Monthly Archives: June 2013
Are pastors professional leaders, or servants? ( Evangelical Catholic XIV – plus some Luther)
All who have given up home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or land for me will be given a hundred times as much. They will also have eternal life. 30 But many who are now first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matthew 19:29-30 (CEV)
If service, in our serving. In Greek it reads διακονίαν, ἐν τῃ̂ διακονίᾳ, that is, “in ministering.” “Ministers” are all those who serve in ecclesiastical offices, such as the priest, the deacon, the subdeacon, and all who have to do with sacred rites except the administration of the Word of God, and also those who assist a teacher, as the apostle often speaks of his helpers.
Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels contains the incipit Liber generationis of the Gospel of Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(1)
Has this man reached a level of spiritual maturity in which his competence as a pastor and his security as a man and a Christian disciple express themselves humbly? Does he see his ministry as one of empowering in others the gifts the Holy Spirit has bestowed on those in his pastoral charge? Does he treat those who help him implement his pastoral ministry as collaborators in the work of the Gospel, or as indentured servants? Does he foster talent, not being threatened by it? (2)
Most pastors aren’t called to give up homes or family, in the USA even few are called to give up their lives. But there is something that continues to grow, that goes against everything I learned in my early training, and more and more, I am finding, in the historic church.
My Bible College drummed it into us that those in ministry are servants. Whether they are going to be Children’s Ministers, Youth Ministers, Senior/Preaching pastors, or Missionaries – each are called to serve… each are called to lay behind our personal preferences, our wants, and yeah – even sometimes our needs, in order to reveal to people the love and mercy of Christ, and to show them how to love and be merciful to those around them. This isn’t easy… it takes realizing that we aren’t superstars, that we are as broken, and the chief of all sinners, that God may show our people what can be done in our lives..
That’s different than the idea of professional clergy, it’s different from the times in history where the pastors and priests were looked up to as “Herr Pastor” or the idea of the “high priest”. (I have to admit a certain level of pleasure watching Pope Francis take this attitude on in the Catholic Church, where others have simply tolerated it – and more than a smidgen of jealousy as I consider our leaders…)
Luther reminded us that we are servants – not just those who have inherited the apostolic office, but all those who assist as helpers as well. Weigel dreams of a priesthood as well – where we see our co-workers in ministry as our collaborators, not as our servants. We have been called to serve them, to train them, to see them develop. Last week, one of the men I get to assist in growing up in the ministry preached another awesome sermon. Even more, he preached it in a place few others could go, to people that most “professionals” would discount, would see the doors closed, because it wasn’t enough.
there is something in his work, that I wish every professional pastor could learn, could observe, could emulate. That they too could take on such a group of guys and serve them – work with them, patiently, lovingly, helping them see God, helping them see God working in their brokenness, helping them see that relationship develop…. and transform those that they work with…completely. Then as they transform, watching them care for others.
Weigel dreams of this for his church body, he loyally suggests this is the track it is taking (and did so prior to Francis being elected.) Luther knew it – his co-workers literally faced persecution and death – and rose up from nothingness…
I pray this for the churches and pastors I work with as well….
That we would serve… content to follow the example of Christ… and to seriously look at passages like Phil. 2:1-11, Romans 12:1-8, and 1 Corinthians 12-13……
And may we, in ways sometimes seen, and often not seen…on earth.. praise and give glory to God our Father, who sees all, as we obey His commands.
(1) Luther, M. Luther’s Works, Vol. 25 : Lectures on Romans. Ed. J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann. Luther’s Works. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999, c1972.
(2) Weigel, George (2013-02-05). Evangelical Catholicism (pp. 123-124). Basic Books. Kindle Edition.
VIP Concert Passes, Surgical Nurses and Divine Appointments..
Discussion thought of the day…
Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have. 6 Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone. Colossians 4:5-6 (TEV)
You always come out beaten. Resolve, each time, to work for the salvation of a particular soul, or his sanctification, or his vocation to the apostolate. If you do so, I’ll be sure of your victory. (1)
I usually don’t write blogs about my life…just about the lessons I learn
So it was a very busy last few days…..
Friday night was a incredible concert and meet and greet with the “piano guys” (youtube them if you never have) . A anniversary present for Kay, to see the musicians that have gotten her playing violin again.. (she needs to pick up guitar again – but violin is very much a blessing to our praise team)
Sunday was an awesome tieme at church – attendance above average – and I think the sermon and Bible Study were above average as well….(music is also awesome…in that it beings us so aware of god’s presence! (you can read it – it should be a blog
Then a bbq with friends so old, they knew me when I was still naive enough to think I could change the world, because of my great knowledge of theology… ( I still hope to set the change some of the world… because I know of God’s love and work..)
Then this morning, up way to early… off to the hospital to have a procedure.. (they didn’t call it surgery… for some reason) – to cut me open, and replace my implanted guidant defibrillator. A great staff there, they ever laughed at the jokes and stories I told… before they gave me the happy juice…
So how does this all roll into a devotional thought….
It’s all about God’s appointments… the people he brings us into contact, the lives we affect without knowing it..
At the concert, it was the lady sitting at the table next to me, a stay at home mom (dad sitting opposite a teacher from the desert) . Another piano guys massive fan, I gave her the signed VIP guest card that the piano guys signed at our special meet and greet. We had talked about God and the challenges of kids with special needs before the concert. But it was the tag that she will probably remember – and the strange guy wearing a priest collar who gave it to her. The joy on her face was incredible… and I pray the seeds were planted deeply…
The second one that comes to mind is my RN and the aide that were assigned to me. We had a lot of fun… and talked about ministry and nursing ( lots of commonality there) and the a great last moment conversation occurred – as we sat outside the chapel waiting for Kay to pull the car around. We had a lot of fun… if surgery…. err a procedure… was to be considered fun. I’ve never had people thank me for my time with them in the hospital… but both did.
All through the weekend were such times. Times to “be human” (if ministers are allowed to be) times to enjoy life, but also be aware of God’s presence. of seeing people respond to mentions of God, not from a point of fear or dismissing Him, but a point of curiosity. Times which bring me great joy…
And as I sat at home… I wonder how many of those times I miss… because I am deep in thought, or somewhat anxious, or distracted by the trauma I am watching people experience, and so I don’t treat people all the time the way Josemaria Escrova encourages above.
What if every time we interacted with people, we realized that they were drawn closer to Christ, because the Holy Spirit was at work. Either Christ delivering them from sin and the anxiety of death…or helping them realize the Spirit’s work sanctifying them and setting them apart for His work, or encouraging tthat work – for all have the vocation of God’s priests (as in St. Peter’s priesthood of all believers, not priest/pastor) . no matter whether their “other vocation” is that of priest, or pastor, or father or mom, or secretary, or pro athlete, or president… each of the those vocations is also that of a priest of God…..
St Josemaria Escriva (Photo credit: Lawrence OP)
I encourage you, as often as you can, and 10 times more, remember that you walk with God – and His desire is to call all to Him… for that is why Christ died on the cross.
Have a blessed day… and thanks for the prayers!
Dt
Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 563-565). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Related articles
- Serving God where ever He calls you to service (justifiedandsinner.com)
- We must bear our cross….an powerful observation…. (justifiedandsinner.com)
Will We Rejoice?
Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker, unmasked in Return of the Jedi (1983) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Will We Rejoice?
Psalm 32:1-11
May the grace, that mercy and peace of God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ bring you such great joy, as you no longer hide your sin, but eagerly confess it and find yourself freed and cleansed!
Will We Know Joy…
I’ll tell you a secret. Dad’s can cry. An example, there are some death scenes in movies, that overwhelm us. Any dad here willing to admit that they cried at the end of Brian’s Song? Or when Luke pulled off his Father’s mask in Star Wars, as Anakin Skywalker died? Or when Spock utters, “I have always been and will always be, your friend…”
Looking at the Psalm for today, of all the movies I have seen, of all the deaths that have been portrayed, I could only think of one… and it almost seems sad, that it comes from a musical….. yeah – a musical. Father’s day… and pastor uses a…. musical… in his sermon?
Yeah – because that story, Les Mis, is an illustration of our psalm.
For the tears there, as they start with death… turn to an incredible joy…as Jean Val Jean prays, and realize the answers to his confession, as he realizes the power of God’s redemption. In this incredible story, of a man whose life at the beginning of the movie, is that of a slave who had run from his punishment. At death, he finds himself in the company of saints…and all his burdens taken away.
No longer one of “les miserable”, but rather, he has become one of the redeemed, one of “les joyeaux” – one of the joyous.
Because of that, it pictures perfectly the lesson of our incredible psalm…
The wasting away of those trapped in sin…
Character after character in the movie, so much like real life, finds themselves drowning in sin. Some wander into it, blissfully unaware of the damage it will do. Others turn to sin out of desperation, like Jean Valjean who steals to provide for his family, or like Fontine, who sells her hair and her body, in order to provide. Others just embrace it, as one embraces hating others, and working for their destruction. In every case, sin sucks us in, deceiving us, promising false hopes, and leaving us broken…
It is so like the words of David, as he talks about the power of sin,
3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
So often, we don’t realize the damage of our own sin, and the weight of the sin of the world that corrupts life, until it is too late. Until life is wasted away, like that which happens in desert – as the heat sucks the water out of our bodies evaporating that which we so need to survive…
The Psalm is clear, the issue isn’t the sin itself, though that is, indeed sin, and we should strive to avoid it. The problem is not dealing with sin, the idea that we can hide it, bury it, justify it, compare it to others, and somehow think God doesn’t notice…
When we bury that sin, when we hide it, protect it from view, we choose to let it rot from ourselves. We would condemn others sins… and yet we are not able to face ours own sin, and therefore we can not face redemption. Some hide their own sin, and they hide from own grace even to go as far as to try an escape dealing with the life of redemption and mercy by ending life…
Truly such is the nature of those miserable, those suffering… unable to face their own sin…
The Turning Point…
“Forgive me all my trespasses and take me to your glory….”
That is the cry of Jean Valjean at the end of the movie, a plea for grace, a grace that had he had struggled with, since a Bishop gave him the silver he stole.
“By the passion and the blood, God has raised you out of darkness!” were the words of the pastor/Bishop that day, much earlier in his life, not long into the movie.
It took most of his life to understand the power of that absolution, that loving forgiveness. He gets it little then, but struggles with sin the rest of the movie, and the impact of it. He will run from who he is…. He will run from his sin a number of times, he will eventually learn to deal with it… and when he does…
He finds joy and peace!
He has arrived at the point where David is at in the psalms,
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
That is of course, what is realized in the end, as Jean Valjean is welcomed into God’s glorious presence, a presence that was there throughout his life, a presence he prayer too, cried to, yet somehow still struggled with – even as we constantly struggle with our sin, and are tempted to bury it, hide it, and attempt to dismiss it. He finally knows joy, He finally is at peace…
We aren’t the only ones who struggle with our sin like Jean Valjean does… Listen to Luther…
Be a sinner and sin boldly,but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here we have to sin. This life is not the dwelling place of righteousness,but… it is enough that by the riches of God’s glory we have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think that the purchase price that was paid for the redemption of our sins by so great a Lamb is too small?
This is not permission to go out and sin more, as many will take this statement. It is a measure of the extent of God’s incredible grace – even more a measure of the depth of God’s love for us. The measure of God’s desire to have us take part of His glory, to revel and rejoice in His love.
There are so many passages in scripture that describe God’s love for His people, when they come to Him. You see it’s not just our joy that is described when sins are forgiven, it is the Father in Heaven’s joy as well… when His children come to Him. There is the story of the prodigal son, and of course revelation… but there is one that is always will be a favorite of mine,
17 The LORD says, “I am making a new earth and new heavens. The events of the past will be completely forgotten. 18 Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. The new Jerusalem I make will be full of joy! Isaiah 65:17-18 (TEV)
We are joyous – not just because of the joy of being freed from our sin, but because free of those burdens, we find our Father in Heaven just as joyous, the word picture in Hebrew is that we are dancing in that joy…
We don’t have to wait to our closing scene..
For in our baptism we have been freed, we’ve been brought into His glory… even if we can’t see it clearly…yet.
The question maybe isn’t will we rejoice… but when will rejoice…
I would suggest now is the time and here is the place, for the victory feast awaits… AMEN?
Related articles
- Do We Sin with Boldness? (justifiedandsinner.com)
We must bear our cross….an powerful observation….
English: Charente Christian Cross (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
23 And he said to them all, “If you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, take up your cross every day, and follow me. 24 For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but are yourself lost or defeated? Of course not! Luke 9:23-25 (TEV)
“Whenever you see a poor, wooden cross, alone, uncared-for, worthless … and without a corpus, don’t forget that that cross is your cross—the everyday hidden cross, unattractive and unconsoling—the cross that is waiting for the corpus it lacks: and that corpus must be you.” (1)
I thought about not writing this blog, but then my friend MikeR brought to mind a old Amy Grant song “fat baby”…. and another friend – a missionary couple who will go to a very challenging place, at great sacrifice quoted a passage that is similar, and earlier today another missionary, a young lady in another torn country, asked for prayer because of the situation there….
And I thought…why are we so unwilling here, to make sacrifices of our own lives.
For instance, why are we so unwlling to avoid our favorite sins, and why do we feed our favorite worries and anxieties, rather than take Christ up on His promise to cleanse us all it all? When we commit sins, why are we so…. challenged to confess them? We know He will be faithful to confess them… right?
Why are we so unwilling to give up what we have… even things we don’t need…. to others.. to help them? Why do we dislike it when the rich get richer (than us) but then the government takes from all to help those who have none?
Or why are we so unwilling to risk embarrassment and share God’s love with people, or invite them to church where they can hear it, with us able to watch God work a miracle in their lives? Or sacrifice something financially to underwrite a missionary?
I like St. Josemaria’s thoughts here – about a cross that is not a crucifix. Would we look at plain crosses, not just reminded us of Christ’s cross – but as reminders that we need to take up that cross as well? That we need to remember we have died with Christ, we have died. As Paul says….
19 So far as the Law is concerned, however, I am dead—killed by the Law itself—in order that I might live for God. I have been put to death with Christ on his cross, 20 so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. Galatians 2:19-20 (TEV)
This is challenging to many of us this day, who are so focused on Christ’s work in justifying us. We forget that our being united with Christ’s death, and with His resurrection, and that we have the hope of sharing in His glory – because He lives in us…
And that changes everything.
So let us see crosses – and remember that Christ has asked us to take up the cross – with Him… and serve those who need to know Jesus died for them. Whatever that takes, whatever the cost….
Lord Have mercy on us..
Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 539-541). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Related articles
- Prayer – the act of deep trust… (justifiedandsinner.com)
- It’s not Fair! (or right, or legal or just or moral ) Uhm, who made us judge? (justifiedandsinner.com)
Can we be this Holy? In the face of our “enemies”?
Text of “Our Father” prayer with Trinity in central column (God the Father, dove of the Holy Spirit, Jesus) and Biblical and symbolic scenes in left and right columns. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Devotional and Discussion Thought of the Day…
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your friends, hate your enemies.’ 44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. 46 Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! 47 And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! 48 You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 (TEV)
Don’t say, “That person bothers me.” Think: “That person sanctifies me.” (1)
It still amazes me, how little we understand the power of the grace and forgiveness of Christ, how little we appreciate His desire to win the affection, the love of all those He loves. How willing God is to separate all of us from our sin, how much His will is that all would be transformed by the Holy Spirit.
And yet, to those we as our enemies, we are as vicious, we are cruel, we are as unforgiving as any one could ever be. The church has for too long… treated them as adversaries, mocked them, planned our strategic arguments. against them. the very ones we have to pray for, love, serve, and reach with the only thing that will give them hope.
This is our role in life, it is how we are to imitate Christ, who allowed His enemies to kill Him, that He might love and save them. What if He treated His enemies the way we treat ours? What if He gossiped and mock them behind their backs, rather than confronting the in love? What if He treated His enemies, His adversaries, US like that? We say we honor martyrs, we want to give ourselves for Jesus like they did… well are we ready to ask God to forgive our enemies their sin, even as Stephen did, even as the Lord’s prayer urges us to ask God to help with?
St. Josemaria makes an incredible point… that these very people that bother us, make us holy – because in order to treat them in the way that would bring God glory, we have to depend on God. We have to trust Him, we have to know He is with us, that the Holy Spirit will work through us to cut open their hearts – even as ours were. We can’t do it on our own, we have to love, we have to embrace them, and the pain they cause us, in order to love them in a way that will reach them.
Will we love them……. will we strive to see them forgiven and healed? Can we be that holy?
In Christ… as baptized believers, as those who would glorify God the Father…
yes…. for there is no other way…. to live, or to accomplish our task.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Location 534). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Related articles
- You must be a Theophilus (Loved/r of God before being a Theologian (justifiedandsinner.com)
- God is Watching over His People! (justifiedandsinner.com)
- If Faith=knowing Him, not just about Him…then Worship is… (justifiedandsinner.com)
- Do we have to have Mondays??? (justifiedandsinner.com)
Faith for the Future….
Esau and Jacob Presented to Isaac (painting circa 1779–1801 by Benjamin West) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Late Discussion/Devotional Thought of the Day…..
It was faith that made Abraham offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice when God put Abraham to the test. Abraham was the one to whom God had made the promise, yet he was ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice. 18 God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised.” 19 Abraham reckoned that God was able to raise Isaac from death—and, so to speak, Abraham did receive Isaac back from death. 20 It was faith that made Isaac promise blessings for the future to Jacob and Esau. 21 It was faith that made Jacob bless each of the sons of Joseph just before he died. He leaned on the top of his walking stick and worshiped God. 22 It was faith that made Joseph, when he was about to die, speak of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, and leave instructions about what should be done with his body. Hebrews 11:17-22 (TEV)
Our Bible Study arrived at this passage this morning, as we’ve been journeying through the Book of Hebrews…a passage well known to my older saints.
It was noted during our study, how the faith discussed in Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Joseph all have to deal with death, and not just heaven, but the future after we have gone.
Of the things Abe could be noted for, it was for the future that he trusted God. That God would fulfill His promises for the descendants that would come through Issac – even though Abraham was on his way to kill the very son who was to be the one through whom the promise was made. Issac’s sacrifice would have put an end to that promise… except that Abraham knew God could raise someone from the dead.
Of all the things Issac could be noted for, well actually we don’t know all that much about him… but Hebrews notes the faith demonstrated in not just blessing the son who would inherit, but blessing the son who turned his back on the inheritance…. and his family. Until Esau realizes how much he’s given up…and so, led by God, and knowing God’s heart for all the world… Issac blesses his prodigal son…and Esau’s descendants are saved in Christ’s death on the cross, for they are among the nations whom will be blessed.
Jacob as well, the one who wrestled with God (setting an interesting precedent for his own descendants..) is not know for that – but again for blessing his grandchildren, and worshiping God. He too passes on the promise…
Joseph too – it’s not the trust in God that would see him through kidnapping, or the jail time, or the global famine…..
The prayer is for the sustenance of the people – that they would, as well, be sustained during the promised time of exile, through to the time of the promise land – generations to come..,,,,
Each trusted in God – for a promise that includes us, those who trusted in God for the future, a future that they knew God would fulfill.
Because they knew God, because they walked with Him, because they knew His love.
Can we see our faith in God, yes for heaven, but for the generations that will follow, trusting God. …. can we know the God who blesses us, will bless them….
Lord have mercy on us… and on those that follow…
A Challenge to Pastors and Priests: Evangelical Catholic “review” part XIII
English: Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament inside Saint-Benoît-du-Lac abbey. Français : La chapelle du Saint-Sacrement à l’abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Discussion Thought of the day:
5 I left you in Crete, so that you could put in order the things that still needed doing and appoint church elders in every town. Remember my instructions: 6 an elder must be without fault; he must have only one wife, and his children must be believers and not have the reputation of being wild or disobedient. 7 For since a church leader is in charge of God’s work, he should be without fault. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered, or a drunkard or violent or greedy for money. 8 He must be hospitable and love what is good. He must be self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the message which can be trusted and which agrees with the doctrine. In this way he will be able to encourage others with the true teaching and also to show the error of those who are opposed to it. Titus 1:5-9 (TEV)
George Weigel, in the book I am finding more and more remarkable, continues on his list (which I commented on 2 points of last week) for the standards for priests:
3. If this priest has been primarily engaged in parish work, have his parishes grown through his ministry? If his principal work has been in a seminary, college, or university, have his students flourished under his guidance, spiritually as well as intellectually?
4. How does this priest celebrate Holy Mass, in specific and concrete terms? Does his liturgical ministry lead those in his pastoral charge into a deep experience of the Paschal Mystery of the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension? Does his manner of leading the Church in liturgical prayer honor the baptismal dignity of his congregants? Is he regularly found with his people in Eucharistic adoration?
5. How many men have entered the seminary under this priest’s guidance? How many women have entered consecrated religious life through his influence? Does he foster holy marriages and stable Catholic families that are themselves “little churches”? Does he encourage lay movements of Catholic renewal? Does he guide popular piety well? Does he promote frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance, and does he devote significant time to his ministry as a confessor? Does he encourage his people to read the Bible daily? Is he, in other words, a man who can facilitate the universal call to holiness because he is a man of holiness himself?
Obviously, there are a few differnces in terminology and practice between men who are Lutheran pastors and Roman Catholic Priests. (for example – while many of us will meditate on the passion of Christ and confess it is Christ’s Body and Blood, we don’t have a service of Eucharistic Adoration) this lists thrills me, and yet… well…. let’s just say I am convicted by it – especially point 5.
But a pastor/priest of whom these things are true, is one people will entrust their souls to, as the one appointed/ordained to care for them, a call of God, recognized through the church. They will confess their sins to him, and receive absolution ( I do need to devote more time to make myself available for this) I love the prahsem, “a man who can facilitate the universal call to holiness because he is a man of holiness himself.” Such a man is one whom can be what old Lutherans calls a seelsorge – the caretaker of the soul.
We desperately need that, these days. Recent events and conversations in my life more that confirm it, and to me it ticks me off, until I ask the same about me. Are my people willing to let me care for their souls? Have they grown to know I will be there for them, that I will speak to them God’s mercy – with more zeal and energy and desire? Will they also be encouraged to walk with God, forsaking all that would be the world’s preference? Will they lay down their worries, their burdens and concerns as I encourage them? They need it, we are the ministers of the gospel, the good news… need to provide these encounters with Christ where they will see His love revealed to them….
Will they grow in trust of God, will their dependence on His love and mercy and presence deepen?
It’s not all up to me, I know this… and God will work, even through my errors. (although that is no excuse)
But do i desire to see my people know what I’ve known?
Yesterday, a dear friend came and spoke to some pastors in my area. He talked of coping with a family member who was significantly challenged. And he spoke of his own battles with darkness. In the middle of his self-disclosure and hope in Chirst, he quoted this passages.
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT)
Lord, Have Mercy on us, that we might show that comforting mercy to others….and have mercy that they will desire it more and more! AMEN!
Weigel, George (2013-02-05). Evangelical Catholicism (pp. 122-123). Basic Books. Kindle Edition.
Do We Sin with Boldness?
Devotion/Discussion of the Day;
3 When I did not confess my sins, I was worn out from crying all day long. 4 Day and night you punished me, LORD; my strength was completely drained, as moisture is dried up by the summer heat. 5 Then I confessed my sins to you; I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to you, and you forgave all my sins. 6 So all your loyal people should pray to you in times of need; when a great flood of trouble comes rushing in, it will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you will save me from trouble. I sing aloud of your salvation, because you protect me. Psalm 32:3-7 (TEV)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. 9 But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make a liar out of God, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 (TEV)
If you are a preacher of grace, then preach a true and not a fictitious grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world] we have to sin. This life is not the dwelling place of righteousness, but, as Peter says, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. It is enough that by the riches of God’s glory we have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think that the purchase price that was paid for the redemption of our sins by so great a Lamb is too small? Pray boldly—you too are a mighty sinner. (1)
It’s one of the best known partial quotes of Luther, the line “Sin Boldly”. Misquoted, used to justify all sorts of sins and perversions, but it is not about sinning.
It’s about God’s Faithfulness. It’s about God’s desire… it’s about the joy of knowing that we are cleansed, forgiven, absolved, made new.
But in order to know the peace and joy that comes from being saved from sin… we have to realize we have sinned, we need to confess it, so that we realize we can be cleansed of it, that it can be purged. Otherwise it will overwhelm us, it will drown our lives… the anxiety will overcome us…
But if we confess it – if we allow that sin to be revealed, it we know Christ will take it away… we can rejoice and be at peace.
So why hide it? Why shrink in shame from God? Why act like He is not involved in every part of our lives?
Why not let Jesus break the hold it has on our lives?
Portrait of Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Luther, M. (1999). Vol. 48: Luther’s works, vol. 48: Letters I (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.) (281–282). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
Do we have to have Mondays???
Devotional and Discussion thought of the Day:
14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. John 17:14-21 (NLT)
You’re afraid of becoming distant and cold with everyone—you want so much to be detached! Get rid of that fear. If you belong to Christ—completely to Christ—he will give you fire, light and warmth for all men. (1)
Maybe it’s because yesterday was such and emotional roller coaster…incredible highs, and some devastating lows…. but I am starting today very… drained.
There is a part of me that wishes for detachment, that I could simply find a monk’s cave and withdraw from the world. Just study God’s word, write, play guitar and occasionally Candy Crush Saga (yeah sure… occasionally… uhm…yup_
A mundane life apart from the trauma, apart from the despair, apart from the days when you don’t have the answers… but can “only” point to God’s compassionate nature…
It sounds nice…
but naively empty.
This ministry we share, as pastors/priests and people, doesn’t avoid suffering ( maybe that why we like Candy Crush Saga?) but embraces it, because we do have hope. Because we have that which sustains us, even on the darkest Mondays… during our times of weakness and exhaustion. When we remember that we are involved in ministry because of God’s call, when we look to Him for sustenance than our own personal strength. We need to rely on His compassion, His love, His presence.
That is the key – and one I need to remember today…
He is our strength, He is our peace…
And when we cry out Kyrie Eleison! Lord Have Mercy! …. we begin to realize this!
Kyrie Eleison Abbey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 492-493). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Related articles
- The Eucharist: the Strength to Reveal Christ to Others… (justifiedandsinner.com)
- Dissatisfied? Discontent? Frustrated? Try losing yourself! (justifiedandsinner.com)
- Serving God where ever He calls you to service (justifiedandsinner.com)
God is Watching over His People!
God is Watching over His People!
Luke 7:11-17
† In Jesus Name †
Corcovado jesus (Photo credit: @Doug88888)
May we realize God watches over us with a compassion deeper than words can express, desiring to heal us and give us life abundant in Christ as we share His love with the world!
The First Traffic Jam That Made the News
Unlike traveling our local freeways, no one that morning expected a traffic jam outside the city of Nain. There were no sig alerts, no gps updates or radio warnings about the two massive crowds heading that would collide that morning.
But that collision of crowds did occur, and traffic did stop, and both groups of people had to take the time to observe something quite remarkable, so life changing, so life giving, that it made the evening news in every household, not just in Nain, but across the entire country.
As our churches this morning merge so seamlessly together, may we as well realize the blessings that have been poured out on us, the blessings one small family experienced that day….
Two Types of People
The Looky-loo’s & Those distracted
There are two types of people that seem to cause the smallest occurrence on the freeways to become even more of a traffic jam, and it was no different that particular day.
The first we call lookey-loos, those who curiosity so overrules their common sense that they will do anything to see what is holding up traffic. They want to know everything that is going on. They don’t want accidents to happen, but if they do, they want to have more information that the accident investigation team do. Without realizing it, they slow down – they even change lanes to get into place to have a perfect view of the situation. Whether it is a motorcycle officer helping someone with a flat tire, or a accident requiring people me taken to the hospital by ambulance or helicopter. They want to see, they want to be able to say, I was there.
As Luke describes Jesus, he makes a distinction in the people arriving in Nain with Him. There are the disciples, those who have been called into the relationship with Jesus, and journey through life with Him for they realize the truth of Peter’s words,
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God.” John 6:68-69 (TEV)
But then there is the crowd, those who came along with Jesus, the kind of crowd that he had compassion on when He fed 5000. People who would abandon Jesus later, when he started talking about His death, and about His Body and Blood being given and shed for us. (deleted some here) But the crowd that followed like looky-loo’s on the freeway, people that wanted to see miracles, people that wanted to hear something different.. people unsure of what they were following Christ but where.
There are people who come to church and many more who call themselves Christians today, who do so like the looky loos. They come to see stuff, but they never get involved. They like the music, they enjoy the sermons, but they never get to know the God to Whom we sing. They pray, but because that’s what Christians do, not that they believe God is listening. They like what they see, but they don’t understand that it is a relationship with God that sustains them.
If the crowd following Jesus and his actual disciples were looky-loos; the other crowd was the kind of people that when traffic is slow and snarled, go on automatic pilot and focus completely on something else. They pay only enough attention to keep moving with the crowd. In this case, they weren’t focusing on the kids in the back seat, or the latest text message or phone call – but on the death of a young man, and how the death reminded them of how short life is. The word for large in the “large crowd” is the word “intense.” And so was their walking intensely focused on the emotions of grief, of the pain of their loss, of the uncertainty of their future, or the lonely widows.
People are like that today as well. They wander aimlessly, following the crowd yet unaware of their surroundings, trapped in what causes great anxiety, great pain, or what they find comfort in, an escape in…everything from drugs and alcohol, to television, to seemingly innocent addictions like facebook and candy crush saga and other addictive things…we are quick to find our escapes…
One pastor once confronted such people with this question,
Why stoop to drink from the puddles of worldly consolations (comforts) if you can satisfy your thirst with waters that spring up into life everlasting?
The Highway of Life Patrol…Watching
Compassion not just on the dead, but on the bereaved
Explaining the occurrences in the gospel with the idea of a traffic jam as the crowd following Jesus and the crowd heading for the burial of the dead young man leads us to Jesus’s intervention. We get to finally see how Jesus will work in this passage, and indeed, why the news of this incident would spread as fast through the Judean countryside as it did. (even though they didn’t have twitter!)
The only time you like to see the sirens and flashers of a Highway Patrol Car coming up behind you – is when you are crawling along the freeway at 10 mph, stuck in traffic. You are happy to see them, because you know that they can, if anyone can, solve the problem of the traffic. They watch the highways, sure to catch speeders and crazy drivers, (even that they do to keep traffic flowing) but they watch the freeway primarily to keep everyone safe and moving and alive.
As Jesus enters this town, He sees the patterns of things. He realizes the pain of the widow, the different types of people around him – those trying to deal with the pain of their own lives, and those just looking for something cool to happen.
His reaction is compassion – the Greek is great – it basically means that He felt her pain so much that it was gut-wrenching, the reaction it caused affected Him physically. He could not tolerate the pain she was going through,…
It was such compassion, Paul tells us in Philippian’s, that it caused Jesus to leave heaven, and to become our servant, to minister to us…. Isaiah tells us it was the Father’s compassion to place every sin – those we commit knowingly and those we don’t even know – the sins of omission, our Father in Heaven placed them on Jesus.- and as the Father compassionately cared for us so much, it pleased Him to have Jesus pay for our sins.
Jesus gets it all straightened out – and not only do the young man and his now joyous mom realize what happened – so do all the people fathered there. The looky-loos, those distracted by everything else and their own pain. They realize with such awe, like Thomas in the upper room, that Jesus is God, He is our Lord, our Christ, our Savior, our Master…
And the One who passionately loves us….
Resuscitation/Resurrection Time
Most of us, if we are honest – go through life distracted and wanting to be distracted, or as those looking at what’s happening to others. We don’t always realize that we walk every moment in God’s presence, we don’t often realize His compassion, and His watching over us,
But it is there, as surely as it was for this woman.
His compassion is there not only for us, but for us as we hurt for others, whether we grieve because they have died, or because they are spiritually dead. When we realize that some of our co-workers, our neighbors, our friends and even our family don’t know of the love of God our Father, of the mercy and compassion of Christ Jesus, of the comfort and peace of the Holy Spirit. When we look around us, and just see the crowds, lifeless- directionless…
His compassion reaches us there as well, for His desire is that they are saved as well, God’s one desire is that none of them should perish, but that all should be transformed by the redeeming power of Christ, by the work of the Holy Spirit through God’s word, and those things God uses to change us….
I would say we see here today, a even greater resurrection that they all witnessed that day. For not just one man has been brought to life – every one of us who trusts in Christ, Passion and Concordia brothers and sisters, has been raised from the dead. That is the promise of God’s baptism of us, in water and Spirit.
Our resurrection, as well, is not temporary, it is not fading…it will not end, as this man’s did – in another death.
For our resurrection is with Christ, it is a resurrection to eternity, for Jesus said,
25“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; 26 and those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 (TEV)
Well do you?
If you said no, come talk to Pastor Mao, or Pr. Lu, or me or one of the leaders here… we’d love to help you know this…to know Jesus, and to realize His compassion for you.
But if you know this – that if you live in Jesus, if you trust Him, then this is true for you….
You live in God’s peace, that peace which is beyond explanation, which you are guarded, your heart and mind, by Christ himself.
That is news worth sharing with all of Cerritos and all of of LA and Orange County… Alleluia – He has risen, and we have been raised to life with Him
AMEN??
