to celebrating the 4th – by grilling a couple kosher hot dogs!

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

Read: 1 Peter 2:13-25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our recent visit to see family in the Midwest, my sister introduced Karen and me to a cute little video game she has been playing called Pet Rescue. In it, you try to “rescue” various animals by removing blocks of different colors from underneath them. As the blocks vanish, the pets drop to the ground and “escape.” The levels get a lot more complicated than that, but you get the idea. We downloaded it to our Kindle Fire, and have enjoyed playing it in between other activities.

While playing a round of the game, I thought about the question of pets being rescued – or in other words, saved. We often make great efforts to save animals from physical dangers (such as from hot cars, house fires, diseases, and abuse), but the question is often asked whether animals are saved from the ultimate danger, death itself. In other words, will animals (especially the pets we love) have eternal life? Will all dogs (and cats!) go to heaven? And if so, what about my pet frogs or your pet tarantula?

Lots of people have weighed in on the question, either in the affirmative or in the negative. A quick on-line search yielded over 6.7 million hits, enough to make me question whether I have anything new to add to the discussion. But, after carefully reading all 6.7 million articles (yeah, right) I will toss in some comments on where I am in the debate, mainly because it’s been on my mind, and because over the years a number of people have asked my opinion about this. Besides, I think it’s worth talking about. Animals – especially our pets – are important to us, and for some people, their love for their pets makes it hard to imagine heaven without them.

So here goes . . .

First of all, we have to recognize that in eternity, the glorious Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be all we need.

First of all, we have to recognize that in eternity, the glorious Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be all we need. To be in his presence, surrounded by his glory and filled with his love and peace, we will not need anyone or anything else: Paul writes in Philippians 3:8-9, “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 and be found in him . . .” God is sufficient for all our wants and needs, and will be so forever. Our focus will be on him, worshiping and praising him and not missing anything from this life that seemed so important to us while we were here. That doesn’t mean there won’t be animals there; it just means we won’t need for them to be, and if they’re not we’ll be just fine without them.

That said, I do believe that there will be animals in eternity, in the new heavens and new earth proclaimed in Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, and Revelation 21:1. While I cannot say this “cat”agorically or “dog”matically, I do have a scriptural basis for my understanding:

1. Genesis 1 states that God created all life, including the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and all the land animals. They were designed purposefully and made to reproduce after their own kinds. Scripture also tells us that God is a God of the living (Luke 20:38), which at least opens the possibility that these creatures of his making may one day live again. Otherwise, did God create them to be forever extinct?
2. There are numerous passages that speak of animals in God’s kingdom living at peace with each other and with mankind. Isaiah 11:6 says, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” Similarly, Isaiah 65:25 says, “‘The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,’ says the LORD.” While I understand such passages to be figures of speech that convey symbolically the spiritual truth that all will be at peace and reconciled in God, the use of animals as the proof of that coming time of peace may be more than just symbolic. One cannot prove that they are only symbolic. And then there’s the white horse which Christ will ride . . . (Rev. 19:11-14)
   
3. Why do animals even die at all? We understand that they die for the same reason we humans do: it is part of the curse which God placed on all creation on account of mankind’s sin in Genesis 3. Paul says in Romans 5 that death entered into the world through the sin of Adam. While he is speaking primarily of human death, he also speaks of all creation under the same curse: “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” (Romans 8:19-22). But when you get to Revelation 22 and its picture of the new heaven and earth, you read that the curse has been removed (verse 3). With the removal of the curse there are no longer any tears or death or pain. So if all creation is freed from the curse of sin and its effects, why not the animals too?
4. Animals are a testimony to God’s wisdom, intelligence, and power. Paul writes in Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” If all creation show the divine nature and power of God and glorify him now, then why should the glory of God be less revealed in eternity? Animals, especially, are wondrous examples of God’s creative genius, created for Christ’s glory (Colossians 1) as much as were the stars and planets. In fact, when God dealt with an uppity man named Job who questioned God’s actions, God defended his own divine sovereignty by citing two of the mighty animals which he had created. In Job 40:15-19, the Lord said, “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you . . . He is the first of the works of God;” and in Job 41 he described a sea creature named Leviathan – another testimony to God’s power. I hope to see those two creatures – and more – in heaven and to marvel at the One who created them!
5. The Bible does not deny the presence of animals in heaven, which would end the discussion right there if it did. On the other hand, it does speak of non-human creatures there: cherubim, seraphim, angels, and the “four living creatures” (Revelation 4:6-9 and six other chapters). So, there is a place and a purpose there for other creatures besides us human beings.
6. Animals are not moral agents. They cannot sin and will not be assigned to eternal punishment as will the devil, his angels, and those humans not written in the Book of Life. Their use in Old Testament sacrifices was due to their sinless, innocent blood being shed for the sake of the guilty; all as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the sinless Jesus Christ for the sake of guilty mankind. The only judgment on animals was in the Flood as a result of mankind’s unrestrained wickedness, and afterwards, when God pronounced capital punishment on men and animals who killed a human; and that was because man was created in God’s image (Genesis 9:5-6). My point here is that nothing in God’s righteousness or justice requires him to destroy all animal life forever.
7. Finally, our resurrection will be a physical, bodily raising. Though our bodies will be changed to be spiritual in some way, we will inhabit a new physical reality, and not float around like ghosts for eternity. There will be a place for animals in the new earth, where they and we can enjoy each other in the ways that God intended when he created us. Interestingly, Martin Luther was once asked by a child whether her dog would be allowed in Heaven. He gently patted the dog’s head and said, “Be comforted, little dog, you too in the Resurrection shall have a tail of gold.”

Again, the presence of animals in heaven is my opinion, and though I think I’m right, I will have no animosity (animalosity?) against those who believe otherwise. We’ll find out together one day, as we sit talking with our pets on our laps or at our feet, enjoying the wonders of heaven and the new earth together.

We’ll find out together one day, as we sit talking with our pets on our laps or at our feet, enjoying the wonders of heaven and the new earth together.

Of course, even if I’m right, there are plenty of unanswered questions that remain: will the animals be our exact same pets, or just other animals like them? Will animals all be plant-eaters, or will they need food at all? What about flies, mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas (or will they all be sent to hell to torment the devil)? What about T-rex? Oh well, we’ll just have to wait and see . . . maybe it will be like the famous line from Ghostbusters (1984) when the heroes spoke of the coming disaster of “biblical proportions”: “Old Testament, real wrath of God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes . . . The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together . . . mass hysteria!”

Dogs and cats living together? Come to think of it, my sister already has one of each living with her in her home, so maybe the time is almost here!

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

Read: Job 38 – 41

In my last two posts I shared with you some of my favorite verses in Scripture, ones that have encouraged or challenged me, ones that I have turned to in my preaching and teaching, and ones that are expressions of our faith and testimonies to God’s glory. As I said before, there are many other favorite passages of Scripture besides those I listed, but I limited my comments to those verses that to me are most succinct and powerful.  Or that I just like to read.

Some of my selected quotes ended up spanning two or more verses. In some cases, more than one verse was needed to fully express the thought. In other cases it had to do with the way the verses are numbered, since one sentence may extend through two or more verses. Remember that the chapter and verse divisions in the Bible are not original to the texts. Other than the Psalms and a few other poetic passages where divisions seem clear, chapter and verse numbering came much later as a tool to make scriptural references easier to find. A little history lesson may help:

Chapters were not designated until the early 13th Century when Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, proposed the divisions we use today. The chapters were not broken down into verses for another 200 years, when after attempts by other scholars, a printer named Robert Estienne included them in his French translation of 1553 and in a Latin Vulgate edition of 1555. His system was adopted and is what we still use today.

Interestingly, if you read Martin Luther’s commentaries, he only refers to the chapters from which he quotes, and not the verses; that’s because Martin died in 1546, before the verse divisions were made. Modern editors of Luther “retrofit”the verse numbering into his writings for clarity, and usually set the verse numbers into brackets like this – John 3[16].

. . . it is what the Word of God says, and not how it’s numbered, that’s important.

I wanted to mention this not only to explain why a favorite “verse” may go longer than one verse, but also to remind ourselves that it is what the Word of God says, and not how it’s numbered, that’s important. Thus, it doesn’t really matter which verse is the longest or the shortest or is the middle verse or whatever. Such numberings are interesting, but they come from sometimes arbitrary decisions as to where such divisions should be made. In fact, a long-held tradition that explains some of the unusual numbering is that Estienne did his work while riding on horseback, and that whenever the horse jostled him his pen marked a new verse!

So, now that our history lesson is over . . . let me present some of my favorite verses from the New Testament.

John 1:1-3 ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.’ Actually, the entire first 14 verses of John are favorites, but this beginning of John’s Gospel is special in that it proclaims both (1) the undeniable deity of Christ – “the Word was God”- and (2) Christ’s active participation in the creation of the world. These verses parallel Genesis 1:1 and expand the Old Testament account to identify the “and God said . . .” verses of Genesis 1 with Christ who is the Word of God.

John 1:12 ‘But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,’ Okay, so I like this verse because it was my Confirmation verse given to me some 50 years ago. I love its open call to all to believe with the promise of adoption by God for those who do. It is one more affirmation of salvation by God’s grace through faith and not by works. And I enjoyed reciting it almost every Sunday as part of the Absolution in the Lutheran Book of Worship.

John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’ One of the first sermons I preached before going to seminary was on this verse. I had no idea what to say since it is so well known and clear; to speak about it would be like “gilding the lily.” So I looked up a commentary on John to see what it said about the verse, and the first thing the scholarly commentator said was how difficult it is to comment on something so clear and well-known! So I will leave it alone and just affirm that it is a favorite expression of God’s grace and his call for us to believe for salvation.

John 8:58 ‘Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”’ I just love this statement of Jesus when some of the Jews confronted him. After he told them that their ancestor Abraham had looked forward to seeing his arrival, the people mocked him as too young to have seen or been seen by Abraham. So Jesus spoke these words, not only to show that Abraham did indeed rejoice to know him, but also that Jesus himself was God – the great “I AM” revealed to Moses and the Israelites in the book of Exodus. That this is what Jesus meant is clear by the Jews’ immediate response to Jesus’ words: they picked up stones to stone him to death – the prescribed punishment for blasphemy (which it would be if Jesus were not God).

 

Ephesians 2:8-10 ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.’ This is one of those essential, defining passages of the Bible that lay out the relationship between salvation, grace, faith, and works. It is so important that we required memorization of it by our Confirmation students, and it forms the basis for a 3-year cycle of teaching for our church’s youth ministry. What I especially like about it is the connection between faith and works; works do not save us, but those who believe will do good works. As Luther said, “Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works,” and “good works follow and proceed from the good person . . . ” Note especially that we are created in Christ Jesus and that even the good works we do were first prepared by God for us to do. Even our works are by God’s grace! It causes us to think and pray as to whether God has special works for us to do that we haven’t done yet – and time is ticking!

It causes us to think and pray as to whether God has special works for us to do that we haven’t done yet – and time is ticking!

Philippians 2:5-11 ‘Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 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.’ Okay, here’s where my one- or two-verse limit  goes out the window. But I can’t shorten this passage because it is so beautiful as a whole in describing Jesus’ humiliation of suffering and dying as one of us, and his exaltation as glorious Lord of all. As one who longs for Christ to receive the recognition and worship he is due, I love the triumphant closing verses: that every knee will one day bow before him. And every knee includes believers, non-believers, angels and demons. All will one day acknowledge him by submitting to him; to some he will be their Lord and Savior, to others their Lord and Judge. But all will bow.

Colossians 1:16-17 ‘For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.‘ This is another affirmation both of Christ’s deity and in his role as our Creator. He created all things and holds all things together. Note also the purpose for which we were created, or rather, for whom we were created: Christ made us for himself.

This blog could go on and on – but it’s getting long so I better wrap it up. There are more favorite New Testament verses which I could describe, but let me just list a few here without comment as I close: Matthew 16:15-17; Luke 4:16-21; Luke 23:24; John 19:30; John 14:6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 and 51-55; Ephesians 1:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; and 2 Timothy 3:16-17, among others . . . Who knows? Maybe I’ll describe what I like about them another time. 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 look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Revelation 21-22.

 

In my last article, I wrote that I once publicly sang the song, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from the great Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music. Since those heady days of grade school, people have generally said that when it comes to my singing, they would prefer to hear The Sounds of Silence to The Sound of Music. Like the time I was leading campfire singing at a YMCA camp: each time I circled around the fire, a little eight-year-old girl would tug my pants cuff and whisper, “Mister!” After several times of that, I finally stopped mid-song and leaned over her to whisper, “What?” She whispered back urgently, “Mister! You’re singing off key!” That’s okay. Don’t feel bad for me. I can take it.

Of course, I mentioned The Sound of Music and the song, “My Favorite Things” to introduce some of my favorite things: that is, favorite verses from Scripture. After a full-length article that barely scratched the surface, I considered breaking my list down into about 563 different posts to cover all my favorites. But, realizing that would take the next 11 years at my current speed, I decided to trim my selections to fit into just three posts: last week’s, this post, and next week’s. I’m sure any verses I don’t get to by next week will come up where appropriate in future articles.

So, to continue, here are some more of my favorite things:

Joshua 24:15 [Joshua said] “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  This verse seems at first to be at odds with our understanding of God’s election; it is he who chooses us, rather than us choosing him. As Jesus told the disciples, “You did not choose me; I chose you.” (John 15:16) But this call by Joshua to the people of Israel (who had already been chosen by God to be his people) was a call to obedience and service, not just to faith. It was one thing to believe in the true God, but Joshua was challenging them to continue to worship and obey God’s commandments now that his time of faithfully leading them was drawing to an end. They knew of the gods of the Egyptians; they were now surrounded by the pagan deities of Canaan. Would they serve the true God or fall away? Joshua had shown by example that he and his family would serve the Lord; it was up to them to continue to do so. For the first Christmas Karen and I spent at St. Peter’s, I gave her a framed picture of a house with this verse on it, and it has served these many years as a reminder to us of our commitment to serve God in our new calling.

1 Kings 19:11-12 ‘Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earth-quake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.’ (NKJV) When I was packing up the car on the way to college, my dad took me aside and told me to listen for God to lead me in the “still, small voice” (still my preferred wording over “gentle whisper”) rather than in the big showy events of life. For Elijah, God was not in the wind, the fire, or the earthquake, but in the quiet voice. I always appreciated his counsel, because I have heard plenty of people’s exciting testimonies that were “flashes in the pan.” Though I have experienced God’s miracles in many ways, I have found his quiet leading by his Word and his Spirit to be the most encouraging . . . and dependable.

2 King 6:16-17 ‘He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.’ The title for the movie, “Chariots of Fire,” came from verse 17 of this passage, and speaks to the unseen realities of the spiritual world around us, a world which impacts the physical world which we do see. Specifically, it speaks to the power of God to protect us against danger and adversity, and to defeat the most powerful human forces. In this passage, the servant of the prophet Elisha is terrified to see the approaching Syrian army, so Elisha prays for the Lord to allow the servant to see the hosts of heaven arrayed around the enemy and prepared to defeat them. This passage reminds me of God’s power and sovereignty, no matter how powerful and daunting the forces of evil may seem: a good reminder these days in a world of terror and disbelief.

Job 19:25-27 ‘For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.’ This is one of the first references to the bodily resurrection. Job, though beset by tragedy, pain, and loss, affirmed that one day he would see his Redeemer – who we know is Jesus Christ – standing upon the earth. Even though Job might die and suffer the destruction of his own body, Job affirmed that he would see his Savior with his own eyes, which is only possible if Job is resurrected. You can see why I love this passage and use it in many funeral services, because our hope is in the same Redeemer, whom we also will one day see with our own eyes.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.’ Please see my January 25 blog, “A Trifecta of Trust,” for a full explanation of why these verses are so important to me. Grace, faith, and works are all proclaimed in a proper relationship.

Proverbs 9:10 ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.’ This is important to me because it points to God as the focus of all wisdom (and of knowledge in parallel passages in Proverbs 1:7 and Psalm 111:10), and because it counters the prevalent attitude that fear of God is a bad thing. Fear is recognizing that he is the all-powerful, all-knowing judge of the universe who will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7), who has the power to create and destroy, to save and condemn. Recognizing that is the starting point of knowing who we are: that he is God and we are not.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:’ Besides providing the lyrics for the 1965 hit song by The Byrds, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” the first eight verses of this chapter present the experiences of human life in this world: birth-death, gain-loss, love-hate, gathering stones-scattering stones (especially relevant for a rock collector like me!), war-peace, etc. I have often used this passage in funeral services as a comfort to grieving families, to remind them that what has happened to their loved one is not outside common human experience, and especially that God is not defeated or taken by surprise by their loss.

Daniel 3:17-18 ‘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.’ This is an incredible declaration of faith in God given by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – three young Jewish men – who stood before the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. They had refused to worship the king’s golden statue, and now faced the king’s order for them to be cast into a fiery furnace as their punishment. Their reply to the king showed their faithfulness to the true God by refusing to worship any idol; it showed their trust that God had the power to save them from certain death; and it showed their acceptance of whatever happened: even if God did not save them, they still would be faithful to him. That is a faith based on who God is, and not on what I will get out of my relationship with him. How wonderful it is that because of his grace, I will receive the greatest of benefits: eternal life!

And finally, one last Old Testament verse:

Lamentations 3:22-23 ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’ Jeremiah the prophet had witnessed the horrors of the Babylonian siege and destruction of Jerusalem. In the first 20 verses of Chapter 3 he poured out his laments at all he had seen; then, in verse 21 he proclaimed he still had hope in spite of it all – and in these two verses he explained the basis of his hope in the midst of tragedy: the steadfast love and mercy of God that are new/renewed every morning, regardless of circumstances. I am moved whenever I read this passage or when I hear the praise song, “The Steadfast Love of the Lord”; I am touched both by the faith and hope still alive in one who had every reason to despair, and by what Scripture says about God: that he is a God of endless love and mercy to us.

Next time, we’ll look at some favorite verses in the New Testament, where we find God’s love and mercy enacted through his Son, Jesus Christ.

In the meantime, I would love to hear from you: “What are your favorite Bible verses?” Let me know, and with your permission I may post a few verses with my next article!

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

Read: Psalms 1, 8, 22, 46 and 100

 

 

 

 

Those who know me would be surprised to learn I once sang in The Sound of Music. So would I . . . because I didn’t . . . but I once did publicly sing the rousing finale song of that Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” before hundreds of people. Okay, it was in a grade school production for our families, and I was just another voice in a large chorus, but that still counts, doesn’t it?

Another song in that musical was “My Favorite Things,” sung by Maria to the von Trapp children to lift their spirits and help them face their fears. She sang of things like “whiskers on kittens” and “raindrops on roses” and other pleasantries. I like some of the things in that song, too, but rather than sing to you about the whiskers on my kitten (to which I am mildly allergic) or the raindrops on our roses (which have stuck me with their thorns and which need watering to avoid shriveling in the heat), I would like to share with you some of my favorite things – in the Bible.

There are certain verses which have become my favorites, some at first reading and others as they have impacted my life and understanding of God.

Specifically, there are certain verses which have become my favorites, some at first reading and others as they have impacted my life and understanding of God. There are narratives (such as Daniel in the lion’s den), entire chapters (such as the creation in Genesis 1) and even books (such as John’s Gospel and the book of Daniel), that I love and could talk about, but what I’m thinking about right now are the single verses or two that carry the impact of a passage. To list any seems narrow-minded and is somewhat like a parent picking a favorite child, since “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness . . .” (2 Timothy 3:16) What verse can I in good conscience leave out of a favorites list? But again, there are some that have proven to encourage, inspire, or rebuke more than others, and it is those which I would like to share with you.

The following list is not ranked by preference or necessarily in scriptural order. I have followed each citation with a short note on why I find that verse meaningful. So here goes!

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This verse is foundational to our understanding of all reality, the universe, and ourselves. The rest of the chapter goes on to lay out the order and purpose of the creation, but this summary first verse is the basis of all that follows and is the essential counter to atheistic evolution.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This verse speaks of the special nature of mankind as a deliberate creation of God, and teaches us that every human is made in the image of God. While we learn from other scriptures (and from experience!) how much sin has tarnished that image, this verse is the basis for the dignity and value of every human life – male and female, all nations and races. We look forward to the day when that image is fully restored.

Genesis 22:13 “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” While the entire incident of the Lord commanding Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, “his son, his only son, the son whom he loved,” is powerful, this one verse summarizes God’s deliverance not only of Isaac, but of all of us, for whom God himself sacrificed “his Son, his only Son, the Son whom he loved” on the Cross. God provided the substitutionary sacrifice to atone for our sins.

Numbers 11:23 ‘The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”’ (NIV) The Lord spoke this rebuke to Moses who doubted God’s ability to provide meat for the Israelites in the desert; as Moses pointed out, there were 600,000 men to feed (plus women and kids?), a huge order. But I love God’s answer, which I have seen played out in my own life and in the lives of others in the church. God is not bound by our limits: his arm is not too short. He can do as he promised, and as he points out to Moses here, because he gave his word, he will do as he promised. This carries over to spiritual and eternal matters, too: is God’s arm too short to raise the dead regardless of the condition of our bodies before the Resurrection? Or to forgive our sins no matter how bad they are? Or to be with us in the depths of loss and despair? “Is the Lord’s arm too short?” I think not.

Joshua 10:13-14 “The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.” I have always enjoyed the stories of God’s deliverance of his people, when he intervenes supernaturally to save the good and punish the evil. The Great Flood of Noah, the plagues of Egypt, the fall of Jericho, and other events are the way I would have written the Bible – God wins, his enemies lose – every time. What I like about this passage is that God delivers Joshua and the Israelites by making the sun stand still in the sky to allow enough daylight for the Israelites to defeat and pursue their enemies. And God did so in response to Joshua’s plea for him to do just that. This event deserves its own blog post, but for now I want to point out four things I like about these two verses: first, God acted decisively showing his power over all creation – specifically over even the earth and sun; second, he answered a prayer of faith that was for something otherwise impossible; third, God fought for his people – he did not abandon them but helped them defeat their mortal enemies; and fourth, the author points out that this was a unique occurrence. Unlike pagan mythologies which are filled with gods and cyclops and heroes and fantastical creatures, the Bible reports on this amazing event soberly, recognizing the unique nature of what happened – and why.

Unlike pagan mythologies which are filled with gods and cyclops and heroes and fantastical creatures, the Bible reports on this amazing event soberly, recognizing the unique nature of what happened – and why.

1 Samuel 16:7 ‘But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”’ God had directed Samuel to anoint Israel’s future king from among the sons of Jesse. When Samuel saw the eldest son, Eliab, he was sure that Eliab was God’s choice, but the Lord replied with this verse. Of course, we know that David was God’s choice to succeed Saul, but Samuel had to learn (as we all do) that appearances can be deceiving. We are impressed by the latest hunks or beauty queens and we accord them celebrity status because they look good. But beautiful people can be evil, and the unlovable can be generous and honorable. Remember that God looks on the inside, at the heart, which thanks to Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, is made righteous and clean.

1 Samuel 17:45 ‘Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”‘ The entire account of David defeating Goliath is one of my favorite biblical events, but this is the verse that stirs me most whenever I read or hear it. I like it because it defines what the contest was all about: it’s not the story of the little guy standing up to the big bully, or of someone “speaking truth to power,” though those ideas can be derived from the story. No, the main point is that David so loves the Lord that he is angered that this enemy unbeliever should defy and insult the true God, and therefore feels compelled to respond by risking his own life on what seems to be a suicide mission. To David, “a man after God’s own heart,” (1 Samuel 13:14), God’s honor was at stake, and no one else had risen up to defend it. So he did.

So then, is this the end of my list of favorite Bible verses? To quote Paul in Romans 6:2, “By no means!” Or to quote again from The Sound of Music, “these are a few of my favorite things.” There are more to come, so tune in again for some more of my favorite Bible verses. 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 look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 1 Samuel 17

 

 

William Shatner, formerly of Captain James T. Kirk fame, wandered through the woods and fields while a woman’s disembodied voice – calming and soothing – explained to him the facts of life. No, not those facts of life . . . though, actually, in a way they were: She introduced herself as Gaia, the planet Earth, and explained that all life came from clay molecules that shaped proteins into DNA. When William asked her about love, she explained that what we call love is just the attraction between atoms and molecules. This was the format for a so-called “science” special in 1991 called, “Voice of the Planet.” I don’t know what else she said after that because I just couldn’t watch any more and had to turn it off.   

April 22nd was observed as Earth Day, an annual, international homage to – what else? – the Earth. It is a call on people to care for the planet, our environment, living things, and in recent years, our climate. As I briefly touched on in a previous blog (“Odds & Ends #2”), caring for the earth and all our fellow creatures is part of the charge God gave us at creation; God gave us dominion (that is, authority and rule) over his creation (Genesis 1:26-28). Part of that dominion included caring for what God had planted (Genesis 2:15) and the animals (2:19-20). God’s concern for all he created is evident in Chapter 4 of Jonah, when God points out to the reluctant prophet that by sparing Nineveh, God had saved not only the lives of 120,000 people, but also the lives of many cattle. Later, Jesus said that not even a sparrow can fall from the sky without the heavenly Father knowing it (Matthew 10:29, Luke 12:6), and reminded the religious leaders that it was proper to water their donkey (Luke 13:15) or rescue their ox from a well (Luke 14:5) – even on the Sabbath when work was otherwise prohibited.

We have a responsibility to God (as well as to each other) to care better for this world in which we live.

Yes, I agree that we have a responsibility to God (as well as to each other) to care better for this world in which we live. Too often, and for too long, we have treated our environment with contempt and disregard, killing and polluting and exploiting beyond what we need to feed, clothe, and shelter ourselves and to provide for the vital materials and energy so important to sustain human life and activity. God has blessed us with so much beauty and so many resources in this world that we should be grateful stewards of what he has provided, managing it to minimize pollution and destruction and maximize benefits and sustainability.

At the same time, I don’t go along with everything that is advocated under the “save the Earth” banner.

• I am not a “vegan” or a vegetarian (though I have started growing some vegetables and just yesterday harvested and ate my first home-grown green beans!). God gave us food to eat, including animals (Genesis 9). Further more, this was ratified by Christ in his teaching in Mark 7:19 where he declared all foods clean, and in Acts 10 when Peter is shown all kinds of animals in a vision and told by the Lord to “kill and eat.”
• I don’t believe “animals are people too.” They are animals, and though I love and care for some of my own (a cat, in spite of my allergy to its dander, and two dander-free tree frogs – scientific name: Litoria caerulea), I don’t view them as equal to humans (though the cat thinks he is). Do we treat animals humanely? Absolutely, but human life is worth far more than animal life because only humans were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), and it was to save humankind that God’s Son took on human flesh, came into the world, suffered and died (Hebrews 2:16). Only humans sin, and it was for our forgiveness that Christ died and rose again.
• Neither do I believe, as some radicals do, that the earth would be better off without humans. “The animals would all get along nicely, there would be no sickness, clouds would be puffy white and the dolphins would rule the seas . . . and soft bunnies the land . . .” Ironically, there is some truth to that sentiment, in that all creation – including the dolphins and bunnies – was cursed by God on account of man’s sin. Until we sinned the earth was a deathless paradise, but now it remains under the curse so mankind’s removal from the planet wouldn’t change anything. Only at Christ’s return will we see a restored creation in the new heavens and new earth where the curse is removed (Revelation 22:3) and “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb” (Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25).
• As far as “climate change” goes, I have mixed feelings, not only because of conflicting data and political agendas, but because of recorded climate fluctuations throughout history. There were warm periods, such as the Medieval Warm Period of 1000-1100 AD, which supported greater food production. On the other hand, there were cold periods such as the Little Ice Age, which ruined crops across Europe and caused mass starvation in the 1500s-1800s. The harsh winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge and Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from Moscow in 1812 were just two results of that cold period.

When Earth Day reminds us Christians to care for this earth which God gave us, and to improve our stewardship of what our Creator and Sustainer has given us (Colossians 1:16-17), then I’m all for it.

The problem comes when Earth Day, or any similar movement, seeks to separate us from our Creator by denying that he exists and instead lifts up the earth itself as the object of our worship.

The problem comes when Earth Day, or any similar movement, seeks to separate us from our Creator by denying that he exists and instead lifts up the earth itself as the object of our worship. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans 1:18-25, in which he warned of God’s judgment upon those who “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” So, when the “Voice of the Planet” calls herself Gaia (after the Greek earth goddess), and marchers hold up signs saying, “Love your Mother” and “Science is Truth,” I have to part company with them, because they are worshiping the creature rather than the Creator to whom they owe honor.

I think science is awesome. My favorite subjects are herpetology (hence my frogs) and mineralogy (hence my rock collection). Recently a friend gave me a beautiful hard-bound book of space photos taken by the Hubble orbiting telescope. Wow! I can hardly wrap my head around all that has now been seen in the universe! I love how Psalm 8 praises God for this: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

I see no conflict between my faith and true science because science can only find what God has created: the energy, the matter, the chemical and life processes, the earth, sky and heavens, and so on. As they used to say, scientists “are thinking God’s thoughts after him.” Unfortunately, that attitude has become uncommon. Now, too many people use science’s discoveries to deny God and the honor he is due. They take the data which research uncovers and squeeze it into preconceived notions about reality. Their research may be very precise and accurate, but their conclusion can be way off, because they deny anything supernatural, and teach that only what can be experienced through our senses and manipulated by our rational minds can be true. Their religion is naturalism, and their answer for everything is evolution.

And yet, deep down many know their answers are missing something, so they grab pagan names like Gaia from ancient mythology to find some meaning to their facts. What they are missing is knowledge of the true God, the One who created what they see. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:20,  God’s “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.”

So why not go where the amazing complexity of God’s creation takes you: to recognize that what people call Earth Day is just another day the Lord has made and given us, for every day is the Lord’s Day! And discover that the love that Jesus Christ offers is much better than the “attraction between molecules” some might suggest: for Christ’s love is sacrificial, redeeming, and transforming. His love is life itself.

What people call Earth Day is just another day the Lord has made and given us, for every day is the Lord’s Day!

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

Read: Romans 1:18-25

 

“May the Fourth be with you!”

To which the proper Lutheran response is . . . “And also with you!”

Yes, today is May the 4th. Which is significant for several reasons that bear noting here. First, of course, is the popular observance of May 4th as “Star Wars Day” due to a play on the words of the movies’ famous line, “May the Force be with you!” We’ll come back to that idea a little later in this post.

The second reason May the 4th is significant is that this year it is the first Thursday in May, which has been officially designated as the National Day of Prayer. While prayer has always been an important part of our lives and our national history, and celebrations at Thanksgiving have been times for special prayers of thankfulness, the designation of a specific national day of prayer has been a more recent development. It was first passed by Congress in 1952 that the President of the United States was to set aside an appropriate day each year, other than Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer. (To which I must ask, “Did my birth in August of 1951 provide the impetus for a national day of prayer?” And was it out of joy and thanks or out of alarm and fear?) Then, on May 8, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the bill which designated the observance to be the first Thursday in May each year. Ten years later, President Bill Clinton signed a new law which said, “The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.” The national prayer committee was chaired for many years by Shirley Dobson, who passed the baton to Anne Graham Lotz in 2016. And so the National Day of Prayer continues to be observed locally in our church and around the nation – today.

It’s helpful to have set days and seasons to remind us to worship, pray, and recite the great works of God on our behalf: but we don’t need an official day or event to give us permission to pray for our nation and for all other things.

We don’t need an official day or event to give us permission to pray

We can and always should be in prayer, following Paul’s admonitions:

• 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
• Philippians 4:6, “. . . do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The third reason today is special is that it is Karen’s and my anniversary! Yes, 43 years ago today we stood in front of her pastor (and our assembled families and friends) and said, “I do.” Though, at the very moment I said it, my voice decided to crack and switch back to its pre-adolescent pitch. Then came the reception in the church basement, with a bounteous buffet prepared by the church ladies. Karen’s dad stood up and gave the dinner directions, indicating the head table was to follow me to the serving line, and then “if there was any food left,” everyone else could go. Nice. You might think he was joking . . . but everyone who knew me laughed!

Forty-three years! That’s hard to believe (especially if you look at Karen who has always looked so young). A number of years ago, I think about 10 years or so, I woke up one morning and the first thought in my mind was that Karen and I had been married over 30 years. I actually laughed at the thought, and immediately said to myself, “That’s impossible! If we were married 30 years ago, I would be over 50 years old!” Then as the fog cleared from my mind, I realized, “We are, and I am!”

What are the secrets of a long marriage? When we reach 50 years, I’ll  let you know . . .

What are the secrets of a long marriage? When we reach 50 years, I’ll  let you know . . . though I think four C’s may have something to do with it: Commitment to each other and to the marriage, shared faith in Christ, holding all things and situations in Common, and Comedy: being able to find humor in ourselves and in our situations. (“May the Four C’s be with you!”)

Which brings us back to the first topic: the Star Wars “Force.” I enjoyed the 2011 Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial in which a kid dressed like Darth Vader tries to control things in his house – toys, the dog, a washing machine, etc. – using the “Force.” Of course, nothing works until his dad gets home in the new VW. When the little Vader gestures at the car, his dad secretly starts the car from the house with his key fob, and the kid goes crazy. Finally! It worked!

Well, it didn’t really work, of course. Although I’m sure many people who saw the Star Wars movies have tried to make things happen by using “the Force,” (except me that is, ’cause I would never try such a thing – at least not more than once or twice maybe while humming John Williams’ theme music on the way out of the theater), the ideas about such a power are fictional. Concentrating one’s mind on something does not allow you to control it, though focusing on some task may help you to do it better.

Others have written more complete theological dissertations about the Force, but let me make just a few comments:

• Star Wars creator George Lucas introduced the term as a plot device, using it in the way magic is used in other kinds of science fiction and fantasy stories. People enjoy suspending reality, in a movie or in a magic show.
• He intended it to awaken spiritual interest in young people. Unfortunately, his spirituality was meant to be neutral when it came to the object of one’s faith (just believe something!). That doesn’t mean it was neutral, though; the Force teaches Buddhist concepts of the oneness of everything, of feeling rather than thinking, and of disengaging one’s rational mind.
• The phrase was deliberately intended to be similar to the Christian greeting: “The Lord be with you” (according to Chris Taylor in his book, How Star Wars Conquered the Universe). Substituting an impersonal force that derives its energy from the creation for the true Creator who holds all creation together by his own power, is not a good thing. Paul warned of this substitution in Romans 1:24-25, where he speaks of people who exchanged the worship of the Creator for worship of the creation – with terrible results. Though I can joke about “May the Fourth,” I would never seriously greet anyone with “May the Force be with you.”
• What is important in this life and the next is that the Lord, and not any other being or energy field, is with us. And the good news we have is that God is indeed with us by his grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus told us at his ascension to heaven, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) And God told us in Hebrew 13:5 (and elsewhere) that he will never leave us or forsake us. Not even death will separate us from the Lord: Paul wrote that to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord.
• The great news is that God’s being with us is not dependent on how much we can concentrate our mind or empty our mind, nor on what good thoughts we think, nor on what good deeds we do (not even destroying a Death Star), nor on how often we pray or go to church or give. God has called us to be his by his grace and mercy, because he LOVES us – (and that’s something no Force can do). And remember, God has no “dark side” (1 John 1:5).

What is important in this life and the next is that the Lord, and not any other being or energy field, is with us.

So, I guess the proper Lutheran response to “May the Force be with you” is not to say, “And also with you,” but to respond with the benediction which God himself instructed Moses’ brother Aaron to speak to the people, (Numbers:22-27) which goes like this:

“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 2:7-11

 

 

Soon after I began this blog, I grouped several small comments into one post I called Odds & Ends, and said I would probably do so again as the occasion might warrant. In that first Odds & Ends, I commented on several blog-related items, such as the Bible version I was using, where my blog’s heading picture came from, etc. Today, I offer a second such collection, but do so in the famous words of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “And now for something completely different. . .”

There are a few things that have been on my mind that are not directly related to matters of faith or theology (or so it may seem!), but which I want to “get off my chest” as it were. Not knowing where else to go with these thoughts, I decided to post them here. You may read, ignore, or reply as you wish!

Earthrise: The first thought has to do with the famous photo taken on Christmas Eve, 1968 by Apollo 8 as it orbited the moon, showing the earth in the lunar sky just above the horizon. The photo is called, “Earthrise,” and it is not only a beautiful picture, it is also a powerful reminder that all of us share this one planet together; that in the vastness of space, this one “blue marble” is where physical life exists. The implication is that we need to take care of it and each other – not a bad idea – and good theology as well! (Genesis 1:26-30, 2:15 and Romans 15:1-2 among many other verses).

Last year, a Japanese video lab released an enhanced video showing the earth actually rising in the lunar sky, lifting above the horizon until it is full-orbed in view. The description read with it placed the camera’s location at the moon’s south pole. The announcers who showed it on their national news program were suitably awed and impressed by the video.

The only problem is that from the moon’s perspective, there never has been an “earthrise” because the same side of the moon always faces the earth! The only way to watch the earth “rise” in the moon’s sky is to do what Apollo 8 and various moon probes did, and that is to fly over the surface toward the side of the moon which faces the earth. As you approach the earth-facing side, the earth would appear to rise due to your motion. But, if you took a still photo or video of the earth from anywhere on the moon’s surface, the position of the earth in your sky would never change. You could stand there for hours or days or weeks or centuries, and the position of the earth in your sky would be the same. You could see the earth rotate and watch as first the Americas and then the other continents passed in and out of view, but the position of the earth’s globe would always be in the same place, relative to where you are standing.

Why is that? Technically it’s because the period of the moon’s rotation (one 29.5-day month) is the same as the period of the moon’s revolution around the earth. The result is more familiar to us: the same side of the moon always faces the earth; whether the moon is full or a crescent or dark, the same side faces us all the time. It always has; not until probes photographed the back side of the moon did we have any idea what it looked like. Now both sides have been mapped, but just as we will never look up and see the far side of the moon, the far side of the moon will never see the earth; hence, no earthrise . . .

Oh, and by the way, even if the moon rotated faster so that both sides of the moon got to see the earth, a camera at the moon’s south pole would not see an earthrise; it would see the earth circle in the sky like the sun circles our sky above the arctic circle in the summer. Seeing an earthrise from the poles would be like the sun coming up in the north and setting in the south here on the earth. So. . . “earthrise” makes a great still photo, but no video from the moon’s surface.

So where does theology come in? Check out scriptural references to God’s creation of the moon. (Genesis 1:16 – creation; Psalm 89:37 – as a witness to God’s faithfulness; and Psalm 104:19 – to mark the seasons.)

The Monty Hall Problem: No, I’m not saying Monty Hall has or had a personal problem of some kind! What I’m referring to is a math problem based on the game show, Let’s Make a Deal, which was produced and emceed for many years by Mr. Hall. The problem has to do with the choice faced by a contestant when confronted by three doors, behind one of which is hidden the grand prize. The contestant must choose one of the three (let’s call it door A), which remains closed and unrevealed. Then Mr. Hall opens a door which does not have the grand prize (let’s call it door C), and asks the contestant whether he or she wants to keep the door already selected (door A), or trade it for the other unopened door (door B).

The contestant knows that the grand prize is behind either door A or door B; the problem is, should the contestant hold on to A or switch to B? Which choice is more likely to win the grand prize? Or are the odds the same for either choice?

Mathematics offers a solution to the dilemma. According to several proofs, including one presented in episode 13 of the TV show, Numb3rs (yes, that’s how it’s spelled) and in the movie 21, the contestant will have a better chance to win if he or she makes the trade for door B. The math says that the odds of winning by switching almost double the odds in your favor.

Huh? Aren’t the odds equal? You have two choices, A or B. Basic math probability gives the odds of either choice as 1/2 or 50%. Two choices, one desirable outcome = equal odds. How can mathematicians contradict that simple formula?

Their answer is that when you first chose door A, the odds of it being right were 1/3 (I agree), so the odds of B or C being right was 2/3. Because door C was a losing door, the odds of door B being the right choice remains 2/3. So, door B’s odds are 2/3, door A’s are 1/3, so you should switch to double your odds of winning. So the theory goes, and proofs of it are readily available on YouTube.

I am at risk dabbling in what is not my field of expertise (if I have one), but even after seeing the math proofs, I would still insist it makes no difference which door you chose, for the following two reasons: 1. First, it doesn’t matter how many choices were first available which narrowed it down to just two doors. There could have been 25 choices like on Deal or No Deal? When you get down to the final two doors, there are still just two choices. What went before doesn’t matter and doesn’t affect that choice.  It’s like tossing a coin: even if you toss 25 heads in a row, the odds on the next toss are still only 50% heads and 50% tails (assuming it’s not a 2-headed coin, which you might begin to suspect at that point!). Now, if you tried to predict at the beginning that you would toss 25 heads in a row, that would be different – 1/2 to the 25th power or 1/33554432. But on the 26th toss, the odds for that toss are still 1/2 for heads and 1/2 for tails.

2. The second reason I question the advice to switch doors is because the “proof” which is used to suggest the change is flawed. It switches the basis on which the two odds are calculated. Door A is rated using a base of three doors, but door B is rated based on adding two doors together. Of course the odds will be different if you set it up that way. Each door (A, B, and C) had only a 1/3 chance of being the prize door at the beginning, but when door C was eliminated, those initial odds vanish, and in the final selection doors A and B each have a 1/2 chance to hold the prize. Q.E.D. as they say in math proofs (Quod erat demonstratum = Latin for “what was to be demonstrated” or “thus proven” or more rudely, “take that!”).

What is the theological reason for this math question? I came across it while researching logical and ethical dilemmas for the course I taught on Christian ethics at St. Peter’s. It has been bugging me ever since . . . Also I would say not to bet your life or eternity on chance or the questionable odds of choosing which religion/door has the true prize behind it. There is only one door to eternal life, and that was the one promised by Jesus Christ, who said in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

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

Read: Genesis 1 and John 10

“Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”

That chorus was heard proclaimed in churches around the world today, Easter Sunday, just as it has been down through the centuries for almost 2000 years. Jesus Christ’s resurrection is the most life-changing, world-overturning, and hope-creating event in all of history. Without it there would be no Easter, of course. Without it, neither would there be a Christian Church. Without it, (shudder!) there would be no pastors emeriti! Without it, there would be no resurrection for you and me, nor hope of eternal life to come. But, Christ is risen (He is risen indeed!) and therefore we do have the sure and certain hope of our own resurrection to come, based on the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection and the biblically-revealed significance of what happened that first Easter.

This particular Easter weekend of 2017 is also the time of year we file our income tax returns. Talk about a clash of rendering unto Caesar and to God what belongs to each! (Matthew 22:21) Of course, Easter is about what God did for us to save us from our sins (Gospel) rather than what God demands from us (Law); it’s the government in this case that has the law thing going for it. What we render to God at Easter is our faith in Christ’s death and resurrection for our sake.

What we render to God at Easter is our faith in Christ’s death and resurrection for our sake.

While thinking of this juxtaposition, I was reminded of Ben Franklin’s famous remark, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Old Ben was a pretty sharp guy, the inventor of bifocals, the Franklin Stove, Poor Richard’s Almanack (I always liked the name of that for some reason – except for the “Poor” part), and the first electric kite, but he made a huge error of omission in that statement. While his point was that taxes are as inevitable as death itself, he forgot to mention the third thing which is also certain for each of us besides death and taxes, and that is resurrection.

It’s important for us to remember that one day we will be resurrected. Our destiny is not to be floating around like ghosts for all eternity; our destiny is to be raised from the dead with immortal, glorified and spiritual bodies. Scripture says that our bodies will be sown perishable and raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42), meaning that though our current bodies are mortal and subject to death and decay, when they are raised from the dead they will be changed, and no longer subject to illness, injury, aging, or death. Our resurrected bodies will have continuity with our current ones – our same bodies (whether embalmed, cremated, or eaten by a shark) will be raised – but they will be transformed. Exactly the same – only different.

This promise of resurrection is what we proclaim in our Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in . . . the resurrection of the body . . .” and the Nicene Creed: “We look for the resurrection of the dead . . . ” It is the comfort we give at funeral services to the bereaved. It is the hope we hold in our hearts for our own futures. It is the promise given to all who believe in Jesus Christ: that they will not perish, but have eternal life.

That the resurrection awaits all believers we are certain, but Scripture actually teaches that everyone will be resurrected, even those who were non-believers and enemies of God in this life!

Scripture actually teaches that everyone will be resurrected

• 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” All here means all, since even non-believers die, so they too shall live.
• Revelation 20 speaks of two resurrections, the first of those who will reign with Christ, the second of “the rest of the dead.”
• John 5:28-29 gives Christ’s definitive statement of this truth: “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”

Unlike what some sects teach, those who die apart from Christ do not just cease to exist, nor do they only suffer emotional or spiritual anguish (what Jesus referred to as the weeping and gnashing of teeth). The anguish will be real, but it will also be suffered physically as well, in bodies that will never die and therefore never receive the release from pain that death in this world can deliver. When Christ died for us and rose from the grave to defeat death, he delivered us from that eternal torment of soul and body which we were condemned by our sins to receive. Thank God! Through him we have the resurrection of life (John 5:29) promised by Christ, who proved his promise by his own resurrection that first Easter.

Therefore, we can legitimately proclaim, “We are risen, we are risen indeed!”

Though the day of our resurrection is still to come, its certainty is attested to in Scripture. It will take place on that “great and awesome day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31) when Christ returns. 1 Thessalonians 4 tells us that Christ will descend from heaven with a shout and the sound of the trumpet. He will bring with him the souls of those who have died in him; they will be raised in that instant. Then we who are alive at his coming will not die, but will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, receiving our immortal, eternal bodies. A living resurrection, as it were!

So, wait . . . Ben Franklin was wrong on another point? Death is not so inevitable as he said it was? For being so smart he must not have read his Bible all the way through! So, the only thing he got right was the part about taxes? Which reminds me . . . I’ve got a 1040 around somewhere that needs to get mailed . . .

Rejoice this day, and every day, that “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”

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

Read: 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4

 

Today was Palm Sunday, the first day of what is known as Passion Week. “Passion,” in the older English usage, means “suffering,” and is applied to the week during which Jesus Christ moved inexorably toward the crucifixion. It is a fitting term, in that Christ suffered intensely during the week, knowing that his death was imminent, being rejected by the people he came to save, feeling the pangs of betrayal and denial by his own disciples, being slandered and condemned unjustly in a rigged trial, and of course, being flogged, beaten, and crucified.

Although we mark each step our Lord took that last week before his death, our eyes look ahead to how the week will end: with the death of our Savior for the sins of the world and the burial of his lifeless, sacrificed body in the cold rock of a borrowed tomb. Like spectators who pass an accident scene, we have to look upon the horror even though it repels us; like videos of a great catastrophe on the news, we have to watch. But of course, we are not just spectators or innocent passers-by when it comes to Christ’s suffering: rather, we are the cause of his suffering. Though we were not there to directly flog him, though we swung no hammer to drive the nails into his hands and feet, those brutal assaults on the Lord of lords were endured because of our sins and for the forgiveness of the very sins that caused his suffering.

When I was in high school I sang in our church’s Gospel Choir (Yes, I actually did sing in a choir) and was asked by the choir director to sing one of the verses – solo – (Yes, solo!) on the following Sunday. Without going into the painful details of that self-esteem-shattering experience let me just say that: 1) I was never asked again; 2) I gave up any hopes of a Broadway career; and 3) the congregation came to understand suffering in a new way.

But the words of that verse have stuck with me all these years. They go like this: “Can’t you hear the hammer still ringing; Jesus died on Calvary.”

Now that it is Passion Week, we do once again listen for the sounds of the hammer driving the nails into our Lord’s hands and feet. It’s not that he is still being sacrificed; no, his work on the Cross was completed almost 2,000 years ago and there is nothing more that he needs to do to save us. As Jesus himself declared from the Cross, “It is finished!” But though Christ’s saving sacrifice is done, two things do continue down through the centuries to our day: first, the reason for Christ’s sacrificial death; and second, the benefits of his sacrifice for us.

1. The Reason for Christ’s death: Plainly stated, the reason for Christ’s death is the confrontation between our sins and God’s love for us. Our sinful nature and the sins that flow from us created the need for us to be forgiven and have our guilt taken away to avoid eternal condemnation. We were totally lost and unable to save ourselves, no matter how many good deeds we tried to pile up. But having that need doesn’t mean we had any expectation to find forgiveness; it was only because God loved us so greatly that he did not give up on us, but sent his only Son to die for our sakes. 1 John 4:9 says, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” Mercy triumphed over judgment (James 2:13).

As we pray, fast, worship, and meditate on God’s word, we come face to face with our sins. We realize that we are no less responsible for Christ’s death than were those who physically drove the nails into our Lord. And we realize that we are no less loved than were those for whom Christ pleaded, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

2. The Benefits of Christ’s death: If the ringing of the hammer sounds like the sad notes of a funeral bell tolling the death of a loved one, then it should also sound like wedding bells ringing out a celebration of love and the promise of new life together. For the death of Jesus Christ brought eternal benefits to his beloved bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25). Those benefits continue for us today: forgiveness of our sins; adoption as children of God; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us; eternal life with God in a new heaven and earth; and unending joy and peace. These are ours because Jesus accepted the Cross and all that went with it for one reason: to reconcile you and me to God. And these benefits are ours by believing in him.

So, do you look ahead this week to Good Friday? Do you “hear the hammer still ringing?” If you do, then you know your sins and Christ’s great love for you. May you grow in your devotion to our Lord and may you rejoice at the eternal benefits that only he could provide. Those benefits are worth singing about . . . only this time I think I’ll leave the solos to those who can sing!

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

Read: Joel 2:12-13, and John chapters 12 – 20.

One of the dancers on this season’s Dancing With the Stars is the actor known as Mr. T. You may also remember him from Rocky III where he played Rocky’s formidable opponent, Clubber Lang, or from his role as B.A. Baracus in the 1980s TV series, The A-Team. In that series, one of Mr. T’s most memorable lines was “Pity the fool!” which he would snarl at anyone who tried to get in his way. The insult warned that the person would suffer dire consequences, something that Mr. T’s character was only too willing to dish out.

I was reminded of that line when I saw that today is April 1st, or as it is known widely, April Fools’ Day. This is the day that people traditionally pull tricks or play practical jokes on their (former?) friends and family. Such jokes can run the gamut from funny, harmless tricks that even the victim can laugh at, to harmful and upsetting stunts that are totally inappropriate. Of course, I have never done any of the latter, but I did pull off a couple elaborate ruses in my day (all of which, I hasten to add, were long before I became a pastor!).

One of my earliest stunts was making a fake letter from the oil company where my dad usually filled up his car’s gas tank. It was the only charge card he had, so I created a mock letter informing him that because he was behind in his payments, they were going to repossess his car. Then I slipped the realistic-looking envelope in with his mail, and waited for his suitably stunned reaction. My shout of “April Fool!” showed him it was all a joke – and who the guilty party was. A couple years later, I tried the same kind of fake notice from his dentist, but by then, he was on to me. That time it was not, “Pity the fool!” but rather, “Pity the fooler!”

So how does the Christian faith affect our “celebration” of April Fools’ Day and our understanding of what it means to be a fool?

1. I don’t know that we are forbidden from ever playing any kind of a joke on someone, because jokes can be harmless and can actually be enjoyable to the person being “fooled,” such as are magic tricks which “fool” us but are fun to watch. But there have to be serious limits and restrictions on them. First, because God forbids us bearing false witness against our neighbor (the Eighth Commandment – Exodus 20:16), any joke must not denigrate or insult the other person, especially in the eyes of others (which might eliminate 98% of all jokes right there!). Second, we must avoid situations which may cause physical harm (such as messing with food, drink, or a person’s car). Third, we should minimize the other person’s inconvenience, time, or expense. For example, I revealed my joke to my dad before he sent a check to the oil company. And fourth, we must be careful not to damage our Christian witness to people by alienating them or by gaining the reputation of being a “fooler” whose word can’t be trusted. In summary, whatever we do must reflect what Jesus called the greatest commandments: love for God and love for the other person.

. . . whatever we do must reflect what Jesus called the greatest commandments: love for God and love for the other person.

To that end, I think a Christian can get along just fine without ever fooling anyone, even on a day when they might expect it.

2. Being fooled by someone on April 1st, or any other day, doesn’t make you a fool. According to the Bible, being a fool or being foolish is a moral condition, and is defined by a person’s attitude toward God and God’s commandments. The essential definition of a fool is given in Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” Other passages, especially in the book of Proverbs, describe the attitudes and actions of a fool: a fool despises wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7), a fool comes to ruin by not receiving God’s commands (Proverbs 10:8), and a fool practices iniquity and foolishness. A fool also fails in his obligations to give food and drink to the poor (Isaiah 32:6).

The Apostle Paul is hard on all those who think they are wise, yet do not follow God. He says that thinking themselves to be wise, they become fools, because what they consider to be the “foolishness of God” is wiser than anything they hold to be wise about themselves (1 Corinthians 1:20-25). Likewise, Jesus spoke parables about fools: one was a foolish man who built his house on sand rather than a rock (Matthew 7:24-27); the other was a farmer who built bigger barns to hold all his abundant harvest, only to be told, “You fool! Tonight your soul is required of you!” (Luke 12:20).

Many things Christians do seem foolish from a worldly perspective

Many things Christians do seem foolish from a worldly perspective: turning the other cheek when offended, forgiving someone who harmed or cheated you (or played an April Fools’ joke on you like sending you a false letter from an oil company . . . ), giving 10% of your income to God’s work in the church, getting up Sunday mornings instead of sleeping in, praying to God and reading your Bible. The world says, “Pity the fools!” but God’s own word says you are practicing wisdom, and not foolishness.

As a final thought for this April Fools’ Day, I’d like to share with you the words of a young man named Jim Elliot, who in January 1956 was killed in the jungle of Ecuador by the very Indians he went there to reach. After his death (and the deaths of several other men who went there with him on that mission), their widows forgave their husbands’ killers and went to the same tribe with the Gospel their men had tried to proclaim. Foolish? In the world’s eyes, yes; but many of the Indians became Christians, including the leader who had murdered the missionaries. What the women did was not so foolish, after all: the women were following the words of the martyred leader, Jim Elliot, who had said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

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

Read: Matthew 7:24-29

Yesterday afternoon, I had a dream.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That greater reality is the Reality of God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read: John 9:1-41

 

 

Happy St. Richard’s Day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read: Ephesians 1

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

In general, Lent is a somber and reflective time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read: John 11:1-44

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Remember that the true language of Lent is love.

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

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

Read: Matthew 4:1-11

The doctor looked up from the printed test results, and with a somber but kindly visage spoke those dreaded words: “I’m sorry to have to tell you, but it is cancer. I would suggest getting your affairs in order, just in case.”

As I sat in the doctor’s waiting room, those were the words I was afraid I might be hearing when I finally got in to see him. Those were the words that had been playing in my head over the entire previous week, ever since I had made the appointment to see him about The Lump.

It had all begun about two weeks earlier when a feral kitten showed up at our porch’s sliding door. It was soooo cute, but it wanted nothing to do with us. Not to be deterred, I began to “chum” the cat with offerings of food, which I placed closer and closer to the door as the kitten got bolder and bolder. Exulting in my cleverness (over a cat) I opened the sliding door and laid a food trail into the house. It took a few tries, but finally my plan worked: the kitten was in the house! I quickly slid the door shut to trap it, but it freaked out and after slamming itself against the glass slider two or three times, it tore off through the house and into the attached garage.

I went into the garage and searched for where the kitten had hidden itself. I finally found it in a large, upright and open-topped cardboard box which held a few tools and sticks. Now I had it! At which point I did the second most stupid thing I have ever done, which was to reach down into the box and pick up the little cutie (i.e., a feral carnivore with razor-sharp teeth and claws) with my bare left hand. The feral carnivore latched onto my hand and proceeded to shred everything below my wrist that was capable of bleeding. Within seconds, I had thirty wounds dripping blood as the little beast continued to bite and claw. That was when I did the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.

That was when I did the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.

Even though I now knew what the little feral carnivore could do, I grabbed it with my unprotected, bare right hand to pull it off my bleeding left hand. Of course, now the cute little kitten latched onto my right hand and did the same to it (though you think it would have been full after feasting on the first hand!). Now I had two bleeding hands. Showing great moral restraint I restrained from “euthenizing” either the kitten (or myself) and tossed it back into the cardboard box.

A few minutes later, Animal Control arrived. The officer saw my hands and smiled (yes, she smiled!), put on heavy leather gloves, and pulled the feral monster out of the box without further incident.

Within a week of that traumatic event, I noticed I had a Lump in my left arm, above the elbow and fairly deep. The Lump grew some, and after several days of ignoring it and hoping it would just go away (which are good, manly things to do) I began to get worried. I called the doctor, but the earliest time he had free was a full week later. I made the appointment and went about my normal schedule.

Only, I couldn’t stop thinking, or worrying, about The Lump. I convinced myself it must be cancer. (I grew up watching TV ads from the American Cancer Society – “The Seven Warning Signs of Cancer” – and had just about memorized the list: difficulty in swallowing – right now, just try to swallow three times without any food or drink! – , a sore that does not heal, a persistent cough, a Lump or thickening in the breast or elsewhere, etc.) Notice the Lump. I imagined the doctor telling me I had only so long to live, and thought through what that would mean in the time I had left.

What would I have to give up right away? What would I do as long as I could? What would they have to pry my cold dead fingers from? In my last blog post, I talked about giving up books and other physical stuff; but as I considered my mortality, I began to prioritize my activities.

You see, at that time I had a lot less stuff and a lot more activities. Besides my work as executive director of a youth-serving multi-agency which required monthly meetings with four boards of directors, I worked with the local United Way which funded our organization, was an active member of a local service club, was president of a statewide mineral chapter, served as Sunday school superintendent, led group discussions for Bible Study Fellowship, represented work at community events, and was taking seminary courses part-time in extension. Oh yeah, and I was (and am still) married. There was more, but you get the idea. I was swamped with things I wanted to do, and with things I was obligated to do for work. What would I do if I got the death sentence?

What would I do if I got the death sentence?

I took out a sheet (a large sheet) of paper and made several columns with headings like, “Give up in a heartbeat”,”Phase out soon”,”Do as long as I can”, and “Pry my dead fingers from.” (Okay, maybe the words were a little different, but you get the idea.) Then, down the side I listed all the things I was doing or was involved in – everything that was part of my life including daily work, church attendance, sports (tennis and swimming), and even my marriage. Then I proceeded to make a check mark in the appropriate column for each activity or involvement. The result was a prioritized list of what I would give up should I get a bad diagnosis, and what would be the last things to go, and then only at my death.

When I finished prioritizing the list, I sat back and examined it. What I realized was that there were only two real priorities: my wife and my Lord, Jesus Christ. The only things I would continue until the end (beside my marriage) were those that had to do with my faith: church, Bible study, and seminary classes. That was it. Everything else would go. This exercise was an eye-opener to me, because most of my time and energy was taken up by all those other things that I would have given up long before what mattered the most.

Those prioritizing results – and the expected news that would start the winnowing process in motion – were going through my head as I sat in the doctor’s waiting room. Finally, they called me into the exam room. When the doctor finally came in, I told him my concern. He looked serious as he felt The Lump. Then he grabbed my left hand and began examining it. I asked why, since The Lump was further up the arm, and he said he was looking for a sore on my hand. I showed him there was one small sore not yet healed from my feral, monster cat death-match. He smiled (yes, he smiled, too) and said that answered what he needed to know. The Lump, he said, was a swollen lymph gland fighting the infection, which since it was caused by the cat, was Cat-Scratch Fever (not the song, but a real disease). He prescribed an antibiotic, and before long, the sore healed and The Lump disappeared.

All that worry for nothing! Well, not for nothing. The infection did have to be treated, but even more than that, God used the incident to help me focus on what was important in my life and therefore what should be important in my living. Because now the question that came to me was, “If I would drop all these items from my life if I were terminal, why am I doing them all now, when I’m not?” Or, more correctly, since we are all terminal, but just don’t know when that date may be, “Why am I doing all those things, knowing my time on earth is finite?”

“Why am I doing all those things, knowing my time on earth is finite?”

Good question. I did begin to back off certain activities and involvements, freeing up time for the more important things and reducing stress from unneeded obligations. And more importantly, God used this crisis to confirm my future path into full-time seminary and ministry. You know,  I never really missed any of the things I gave up, and I can tell you that even today, my priorities remain what they were when I had The Lump, for I know what in my life would be the last things to go.

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

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

 

 

 

 

Back in the early 1970’s when I was doing my undergraduate degree in Applied Behavioral Science, one of the popular approaches to working with people was called “values clarification.” This technique was intended to help people think through what was important to them – in other words, to “clarify their values” – by giving them scenarios which required them to make hard choices. Those decisions would reveal their values, ethics, morals, etc. One example of such a “forced-decision” problem was the lifeboat which would hold only so many people, and there is one person too many needing to be rescued; who has to be left behind, and why? Another less brutal example was which vehicle would you buy: a sports car, a pickup truck, a station wagon (yes, we had station wagons back then), or a cheap gas-miser? And then, explain why you chose what you did.

Well, this past week we saw a forced-choice exercise played out for real here in Northern California, when an overflowing Oroville reservoir began to seriously erode the integrity of the dam’s main and auxiliary spillways. Fearing an imminent and catastrophic failure of the auxiliary spillway – and a resulting 30-foot wall of water – the sheriffs in the threatened downstream counties ordered mandatory evacuations. Suddenly, over 100,000 people had to grab what they could and “get out of Dodge” right away. So what did they grab? What was vital, valuable, or irreplaceable? What could be abandoned to the flood waters or maybe looters? What would they hold onto tightly, and what would they not even miss? But even a tougher question is this: which of two important, valued items would they take if they could only take one? And all those questions had to be answered right now!

In a way, I am going through that same exercise myself, though as far as I know I have a little more time to answer such questions, and far more latitude as far as what I can keep. The situation my wife and I are facing can be summed up in one 3-word phrase:

“too much stuff.”

First, there is the accumulation of the usual things people gather over 42 years of marriage: furniture, appliances, clothes, tools, etc. Then there’s my rock collection which we moved here from the Midwest 22 years ago (Overheard from the people who helped us unload the truck when we arrived: “What do you have in these boxes, rocks?” To which we answered, “Yes.”). There’s camping equipment. There’s my wife’s babysitting toys and Christmas ornament collection. And then, there’s my books.

Ah yes, my books. Hundreds – no, thousands – of books. I own enough books, non-fiction mainly, in enough categories of knowledge that should civilization collapse and the power grid go permanently down, mankind could recreate civilization from my library alone. (I once saw an episode of “Hoarders” where one of the hoarders claimed the same civilization-preserving value for his massive hoard of books. I actually got nervous watching him . . . he sounded a little too much like me!) History, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, zoology, herpetology, math, languages (ancient and modern), religion, and classic literature – you name it, and I probably have a book about it.

Even so, my library might have been manageable in our 13 bookcases and 8′ X 10′ floor-to-ceiling shelves covering an entire wall, except for two significant events: first, my retirement which meant bringing home my theology books and Bible commentaries from my church office (7 bookcases worth) and second, a roof leak which destroyed the wall behind the floor-to-ceiling shelves and required that they be torn out. Suddenly, we are buried in stacks and boxes of books in every room of the house.

About which my wife has been extremely patient (the archaic word for it, “long-suffering,” somehow comes to mind). She long ago gave up any claim on our bookshelves for her books, and switched to reading on her Kindle instead. Love does that.

Love also confronts us with reality,

and so it was that Karen raised the question while watching the Oroville evacuations on TV: “What if the levees protecting our area broke and we had to evacuate immediately? What would we save?” That was a tough question, and a situation I hope we never have to face, but it’s one that we need to answer . . . before the call to evacuate comes.

A full discussion of what to grab could get into issues of “prepping,” go-bags, and zombie apocalypses, all of which are beyond the scope of this article (though I probably have books about them). For me right now, just focusing on the question of which books I would save is enough. What would I do?

I think I would try to save the books that to me are irreplaceable: really old books (some are 150-200 years old), books signed by the authors, gift books from friends, a few special books I really like, and a Bible. Most other books are replaceable, though if I lost them I wouldn’t necessarily spend money to replace them, since I got them for free or almost free.

But as soon as I make that list of books-to-save, the question then arises: “If I am willing to lose the other books in an emergency, then why am I holding on to them now, when there isn’t?”

As I thought about the book-saving dilemma, it occurred to me that it is a metaphor for much of life: we are all holding onto things – material, behavioral, and relational – that take up room, time, energy, and financial resources. Can we really afford the cost? What do we have to give up in order to hold onto them? Why are we holding onto those things? Are they good and helpful things, or do they corrupt and bring us down? Are we only keeping those things out of habit and not out of choice? What would our life be like if we could sit down and plan what we want it to be?

Unlike our values-clarification exercises or my book-choosing dilemma, the life questions of what we would keep and what we would give up are really important, because we all are facing a time-limit on our lives, when all the things we own and do will be swept away in the great spillway break called death. We don’t know when that will come for any of us, but it will come. Before it does,

now is the time to assess how we are spending our time and ask ourselves what we would keep, and what we would give up, if we knew our time here was short.

And so I ask you, are you living as a faithful steward (manager) of what God has given you? Are you using your time, energy, finances, and abilities to help and bless others? Are you working in whatever you do for the Lord, rather than for yourself? Are you praising God and proclaiming Jesus Christ? And is there something you can give up that is standing in your way, keeping you from serving Christ as you know you could? These are questions worth asking, answering, and acting upon!

And as for my books, I need to remember the words of our Lord in Matthew 6:19-21, where he said we are not to lay up treasures on earth where they can be destroyed or stolen, but rather in heaven, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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

Read: Ecclesiastes 12:12

P.S. Karen just read this and asked, “So, does this mean you’ll actually start getting rid of some of your books now?” We’ll see . . .

 

 

 

Doctrine really does matter.

My only hesitancy to use the word “doctrine” in the title of this article is the fact that the term has fallen out of favor when it comes to describing the Christian faith. To use it in my title may discourage potential readers because the topic of doctrine sounds dry and academic, or even obsolete. (But since you’ve read this far, at least you haven’t been scared off, so stick with me!)

You hear people say things like, “I don’t get hung up on doctrines and creeds; just give me Jesus!” “Doctrines divide but love unites,” and “I have no creed but the Bible.”  Of course, when you ask them who Jesus is, what love is, why being united is a good thing, and what does the Bible teach, their responses are by definition doctrinal. It’s like the postmodern statement that there is no objective truth, which is in itself a statement seeking to proclaim objective truth.

And then there’s the clever but absolutely horrible statement, “My karma ran over your dogma!” a nonsense comment which is meant to put down Western religion (that is, Christianity) which is based on propositional truth (dogma or doctrine) given by a personal God, in favor of eastern religions which are based on feelings and emptiness of self in favor of an impersonal force (karma). I would prefer to say, “My dogma chased your karma!” (Which makes no sense either, but I had to say it.)

So why does doctrine matter? There are several reasons which make doctrine important in our lives (beyond answering for us the question of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin).

1. Doctrine matters because God has revealed himself to us doctrinally. The Scriptures teach us about God, about ourselves and our need for salvation, and about our Savior, Jesus Christ. There are direct propositional statements such as “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” “God is love,” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and “Jesus came to save sinners,” among many others. The fool says in his heart “There is no God,” (Psalm 53:1) but I think it’s also foolish to believe there is a God but not want to know or believe anything specific  about him.
   

   We cannot read God’s Word without encountering and depending on doctrinal statements to understand what he has said about himself and our salvation.

2. Doctrine matters because it has defined the Church and is the expression of the Church’s faith and beliefs. Without doctrine there is no Church, and conversely, the Church has developed and affirmed doctrines based on what God has spoken through Scripture. The very term “Trinity” and the doctrines around it, for example, were created by the Church to explain and better understand what the Bible teaches about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and their unity as one God. That testimony of believers who have faithfully studied and interpreted the Bible has produced the key doctrines which have been taught by the Church throughout the world.
   

   Without doctrine there is no true Church united in faith – just social groups of friends holding potlucks and weekly sing-a-longs.

3. Doctrine matters because we are saved by grace through faith. Faith plays a huge part in our salvation; what we believe is greater than what we do when it comes to being forgiven and inheriting eternal life. In fact, Christian doctrine affirms what the Scriptures teach, that we are justified before God by our faith and not by our works. Romans 3:28 says, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” The faith referred to includes belief in a certain person, Jesus Christ, but also in certain doctrines about who Jesus is and what he has done for us. True saving faith has content: it believes something, specifically that Jesus has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2), that he is Lord and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:9-10), that he and the Father are one (John 10:30), that he was crucified to save us from our sins (Galatians 2:20), and that he is the Christ and the Son of God (Matthew 16:15-18).
   

   Believing that there was a man named Jesus who was a good, moral teacher is not enough. Our doctrine about him matters eternally!

4. Doctrine matters because it affects how we live. Years ago one of my relatives married a man that she had reservations about because she believed that Christ’s return was imminent and that the Lord wanted her (and him) to be married before that happened. Her doctrines of the end times and of marriage led her to make a decision and do something she later regretted: their marriage ended before too many years, and twenty years later Christ has still not returned. There are other examples from history, current events, and our own lives that we can give of doctrine shaping behavior:
   • The Pilgrims sailed to America (even losing almost half their number within a few months of landing) because their doctrines were different from those of the Church of England, which persecuted them for having different doctrines.
   • Today, there are many Islamists who are committing acts of terror because of their doctrines about religious law, life after death, and the Koran. There are also Christians who are suffering persecution and even martyrdom because they believe Jesus is Lord and will not renounce him even at the threat of death.
   • And then there’s us: how we live and the decisions we make are guided or at least influenced by what we believe. Do we believe God condemns cheating on our taxes, messing with the neighbor’s spouse, and gossiping and therefore avoid doing those things? What do we spend our money on, and how much do we give to the Lord’s work in our local church? Do we volunteer to help the poor or the homeless? Do we really believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one goes to the Father except through him (John 14:6) – and does that doctrine move us to tell others about him for their sake? And do we look forward to Christ’s return and heaven because of his atoning death and resurrection? How we answer those and many other similar questions, and how we behave reveal the doctrines we actually hold to be true.

What are your doctrines? What do you believe to be true about God, yourself, and life? Why are you here (I mean on earth, not on my blog site)? What does eternity hold for you, and why? I encourage you to set aside some time to examine your beliefs – your doctrines – to know what you believe and assess whether your actions are consistent with what you say is true.

James (2:18) said, “I will show you my faith by my works.” So what doctrines are you showing by your actions?

Study your Bible and the great creeds and confessions of the Church which explain the Scriptures. Worship where those truths are rigorously upheld and taught. And then live accordingly, knowing that doctrine really matters, for you and for everyone you impact. And may the Holy Spirit enlighten and strengthen you in the true faith through God’s own Word, because . . .

Doctrine really matters!

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

Read: John 20:30-31

 

Yesterday was Groundhog Day, which got me thinking about the part that superstitions play in our “modern” and “enlightened” times. Even though we use the term “superstitious” in a derogatory sense, we still have many superstitions today.

In Part One of my musings on that topic, I wrote that there are, generally speaking, two kinds of superstitions. The first, which I called “omens,” are those things we believe will give us special knowledge that is otherwise unknowable; such methods seem to inform us through some occult or supernatural activity. I suggested that believing a groundhog (especially one in Punxatawney, Pennsylvania) can forecast the next six weeks of weather for us is a mild example of an “omen.” I also wrote that seeking hidden knowledge through Ouija boards and seances is a much more dangerous – and biblically forbidden – activity. (The Ouija board was popular during World War I, as families sought to learn how their soldier sons and husbands were doing in far-away France. The name was invented by combining the French and German words for “yes” – oui and ja. It was believed that spirits would relay the information – definitely forbidden by God!)

But besides the superstitions that people have which purport to give them information which they can then use in some normal manner, there are also those superstitions which claim to control or exert some influence upon reality. It is this second category of superstition to which we will now turn our attention.

2. The second  type of superstition  is what I would call, the “magic” type. Of course, by “magic” I don’t mean the amazing illusions or tricks you see “magicians” perform. I mean more like the, “If you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back” kind of superstition my grade-school friends and I repeated aloud while we stepped from one sidewalk section to the next. Somehow, we were afraid that our action would actually cause our moms some harm; or at least, we weren’t taking any chances!

Magic superstitions can be intended to protect someone, such as by avoiding stepping on cracks, or intended to cause harm,  such as by sticking pins in voodoo dolls. But mostly, people follow them in order to gain some benefit or advantage for themselves. Gamblers blow on their dice and recite a certain “good luck” phrase before casting them, believing it will cause the right number to come up; a high school friend of mine swore you could get rid of warts by cutting a potato in half and burying it during a full moon; and even I sometimes think I can keep it from raining by carrying my umbrella with me (though there may be some truth to this last example . . .)

But the “Super Bowl” of people following magic superstitions can be found surrounding, well, the Super Bowl. By this Sunday, I predict great numbers of Americans will have pulled out all the stops when it comes to acting superstitiously. They will: wear special victory clothing such as team shirts and caps; they will sit in their favorite chair for reasons other than comfort or handy cup-holders; they will invite over certain good luck friends and avoid the others; they will eat certain foods and drinks in a certain order; they will try to avoid jinxing their team by saying things like, “We’ve got this won!”; and they will either clutch their Tom Brady bobble-head to their bosom, or rip its head off. All done to somehow actually influence the course of the game. As I asked yesterday, do opposing superstitions cancel each other out? If the fans of both teams do or avoid the same things, then who wins?

Logical paradoxes are not the worst thing about magic superstitions. The worst thing is that they are attempts to play God, or to force God to do what we want him to do. This was the religion of the Baal worshipers in ancient Israel (and actually of all pagans). They sought to influence the “gods” of nature by their actions, doing things like what they wanted to make happen, as if by doing them their gods would have to use their powers to effect a good outcome. Fertility cults existed to increase crops, livestock, and children; war gods like Mars were worshiped by purifying soldiers’ weapons and trumpets; and children were offered in sacrifices as “seeds” for Molech to give more children in return. In magic, people sought – and still seek – to be God, giving in again to the first temptation made by the devil to our first ancestors in the Garden.

The biblical faith, the faith which the true God desires from us, is a submission to him and to his will. It is about trusting God alone for all our provision and for all good things. While he does invite us to pray to him and bring our needs to him, we recognize that he is not some genie in a lamp that we can command to obey us, but rather the all- powerful and sovereign God of the universe who has all authority. He is not bound by our superstitious actions, nor by the eloquence of our prayers. He does not have to grant our wishes because we make the sign of the cross when we ask him. He gives us good things because he loves us and desires good for us. Jesus himself taught us about our heavenly Father, saying,

“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)

Martin Luther addressed this in his Large Catechism when he explained the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Luther wrote that we must recognize that all good things come from God, and that to attribute them to anyone or anything else is to break that commandment. This accords with James 1:7, which says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Ultimately, the greatest gift which God has given us is his own Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we receive forgiveness of our sins and eternal life.

What does this all mean for a Christian? It means we look to God alone for what we need to know. He has given us the mental abilities to understand and appreciate much of the world he created, and in his Word he has revealed to us many precious things about himself and his plan for our salvation. But some things are hidden, mostly for our own good. In those areas, such as the future, we must just trust God and not seek to supplement what he has revealed by seeking other forbidden sources for answers. It also means that we recognize that he is God and we are not. We are not to play God by trying to manipulate reality by magical means. Instead, we pray to God repeatedly in every circumstance, but then we have to trust him and say, as our Lord said in Gethsemane,

“Not my will, but yours be done.” (Matthew 26:39)

So when it comes to Sunday’s Super Bowl, will I go through some magical ritual to help one team win? No. Will I pray about the game? Yes – but only that no one is injured. (After all, my team didn’t make it!)

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

Read: Matthew 7:1-11

Happy Groundhog Day . . . or not . . . depending on how much credence you give to Punxatawney Phil, the famous groundhog who did indeed see his shadow this morning. As happens every year, crowds gather on Gobbler’s Knob in the town of Punxatawney, Pennsylvania, to watch the rodent come out of his burrow. And, as the tradition goes, if he sees his shadow on February 2nd, it means we’re in for another six weeks of winter. Or at least, Punxatawney, Pennsylvania is. How accurate is he? According to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (seriously?) he’s been right only 21% of the time. Not that good for an enduring superstition, considering the odds are 50/50.

But Phil is not the only superstition that people are dealing with right now; it is after all, Super Bowl week. Talk about superstitions! It seems everyone has a certain ritual to perform, a certain shirt or outfit to wear, certain foods to eat or a special chair to sit upon to ensure their team wins. They’re afraid to say certain things that might “jinx” their team. And that’s just the players we’re talking about! When it comes to fans watching the game (or not, if watching might jinx your team) the rituals and traditions are all over the place. Of course, I always wonder how it works: if all the superstitions are true, who wins, given that fans and players on both sides are doing them?

I’m glad to say I’m above such things (though I may have jinxed the Packers by loaning my cheesehead to a fellow Packers fan at church just before the NFC playoff).

In some cases, such superstitions are harmless fun. In Punxatawney, for example, it’s a tourist draw and a matter of civic pride for which the leaders play dress-up with top hats and long coats. I think hardly anyone actually believes the groundhog is a real prognosticator. But, unfortunately, many people are caught up in other superstitions which affect their lives, their decision-making, their finances, their families, and even their relationship with God.

This is especially surprising to see in today’s Western world, which supposedly left its superstitious beliefs back in the Dark Ages. People refuse to believe in God because “it isn’t scientific” to put faith in what we cannot see, yet they buy lottery tickets or read horoscopes or give offerings to “earth spirits.”

Superstitions come in two broad categories.

1. First, there is what I call, the “omen” type. This includes attempts to discern knowledge in ways beyond our senses and reason, such as with horoscopes, Ouija boards, I Ching sticks, Tarot cards, fortune tellers, seances, and yes, even groundhogs. It’s not that wanting to know things is bad; after all, we study the Bible to learn about God and science to learn about what he has created. The former is commanded by Scripture itself: (Psalm 111:12, Acts 17:11) and the latter reveals God’s power and divine nature through what he has made (Romans 1:20). The problem comes when we seek knowledge in ways which God has forbidden us to use. And God has clearly commanded us to avoid such occult sources: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

While the things which God forbids sound extreme compared with something seemingly harmless like reading a daily horoscope, the two are actually of a similar nature. In either case, a person is seeking answers and directions for life decisions by putting some other authority above God. He wants us instead to look to him in prayer. Notice that it doesn’t matter if the forbidden source happens to yield information that is true; we are still to avoid seeking knowledge in that way. In fact, it can be especially dangerous when a forbidden source comes through with accurate answers, because then we trust it even more and can put ourselves into its bondage.

There is a classic episode of the Twilight Zone called “Nick of Time” in which a young couple’s car breaks down in a small town. While they wait for it to be repaired, they hang out in the local diner where the booth has a penny-operated “fortune-telling” machine that spits out cards with answers to the couple’s questions. The fact that there was a devil’s head on the machine should have been their first clue not to get involved! But they do, at first for entertainment, but then in growing fear and dependency on the machine as the answers it gives prove to be true, one right after another. Finally they realize the machine was coming to control them and they break away from its bondage and escape the town. On their way out, they pass an elderly couple who are coming into the diner with a handful of pennies, obviously still in such bondage.

Isaiah 8:19 says, “And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?”

It’s not that God cannot use various means to make his will known for us. The Bible does tell us that he has done so, such as when the apostles selected a replacement for the deceased Judas Iscariot: they cast lots and prayed for God to reveal his choice between two qualified candidates. We believe God did answer their prayer. But that was before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and before the writing of the New Testament Scriptures; now we seek answers in God’s Word through the guidance of his Spirit.

The second type of superstition is what I would call the “magic” type. It includes all attempts to influence or control the outcome of events and things by rituals that we do. This is the kind of superstition which will be rampant around the Super Bowl, and it is the kind of superstition which I will address tomorrow in my next post, “Of Groundhogs and Other Superstitions: Part Two”.

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

Read: Deuteronomy 13:1-3

 

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!

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

Over the years, long before I headed off to seminary at the age of 40, I found certain passages and books of the Bible to be especially exciting and interesting. While there were too many to list all of them here, they included the Great Flood of Noah’s day, the plagues of Egypt leading to the Exodus, the collapse of Jericho’s walls, Gideon’s victory over the Midianites, David’s killing of Goliath, Elijah’s defeat of the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, and most of the book of Daniel. In the New Testament I enjoyed the account of Jesus’ birth in Luke, Jesus’ miracles, and most of the book of Revelation. You can probably detect a pattern here: God’s power demonstrated in dramatic events which delivered his people and defeated his enemies. The sort of things we would expect from a mighty and holy God!

Those passages and others like them still appeal to me a lot. But since then, largely as a result of my pastoral ministry, study, and life experiences, I have also come to appreciate “quieter” passages, especially those that speak of faith.

Faith – also called belief and trust – is the essential fact and requirement of a Christian’s life. Without it, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6); through it God justifies us (Romans 3:28) and saves us by his grace (Ephesians 2:8). But it’s important to note from the start that biblical faith requires an object of that faith. Unlike what is portrayed in popular movies and television shows, true faith is not some personal spiritual quality which we create or conjure up to give us an optimistic view of the future. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is not a feeling; it is an assurance of something specific. Ultimately, faith is belief in the greatest “unseen” reality, and that is in God himself.

In pondering faith and its meaning and applications, I have found three verses to be especially helpful and motivating. You could call them a “Trifecta of Trust.” They are more than just any three verses from among many that could be chosen; these verses impacted me at different times in my life, and they represent to me ascending levels of trust in God and in his Son, Jesus Christ.  They are as follows:

The first verse is about believing there is a God, specifically the God who revealed himself to us in the Bible. While there are many verses that call on us to believe in God, the one that first impacted me as a teenager was my confirmation verse,

John 1:12, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

This verse speaks specifically about Christ and promises a blessing attached to faith in him and in God. As a young believer, I knew that God was real and I believed in Jesus by name. I also appreciated that he accepted me as his child (though at the time I wrongly saw this adoption as a future event; in my mind, the “right to become” a child of God did not mean I was there yet.)

In its context, this verse contrasts the unbelief and rejection which Christ faced from his own people, to God’s adoption of those who receive his Son. For the reality is that most of the world then and now rejects our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who reject him will in turn be rejected by God, for the promise of salvation in John 3:16 is followed by the warning of John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Paul adds in Romans 1:20 that there is no excuse for such disbelief: “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.”

So the basic requirement of faith is to believe in God. It is the foundation for all that follows, even to eternal life.

The second verse(s) was given to me after I arrived and began my studies at seminary. At that time I was a candidate with a large Lutheran church body, but encountered resistance from the very beginning by that church’s candidacy committee due to my belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Realizing that I was on the fringe of that denomination and would be constantly at odds with its teachings and leaders, I began to consider alternative Lutheran bodies.

It was a scary time. We had sold our house, quit our jobs, and moved to a different state to attend seminary. I was attending one of the most expensive seminaries in the country, and now on top of that, the idea of leaving a likely placement for an unknown affiliation meant more uncertainty.

After a particularly rough meeting with my candidacy committee, I contacted one of the alternative church bodies I had learned about: The American Association of Lutheran Churches (AALC). During a phone conversation with the AALC’s Seminary President, Dr. Norm Lund, we prayed for my discernment. Then Dr. Lund told me to open my Bible to the following verses:

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths.”

In that entire Bible which I opened, there was only one passage that was highlighted. I don’t remember highlighting it, nor reading it before that moment. But there it was, standing out from the page in glorious yellow highlight: Proverbs 3:5-6. I knew as I read it that the Lord was making my path straight to where he wanted me: in the AALC. Over the next two years that same passage kept coming to me in books, on a key fob given me by an elderly gentleman usher, and finally on my ordination day banner (and cake!).

It’s one thing to believe there is a God, and even to believe he is your God, but it takes more to follow that God wherever He might lead you. This is especially true when there is no way you can see the situation working out. You accept the promise that the Lord will direct you in the right way, and that the result – his result – will be good.

This is tough to do, because we want to be the masters of our own fate, and to be in charge of where we’re going and what we’re doing. We may turn over some things to God, but everything? Trust in the Lord with all our heart? Seriously? At minimum, we want to understand what is going on and why things are happening to us as they are: “Why me, Lord?” “What did I do to deserve this?” “Why now?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust completely in God, who happens to be the One with all power, all knowledge, and all love, who seeks what is best for us. I think that sounds like a good plan to trust that God knows what he is doing.

Now that I have retired, I have questions about where God will lead. What paths will lie ahead? What all does He want me to do? Those questions are natural, but Karen and I do feel confident that the Lord will make His will for us known, and that we can trust Him for making all our future paths straight. The key to me is two-fold: to trust in God, and to acknowledge Him in everything I do.

Finally, the third verse is one that has become more important to me over time as my ministry has brought me close to people who have remained strong in faith even when horrible things happened to them or their loved ones. They showed a deeper level of faith that trusted God in the worst of times when He did not answer their prayers as they desired. A loved one was not healed; a relationship ended; a job and home were lost. And yet, they still trusted God and worshiped him in spite of their disappointments. The verse which speaks to me about this level of faith – a faith that believes in God when there is no deliverance – is found in the book of Job, and was spoken by Job in the midst of his losses and afflictions. Job questioned why those horrible things had happened to him, who was a righteous man, but he affirmed that his faith did not depend on God’s blessings:

Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him . . .”

Both previous verses contain a promise: John 1:12 promises adoption as God’s children, and Proverbs 3:5-6 promises God’s guidance and assistance. This verse promises nothing to the faithful believer. It requires nothing from God; the believer will trust God no matter what, no matter how badly things turn out. This is an incredibly powerful kind of faith, and the people who show it humble and inspire me.

It was the kind of faith shown by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, who when ordered by King Nebuchadnezzar to bow down before his golden image or face death in a burning fiery furnace, could answer: “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.”

It was the kind of faith shown in 2015 by the 21 Coptic Christians who were ordered by their Libyan Islamic captors to renounce Christ. They refused, and instead praised Jesus Christ even as they were beheaded. It is the kind of faith being shown by Christians in many places today, who put their faith, and hope, in the true God regardless of their earthly fate.

So where does this leave me? I know I have the first level of faith, that is belief in Jesus Christ. I have learned to trust and rejoice that God directs my paths and I try to trust Him in more and more areas of my life. But of that third level of Job-like trust when there is no deliverance, I’m less confident. I want to have that kind of faith; I just don’t want to face what Job, Shadrach, and the Copts did to prove it. And yet, look at what Jesus went through for me . . .

So where does this leave you . . . ?

 

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

Read: Hebrews 11

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, now what do I write about?

That’s what I’ve been asking myself since beginning my blog just four days ago. I felt inspired when I wrote it, am happy with the way it turned out, and appreciate the kind comments of those who first reviewed it. But I understand that a blogger doesn’t stop with just one post; a blogger is supposed to keep writing new posts all the time. So now what do I write about?

This reminds me of when we lived in Indiana. I had begun taking some seminary courses in extension while working at my “day job” as executive director of a large local youth organization. When that job ended in the fall of 1990, my pastor knew I would be available to help out at a local country church, St. George Lutheran in nearby Edinburgh, Indiana, whose pastor had recently died.

I preached for them one Sunday, dressed as Martin Luther and portraying the Reformer and the events by which he helped launch the Protestant Reformation. I guess the message was well received because they invited me back the next week to preach again and lead the service. All right, this was different. Whereas I had written the Luther monologue and had previously presented it at my own church (First Lutheran in Columbus), I hadn’t actually preached a sermon per se.  So I asked myself, “Okay, now what?”

Then I sat down and wrote a sermon. I put into it everything I knew about Jesus Christ and John the Baptist and the Christian faith. I cited numerous scriptures and gave multiple illustrations and the sermon was twice as long as it should have been and it was terrible. When the service ended I felt bad and a bit embarrassed. I said my good-byes, not expecting to see those nice people again.

But then during the week, they called and asked me to come back again. Now I REALLY asked myself, “Okay, now what?” What else could I preach about that I hadn’t already covered the previous Sunday? I was stumped.

During that week I happened to share my anxiety with my sister who was living with us at the time. I said something like, “I don’t know what else to write about; I’ve told them everything!” To which she replied, “What gives you the audacity to think you have exhausted all the riches of God’s grace in one sermon?”

Ouch! She was right. Now, over 22 years of sermons later, I retire knowing I have barely scratched the surface of the riches of God’s grace.

Which brings me to the title of today’s post: “Okay, now what?” I feel like I did after the sermon at St. George! But, putting on my thinking cap, I have come up with several options for future posts:

• Exegetical exposition of scripture texts such as those found in the lectionaries for each week
• Sermons I have preached or articles I have written
• Insights gleaned from my years of pastoral ministry
• Essays on other topics which interest me, such as mineralogy, paleontology, herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians, not the study of herpes as one person suggested), history, archaeology, creation, and languages
• Travelogues of places I’ve been
• A journal of my retirement
• Reviews of funny cat videos

After drawing up this list, I realize there are plenty of things to write about in this blog. Maybe I’ll get around to some of them. Maybe I’ll end up focusing on one important topic, such as the grace of God. Maybe I’ll take your suggestions. But for today, maybe I won’t write a post, and instead just ask the question, “Okay, now what?”

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

Read: Ephesians 3:20-21

Hi, and welcome to my first ever blog post! My name is Richard Eddy. Also known as the Reverend Richard Eddy, B.S. and M.Div. Also known as Pastor Rich Eddy for the past 22 years at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church (AALC) in Elk Grove, California. And, since January 1st, as Rich Eddy, pastor emeritus.

Which term, pastor emeritus (plural, emeriti), gives me some pause. Sure, it is a gracious title and status bestowed by our national church body on those pastors who retire from the active ministry of shepherding congregations. It allows the retiree to remain on the clergy roster and retain his credentials for a possible future call or for conducting pastoral duties in the absence of an actively called and employed pastor. And it is done to recognize the retiree’s former service to the church body with an honorific. I appreciate the recognition.

And yet, the term does come with a couple issues which are rolling around in my head as I take on this new life status.

The first issue has to do with the whole concept of “retiring from ministry.” As more than a few members of my church have pointed out to me, “The Bible does not speak about retiring,” and, “The word ‘retirement’ is not in my Bible!” And don’t forget, “Moses worked until he was 120 years old! And he died in office!” (I assume the member who said that last comment wanted me to stay around another 55 years rather than see me die in office . . .) Of course, they are right. The Bible does not speak of a pastor, let alone one of Christ’s Apostles, reaching a certain age and saying, “Okay, I’m done here.” No, almost every Apostle died a martyr’s death while spreading the Gospel, and the one we believe avoided that fate, John, certainly served the Lord as a witness and a writer of Scripture for the rest of his life, too. The Bible does not speak of retirement, but neither does it speak of vacations, five-day work weeks, or any number of other things we accept as beneficial.

The answer has to do with our concept of “the call,” derived from Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions. As I understand it, there are three different calls which God gives us. The first is when God calls us by the Gospel to faith in Jesus Christ. That call is independent of who we are, where we are, whatever work we do, or what qualities (or lack of them!) we possess. I have had that call since my infancy and childhood; it did not change when I became a pastor at age 43, nor will that call change now that I have retired. We are all called to persevere in our faith to the end, whether that end comes at death or at the glorious return of Christ. That kind of call  never ends.

The second kind of call is summed up in the term, “vocation,” which literally means, “calling.” We believe that any kind of honest work which benefits people (and which provides for those dependent upon us) can be a calling from God. While pastoral ministry is certainly a godly calling, it is no more so than the calling of a farmer who grows crops so people can be fed. As Martin Luther put it, if we were all pastors, we would all starve to death with no one to grow our food. Scripture also speaks of the nature of our call, whatever it may be:  “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24). I received God’s call to become a pastor in 1989 while working fulltime as director of a youth agency in Columbus, Indiana. That call came to me while worshiping one Sunday, though the details of that incredible event are best reserved for a later post. Suffice it to say that I did not have the call to pastoral ministry before that date; I always believed my youth work was a divine calling. Once receiving that new call, I would have been disobedient not to change careers and seek the new ministry to which God was calling me. Likewise, 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. Just as God’s call to serve him in pastoral ministry was unexpected, I fully “expect the unexpected” in my retirement, but for now I anticipate being called to study and write.

The third kind of call is the commission we all have to spread the Gospel near and far, so that all may hear of the salvation purchased for us by Jesus Christ on the Cross. This topic is worthy of its own future posts, but for now let me just say that the call to evangelize applies to every believer, and I see my new freer schedule as allowing me to reach a larger audience with the Good News through the printed (and digitized) word.

The second issue I have with the term pastor emeritus is caused by the term emeritus itself. It is ironic that the Lutheran Church, especially, which emphasizes correctly the sheer grace of God in bestowing salvation on us apart from any merit we might have, will call some of its pastors, emeriti, which comes from the Latin term meaning “from merit” or “by merit.”

The term comes down to us from the days of ancient Rome, when soldiers who had served faithfully were pensioned off and given land for their years of service. According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, “Emeritus, which is the Latin past participle of the verb emereri . . . was originally used to describe soldiers who had completed their duty. (Emereri is from the prefix e-, meaning ‘out,’ and merēre, meaning ‘to earn, deserve, or serve’—also the source of our English word merit.)” So then, by definition, I am a pastor “by my merit” or “by deserving it.”

Which I know of course, is not true. For my call to serve the Lord as a pastor of his Church is nothing I earned or deserved. I did not seek it nor expect it; God came and by his grace called me one day to be a pastor for him. It was a call beyond my ability or merit, and even now as I look back on the past 22 years, I am amazed by what a blessing it was for God to call me to the ministry. I have seen him at work in people’s lives; I have benefitted from my own study of God’s Word to prepare sermons and studies; I have been blessed by my pastoral colleagues’ sermons and discussions; and I have been overwhelmed at times to be surrounded by a congregation of loving and believing servants. As I contemplate all that has happened, I think that God called me in order to build my faith, to teach me to trust in his leading, and to work on my life to conform me more to the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ.

So, will I use the term, pastor emeritus, to describe myself? Sure I will! I think it has a cool ring to it and as I said, I appreciate the recognition given by my denomination for my service. But I will do so, knowing that the merit is that of Jesus Christ himself, who not only called me to serve him, but gave his very life for my sake – and yours. We are saved “emeritus,” by the merit of Christ.

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

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6