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The Two Cries of a Church That is Alive… (even though others think it is dying)
Devotional & Discussion Thought of the Day:
When the LORD brought us back to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! 2 How we laughed, how we sang for joy! Then the other nations said about us, “The LORD did great things for them.” 3 Indeed he did great things for us; how happy we were! Psalm 126:1-3 (TEV)
Share the happiness of those who are happy, the sorrow of those who are sad. Romans 12:15 (Phillips NT)
“if this is not a place where tears are understood, where can I go to cry?” (1)
” I’m going where He goes, out into the world of lonely people:”
“Concordia is the the place where broken people find healing in Christ, while helping others heal!”
There has been a blog going around recently, about the last gasps dying churches. It is quite popular, not with those who are in the dying churches, but those that observe them, and are waiting for them to die. I’ve been in those churches, and I’ve seen them come back to life, miraculously in some people’s minds. There is a different view from inside than out, there is a different need perceived, there are different words said, different gasps and prayers. They aren’t as self-centered and waiting for the last one to die, so that they can turn the lights out, as is often alleged.
So what does this have to do with the quotes above? Well, that is where I find the life in these churches. The two essential cries of the church, the cries of joy, and the cries of sorrow.
If a church can rejoice in the news of a baptism, if a church can cry as a member or friend dies, then it is not dead, or dying. Depressed perhaps, anxious or frightened, sincere and yet wrong in their, these places where tears of joy and sorrow run, they are alive. They may need great care, they may need patient shepherding, but they are not dead…..
Here is where it starts, they need to know that they (actually we) aren’t the only ones who hear those cries. That God Himself laughs, that God himself cries with them. That there is a great picture of God in Isaiah rejoicing, where the word is actually dance! And they need to see Jesus tears, as He weeps at Lazarus’ tomb, and as He weeps over Jerusalem. They need to see God as one who brings comfort and peace, who celebrates who loves His people.
Whoever they are.
I’ve found that these churches that people assume are dying can minister to people who feel lost and overlooked in the mega-churches, in the churches where lament is a concept, but not an experience. They can be the family of the single mom, they can accept those who struggle with sanity, they can care for the widow and orphan – not just provide them something. They are great places for families that struggle – because as a congregation, they can rejoice, and they can weep with those who need more than a hour and 4 minutes of a church service. Bring in a missionary, they will minister to him or her extensively.
One of the churches I served once sponsored a pretty famous Christian/Blugrass musician to play at the town fair. It was a risk – an incredible 5% of our annual budget (which wasn’t much! went to bring him in for a Saturday night concert, and the following morning to play at our church. That Sunday, as he played to our 45 or so people – and 5-6 guests, the band asked if they were welcome at the potluck afterward. Of course – come on down – feast. It was something they never got to do – big venues mobbed them, and they had to hide. With us, they could be ministered to they could be welcomed as family. Though it didn’t have the impact we wanted on the community – this little church – that others told me not to come to -because it was dying… served others.
In my experience, these churches are alive, they need gentle shepherding, and they need to know that it is good to cry, good to laugh, good to cling to each other and slowly, as they look to Jesus, as the Holy Spirit ministers among them, they won’t be gasping, they will be crying…to God, with God, in God’s presence.
They will see people come home, as the Psalmist describes….and they will know the Lord is doing great things there…
(1) Ken Medema; quoted in Celtic Daily Prayer: Aidan Readings for 7/17
(2) Ann Kiemel same source
Where is Jesus Taking You Today? For Whose Benefit?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
3 and Moses went up the mountain to meet with God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and told him to say to the Israelites, Jacob’s descendants: 4 “You saw what I, the LORD, did to the Egyptians and how I carried you as an eagle carries her young on her wings, and brought you here to me. 5 Now, if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own people. The whole earth is mine, but you will be my chosen people, 6 a people dedicated to me alone, and you will serve me as priests.” 7 So Moses went down and called the leaders of the people together and told them everything that the LORD had commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has said,” and Moses reported this to the LORD. Exodus 19:3-8 (TEV)
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:21-23 (TEV)
377 The Lord wants a definite apostolate from you, such as catching those one hundred and fifty-three big fish—not others—taken on the right-hand side of the boat. And you ask me: How is it I know myself to be a fisher of men, can live in contact with many companions, and be able to distinguish to whom I should direct my specific apostolate, but still catch nobody? Is it Love that is lacking? Do I lack interior life? Listen to the answer from Peter’s lips, on the occasion of that other miraculous draught:—”Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” In the name of Jesus Christ, begin again. And being strengthened, rid yourself of that indolence! (1)
From the very beginning, God has determined that those whom he has saved, those He has delivered are special to them. They have a special role in the world, acting as priests, serving Him, interceding for others. This is done in various ways, as the Spirit determines, as the Spirit distributes the charisms, the gifts described in such places as 1 Corinthians 12, and Romans 12. Many of those gifts are simple, others more visible, all are miraculous. Not because of what we see, but because God has rescued us, placed us in specific roles, specific vocations, all to bear witness to His love. That is as much the miracle – the way the Holy Spirit coordinates all of this, gifts, people, places,
We are all to share a hope that we have come to know, as we realize what God has done for us. We all have to be ready to explain the reason we have hope – which for most of us strikes fear into our very core.
I don’t think it is because of our fear of persecution, whether that being tortured or being thought not relevant. I think it is because we are afraid to reveal how dependent we are on God, to reveal how precious this intimate relationship is to us.
But that is exactly what they need to know! That is exactly where they need to be, exploring how high, how wide, how deep is the love of God is for them, for their family, for all who have wandered, or run far off from God. They need to know God desires that they not be lost, not be wandering, but that they come home…..This is our vocation, our mission, our apostolate…..
He has sent us all out to let them know this, to call them home, to bring them hope…..
So where is Jesus taking you to this day? Where is He sending you, even as the Father sent Him? Where is your mission field this week, who will you encounter? Have you prayed for them yet? Have you prayed that you would hear God’s guidance? Have you considered your baptism, the Body and Blood of Christ which you received yesterday, the gospel that was shared with you? These are all the things, these means of grace, that will guide you, the very thing that will help you know He is with you….
As you walk with God, as you go to the places He sends you, you will realize something I quoted from Pope Francis yesterday,,
“Our mission, then— the mission that frightens us and makes us offer excuses like the ones we hear from the lips of the reluctant prophets in the scriptures— is to evangelize, to shepherd the faithful people of God. And that mission establishes us in our vocation. In calling us to that mission, Jesus gives us solidity in the depths of our hearts: he establishes us as pastors and makes that our identity. In our visits to the sick, in our administration of the sacraments, in our teaching of the catechism, and in all the rest of our priestly activity, we are collaborating with Christ in establishing Christian hearts. At the same time and by that same means, that is, by the work we do, the Lord is establishing and rooting our hearts in his own.” (2)
Lord have mercy on us all, as we share His mercy with those He has sent us too!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 1720-1728). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Pope Francis; Jorge M Bergoglio (2013-11-18). Open Mind, Faithful Heart (pp. 39-40). The Crossroad Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
Manic Mondays, A Nun, and Sanctifying a Reality Show?
Devotional thought of the day:
I urge you, then, brothers, remembering the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, dedicated and acceptable to God; that is the kind of worship for you, as sensible people. 2 Do not model your behaviour on the contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and mature. Romans 12:1-2 (NJB)
311 Many things, whether they be material, technical, economic, social, political or cultural… when left to themselves, or left in the hands of those who lack the light of the faith, become formidable obstacles to the supernatural life. They form a sort of closed shop which is hostile to the Church. You, as a Christian and, perhaps, as a research worker, writer, scientist, politician or labourer… have the duty to sanctify those things. Remember that the whole universe— as the Apostle says—is groaning as in the pangs of labour, awaiting the liberation of the children of God. ( Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 1478-1483). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.)
It is Monday. I am weary, and I have a long week ahead. Have to admit, there is a desire to become the first Lutheran religious hermit. To just sit in a nice comfortable cave, equipped with WiFi, study scripture and write blogs. Engaging the world is the last thing I want to do. Engaging the world means taking on things that are difficult, it often means confronting sin, or if nor, helping people survive th brokenness that sin brings.
Then I think of one of the most remarkable things I have seen in a long time, a 25 year old nun in Italy performed on a reality show called the Voice. You have to take a moment and watch the video of her first performance.
o what the heck, here is another:
I am probably not the first blogger to mention her, she won the entire competition. But I want you to watch again the videos, this time – pay attention to the four judges. They don’t know what to do with her at first, and then they take her into their hearts. Especially J-Ax, the rapper judge who worked with her as her “coach”. As you watch each of her videos, there is something that is happening, her voice, her smile, her joy becomes contagious, infectious. People listen to her simplicity, they are in awe of her work.
A life, dedicated to God, offered up as a living sacrifice, sanctifies a show, it sets it apart. It makes people wonder about her faith. A place that normally shows the darker, more sinful side of music changes.
Most of us won’t ever have the chance to be on television performing. We may not get to see the entire world spin around, and their jaws drop as they realize, oh my gosh – this is a woman or man of God. That’s okay, we weren’t put in that situation, we have been put where we are. With our families, our neighborhoods, our communities, even our workplaces. We are there for a reason, sent into the vocations we hold as the representatives of God, to mirror His glory, to reveal His love and mercy (for that is what is truly glorious about Him!) We have been sent to be living sacrifices, discerning what God’s will is as we reach out to our world. Sometimes that means we go unexpected places, deal with people we don’t think would listen or hear, like a rapper becoming good friends with a nun…..
It’s a matter of faith, this transformed life we live, trusting in God to send us to places which need to be made holy…..
If a young nun can sanctify a Reality show, have literally millions clapping and singing with her, maybe we can see God sanctify our Mondays?
Kyrie Eleison
On Us All!
On Us All
John 7: 37-39
As the Holy Spirit’s presence fills this place, and our lives, may we rejoice that we have been granted repentance and the ongoing gift of His presence.
Are You Dehydrated
The patient’s heart was racing, even hours after lying down, it was still over 110 beats per minute. His temperature was over 102. The little energy that was left was being used up quickly as his legs and lower back would spasm and cramp.
Not sure of what was going on, the man would go to the emergency room, where after waiting 3 hours, he would hear the doctor say what he should have known.
Except that when you are severely dehydrated, you don’t always see things clearly, you don’t have the ability to process things. You can have all the data, you can know it all, yet the simple truth had to be given by someone else.
All of the symptoms, the fast pulse, the temperature, the scratchy throat, the cramps weakness and weariness, the mind-numbing fog, these symptoms were caused by a lack of water….
You would think someone who spent ten years living in the desert would be able to realize his need for a glass of water, or as the doctor recommended some 14-15 glasses of water.
Classic simple symptoms, classic simple cure – go home, drink nearly a gallon of water that evening and rest and you will recover…..
Hear again Jesus’ words to us this morning,
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me, Anyone who believes in me, may come and drink!
He almost sounds like the doctor I encountered in the ER….
There is a difference of course, Jesus wasn’t talking about physical dehydration, And what He would quench our thirst with, wasn’t Walmart or Costco 1 liter bottles, or even Evian or Perrier.
It is the Holy Spirit who would be outpoured, even as Moses desired, upon all who trust in Jesus’ promise, in the promise that goes back to the earliest of recorded time.
Spiritual Dehydration
Before describing this out pouring of the Holy Spirit, I think we need to understand spiritual dehydration. Like physical dehydration, the symptoms that appear do so slowly….it creeps up on you, and all of sudden you feel anxious, disconnected, weary, and life is broken.
Sometimes the spiritual dryness, the dehydration is caused by internal struggles. Our thirst, not for God, but for pleasure, fame, wealth or even health and what ever is considered the good life. These desires enter us like a virus, and can never really be totally quenched. They simply demand more and more of us, until we are used up.
Sometimes the spiritual dehydration is caused by our reaction to external pressures. The job demands, the financial struggles in the world, the relationships that are stressed by sin and by self-centeredness. Seeing continual injustice, seeing people continually chase after what is best for themselves, even trampling others, seeing the brokenness that occurs when we don’t help those in trauma… and their struggles finally get attention on the news, having escalated beyond belief
It is not one of these things, but the accumulation of them that overwhelms us, and one day, we turn around and our heart is racing because of anxiety, or we find ourselves exhausted, drained, broken….. and we hear Jesus’s words,
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me, Anyone who believes in me, may come and drink!”
For the Promise of the Spirit is for us all
Today is the feast of Pentecost – a feast that began nearly 2000 years ago. A feast where those who thirst have that thirst quenched, whether it was 2000 years ago, or whether it is this morning. For what John writes in his gospel, we know to be true…
39 When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.
What hadn’t occurred when Jesus was teaching this, we celebrate having begun, and continues this day. That which is mentioned in the reading in Acts, as the people realized that Christ died, was indeed the One sent to save the world by that death. Hear that interaction again,
36 “All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!” 37 When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?” 38 Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit. 39 For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away—all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:36-39 (TEV)
Those words resulted in some 3000 people being baptized, as the promise of Jesus to quench their thirst. For the Holy Spirit was poured out on them with the water of baptism, the promises of God made sure to them, to their little ones, even to those who would have been thought to be too far from God….
As Moses had desired, God poured out His Spirit upon them all. They came to trust in Him, to know that the cross was not just an instrument of death, but that it was the glory, the love, the mercy of God revealed.
Here is how Paul taught a young pastor named Titus,
4 But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 (NLT)
He generously poured out His Spirit upon us, He quenched our thirst, He gave us a new life.
A promise for you, for your children, and for all who are far off.
A promise He is calling some of you to receive….as like the people as Pentecost began, the Holy Spirit is cutting your heart open, revealing the thirst you have, a thirst for God’s love, a thirst for His peace. If that is you, let’s get together and see God quench your thirst. If you’ve already been baptized, if you’ve already drunk deeply of Christ, rejoice this day and every day, and look to Christ and know the peace He’s given you.
A peace that is beyond all understanding, a peace that comes as the Holy Spirit quenches our thirst, a peace for us to dwell in, guarded by Christ. AMEN?
He is Risen, Therefore – why are you standing around?
He is Risen! Therefore…
Why are you standing around?
Acts 1:1-11
In Jesus Name
May you go out from this place, realizing that the grace, mercy and peace of God is with you, with the understanding that is it more glorious when you share it with others!
The Memorial Acclimation:
The words are familiar…..
“Christ has died! Christ has Risen, Christ will come again!”
At least, they should be to those of us who regularly gather here. We say something like them when we testify of our faith, using the words of the Creed. We sing them occasionally, too, when Chris puts the Memorial Acclimation in the service.
How often do we do those things anyways? ( both every week, twice in lent and advent!)
Yet I wonder if we hear them, when we do?
I think we get that He has died, for we celebrate that constantly. And that He is Risen? (He has Risen Indeed, Alleluia! And therefore We are risen indeed!)
But what about that last part, words similar to those two men, who spoke to the disciples, while they were just staring off into, well as they were staring off into space.
They ended the discussion with these words, “but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Do we hear those words? I mean, not just like hearing them as the sound waves travel in one ear and out the other. But hearing those words, and having them stick to our very soul. Do we hear that Jesus Christ will come again? Do we know it, count on it, live our lives in view of it?
Or do we need to hear the first words of the two men in white….
Men, why are you standing here, staring into heaven?
But why do we stand around like the apostles?
As I read the entire story, recorded by Luke for his friend, Theophilus, I wonder about these apostles, and I guess I am not surprised by their standing around. They weren’t the quickest to understand something.
Consider this.
in verse 2, we see that Jesus, in the forty days he walked with the apostles, had to prove to them in many ways that he was alive. That just seems more unbelievable than believing that someone could rise from the dead in the first place!
In the upper room twice, on the shores of Lake Galilee, appearing to Peter one other time, and I imagine that when the resurrected Jesus appeared to 500 as Paul writes about, some of the apostles were probably there!
Yet he still has to teach them, proving to them He was alive! Even that day, for Matthew 28 says, “Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! Matthew 28:16-17 (NLT)
It seems strange, that these men who walked with Jesus more than three years, who saw His wounds, who saw Him heal, who heard Him teach would still struggle to put together everything. Yet in those forty days, Jesus continued to invest Himself in His chosen men.
He went over the same lessons that He taught them prior to the cross, At least four times Jesus talked about the coming of God’s kingdom, and that it wasn’t known until it was revealed. At the last supper it was an issue, and here at the ascension, it still is! “When will we see you reigning over the world Lord?” they asked.
Maybe we still do?
Among the things He kept teaching them, indeed twice in this passage, is that they would be His witnesses. He had to keep letting them know that they would testify of what people needed to know about Jesus, to the world. He actually commissions them to this in verse 2, and then reminds them again in verse 8!
Yet, after all that, they are standing around, staring up into space?
Is it any wonder that we have the same issues today?
If we are like the apostles, what made a difference in their lives will make a difference in our lives, as we become witnesses of His to this world.
You see in the middle of the passage – Jesus reminds them that they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. That the Holy Spirit will come into their lives, and that this is the reason they will be able to tell people about His life, his death, resurrection and that He is coming back.
That is part of what Jesus taught them, about the role of the Holy Spirit. In John 14, Jesus promised,
25 “I have told you this while I am still with you. 26 The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you. John 14:25-26 (TEV)
This includes us by the way, for even as the Apostles were baptized in the Spirit, so were you and I, when we were baptized in Christ. That what these apostles heard and saw, over and over, we too will recall. Prodded by the Holy Spirit, and those messengers that might just say to us, “why are you standing here, looking into space?”
Sharing our faith isn’t about the law – a duty enforced on us, any more than having the grace of God our father, the love and mercy show to us in Christ is. It is what happens when Jesus is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, as we are continually taught about that love and mercy, and the Kingdom of God, and the day we shall see it.
It is what we are commissioned to do, because we are the children of God, sent into places like Cerritos, and Downey, La Palma and Buena Park and Lakewood. Sent to places like China, or the Philippines or Northern California, or even the doctor’s office or Walmart, to be His witnesses.
Even as we are in awe of God’s presence among us, even as we consider that Christ has Died, Christ has risen (wait for it), and yes, He will come again…….even as all that goes through our mind, it is time to stop standing around, and it is time to bring the news of God’s love to this lost and broken world.
We can do it, because we know that we dwell in the peace of God that passes all understanding, a peace in which Christ guards our hearts and minds… and therefore, we don’t have to just stand around!
AMEN?
Pastors and Ministers: Do We Care About the Return on Our Investment of Time, Talent, Treasure?
Devotional Thought of The Day:
6 I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (ASV)
215 The ploughshare that breaks up the earth and opens up the furrow sees neither the seed nor the harvest. (1)
In Business, often you make decisions based on a data that provides a potential “ROI”. Te acronym means, “return on investment”. Here is a quick summary.
You only have the resources to fund one project, and you have to decide between..
Project A – you invest 1 million, and the result in you make 50,000 in profit, pretty much guaranteed.
Project B – you invest one million, and you have a 50-50 chance of returning 500,000.
Your decision is a matter of risk versus the return you get for the investment. Some would apply this kind of idea to the ministry, where do we plant churches, which direction do we lead the church, how do we decide about staff people. It even is applied to our daily priorities, which things will I do today, that will build the kingdom? Who will I invest my time in, who will I pass off to to others. What will be my best ROI as a pastor? Do we use such thoughts to justify why we don’t talk to this person, or don’t try that in ministry. Either the ROI is to minimal, or the risk is too great? We can’t spread ourselves that thin, or we have to concentrate strongly on this or that. We use concepts from time management and strategic planning.
I started thinking about this last night – and the challenge my own congregation has in reaching out. I started thinking about my first congregation and its growth, which was significant given its size. It wasn’t were I planned to “invest” that provided the growth. In fact, it was what I had to do besides being a pastor that resulted in growth. First, my work as a part-time instructor at a college, and as a hospice chaplain. Neither was supposed to be something I was doing to help our church grow, but that’s what happened.
If we are honest, all of our statistical analysis and projected ROI’s don’t mean diddly squat when it comes to the world of the Holy Spirit. We don’t know if the nurse watching us minister to the person with alzheimer’s or in a coma will have seeds planted that will result in their baptism. We don’t know that the student we failed in a class will later come by the office to apologize, and then reveal struggles that only God can heal. We don’t know if the person who watched us grab someone’s check at a restaurant will ask why we did such a thing, and find our about God’s love. Or the person we smiled at in the checkout line at Walmart needed some encouragement on a very hard day.
We don’t know when God is using us to break through a hard heart, or plant the seed of His love. We might not ever know. That kind of investment cannot be quantified, it cannot be studied, it cannot be controlled and reproduced. That present to many of us a problem.
We’ve been trained since birth, to look for results, We’ve been trained to do things in a way that can be evaluated by criteria, we’ve been instructed to get the best grade, to aim for successful goals, to describe our mission in life with quantitative elements.
And evangelism, as St.Paul points out, isn’t so easy to see the results of, because it is a matter of teamwork. It is the Holy Spirit working through all of us, not just one or two. It is as Fr. Josemaria indicates, often we have no clue of the harvest we’ve been working towards, because that is not our role. We’re aren’t the owner of the field, or the foreman. We have our vocations, our gifts, and we follow His lead. It’s unnerving. especially as we invest and invest and invest in some people. Being the plow blade that breaks up hardened ground, or hardened hearts is a tough job…. and it is made only tougher because we do not know the result. Yet it is a necessary job, this work where the Holy Spirits works through us.
What gets us trough? What eases our frustration our doubt that what we invest will have some positive return? What helps us to keep going?
Knowing the heart of God. Realizing that is desire is that non one should perish, but all come to know the transformation to everlasting life. Knowing is promises, how He sustained Jeremiah, how he called Paul, how e worked through Peter. Those live serve as a legacy, a testimony to us who in this generation serve……
Not knowing the gruit of our labors, but assured He does…..
Lord Have mercy on us, in this amazing, complex, frustrating, ministry of reconciling the world to You….and increase our trust in You!
.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 1107-1108). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
What is the Meaning of Easter, of Christ’s Resurrection?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:17-20 (NLT)
10 For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life. 11 We know what it means to fear the Lord, and so we try to persuade others. God knows us completely, and I hope that in your hearts you know me as well. 12 We are not trying again to recommend ourselves to you; rather, we are trying to give you a good reason to be proud of us, so that you will be able to answer those who boast about people’s appearance and not about their character. 13 Are we really insane? It is for God’s sake. Or are we sane? Then it is for your sake. 14 We are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for everyone, which means that they all share in his death. 15 He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for him who died and was raised to life for their sake. 16 No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so. 17 Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:10-17 (TEV)
As we prepare for our ministry , let us ask for the grace to be men and women of faith, evangelizers of the faith we have received. Let us hope that in these exercises the Lord will make us understand and realize that evangelization “is not an optional contribution for the Church.… This message is something necessary. It is unique. It cannot be replaced. It does not permit either indifference, syncretism, or accommodation. It is a question of people’s salvation . It is the beauty of the Revelation that it represents. It brings with it a wisdom that is not of this world. It is able to stir up by itself faith— faith that rests on the power of God (cf. 1 Cor 2: 4-5).” Let us be fully aware that it requires that we, as apostles, “consecrate to it all [our] time and all [our] energies, and … sacrifice for it, if necessary, our own lives” (1)
Coming our of our time of Lent there seemed a direction that our 50 days of Easter needed to take. Apparently, my congregation is not the only church needing to do this, my earlier -reblog of Bishop William Willimon is similar to it, as are the words from Pope Francis above. (Gee, can a Methodist Bishop, a Pope, and a Lutheran pastor agree on something?
There is a need for us to understand Easter. Not just understanding that Easter is about Jesus and His resurrection and not about chocolate bunnies with their ears nibbled off, or about those eggs you hid three weeks ago finally being found. There are enough blogs that at least try to being some religious focus to Easter. It’s not just about the cross and the empty tomb as past events. Or the fun stories about Thomas or Peter.
Easter has to be about salvation, ours, our neighbors, our families, our friends, and yes even our enemies.
Jesus did rise from the dead to make sure there was a holiday to plan spring break for, or to create a few pages in history books, and a few more in theological primers. He died and rose in order that each of us could know that because He is risen, we have risen with Him. That those who struggle with sin, and so many of the ways it complicates life would know they are forgiven as well. That this news radically changes their lives. changes our lives.
Do we, as Willimon asked in his letter,believe in eternal life as we say we do in our creeds?
If so, are we so callous that we would want people to remain ignorant of His love that makes this possible? Or will we love, even as God loves us?
Tough questions…..
Lord Have Mercy on Us!
(1) Pope Francis; Jorge M Bergoglio (2013-11-18). Open Mind, Faithful Heart (p. 33). The Crossroad Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
Resurrection: Getting What God Wants
These words that Will Willimon writes are as applicable for Lutherans as for Methodists.
Do we believe the promises of the third article of the Apostles and Nicene Creed? Do we realize that Easter is about, not just the forgiveness of sins, but our resurrection and the life of the world to come?
Or does somehow that take a back seat in our lives, and in our ministry?
Because We Were Raised From the Dead with Jesus, We Dwell in Peace
Alleluia! He is Risen! And Therefore
We Have Risen and Live Joyfully in His Peace!
John 20:19-31
In Jesus Name
May the God’s desire to make us His own, proven to us through the Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, be revealed more and more and therefore may we live in His peace!
The 371 picture….
One day driving up the mountain to Anza, I took what has become the best photo I have ever taken. It is there on your prayer insert/sermon notes. There has been nothing done to the picture, there was a fierce and I mean fierce mountain storm that was coming over Thomas Mountain and Mount San Jacinto.
Yet this tree stood as a beacon, the sun breaking through the clouds so gloriously lighting up the tree as if the tree itself was glowing. It stood, unaffected by the storm, unaffected by the clouds.
Completely at peace….
I have so longed to be like that tree – able to withstand the threat of any storm in life. To be able to dwell in God’s glory, to be able to reflect it like that tree, even in the face of such overwhelming storms. Yet that is not to be….
As I looked at the picture yesterday, it reminded me of the upper room, the storms that threatened the disciples, that raised their anxiety levels to their maximum. Enough that doors were shut, people weren’t allowed in, as they mourned, as they grieved, as they struggled.
In the midst of their storm… Jesus was revealed in their presence. Jesus the crucified one, Jesus the Passover sacrifice, Jesus who had been born of Mary, who had taught, who had healed.
Jesus, who was no longer dead, whose glorious resurrection was revealed by His presence! The relationship they had was not over, it had become even more glorious, as they realized, Praise God, He is Risen! (He is risen Indeed, Alleluia1)
And therefore…. (we have risen Indeed! )
Like the tree in the picture calls our attention, so too He calls our attention, our presence for in His presence we know His peace.
How often must we hear these words?
Jesus appears in the presence, like the tree appears along the side of the road, and the words resound, “Peace be with you!” Even as their hearts were so flooded with joy that the anxiety was drowned, the words would resound again – “Peace be with you!”
We need to understand that blessing, and its equivalents, “fear not”, and “the Lord is with you!” We need to hear them, to understand them. We need to taste them, digest them, to bring them into the very core of who we are.
The problem is that these words can become the church equivalent of “How are you doing?” with the quick response of “And also with you” or “with your spirit”. We too often reduce a powerful blessing to a greeting and polite response.
Why is that a problem?
We need peace. Satan would rob us of it constantly. He does it through encouraging our sin, and the shame and guilt it will cause. He does it through the sins others commit against us, as we allow the resentment to build, as we try to justify our sinful responses. Satan would use grief and despair as well, even as he did with Thomas.
It can be so easy to take Thomas’ position, to cry out Lord, unless I see you, unless I know you are there, I won’t give up my doubt, or my anxiety, or my pain. I won’t let you deal with it.
And then, when someone tells us, as we shall moments from now, “God’s peace is with you,” we quickly answer back – even mumble back a suitable response.
My friends, we can’t do that anymore. We need to hear those words, we need to know as we approach this altar that God will take those anxieties, those pains, the guilt, shame and resentment away from us.
An example of Christ’s ministry
That is exactly how Jesus dealt with Thomas….
“Peace be with you!” He exclaims to the room again, not just for Thomas, but for all of the brothers.
Thomas, you needed these hands? I am here, in the flesh. My side? I will offer it to you, the side from which my blood poured. Now, can you live in peace?
I think we read this passage sometimes, without seeing Jesus’ love for Thomas, We want to hear Jesus’s words without compassion, simply going, okay Thomas, here you go. Now get back to work.
But Jesus knows him, knows his brokenness, knows how much Thomas wants to believe. He made Thomas, he walked with him for years.
This is the same God who inspired Solomon at the dedication of the temple, to pray,
32 And don’t forget the foreigner who is not a member of your people Israel but has come from a far country because of your reputation—people are going to be attracted here by your great reputation, your wonderworking power—and who come to pray to this Temple. 33 Listen from your home in heaven and honor the prayers of the foreigner, So that people all over the world will know who you are and what you’re like, And live in reverent obedience before you, just as your own people Israel do, So they’ll know that you personally make this Temple that I’ve built what it is. 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 (MSG)
That’s the God who answered Thomas, the Lord who would listen to prayers of people who aren’t even His… as far as they know. Who would gather them, and encourage them to pray to Him.
Thomas, being ministered to by a Jesus who was real, found the peace he needed to believe. To declare that Jesus was his master, the One who was in charge of His life! And His benevolent, merciful loving God….
In other words, He knew peace.
What can you do, knowing that peace?
But Jesus didn’t leave the apostles just in that place of peace. He wanted them to take that peace out of the upper room, even as he wants us to take it outside the walls of this church, and off this property. Even as the Father in heaven sent Jesus to bring us that peace, we now have to take that peace to the world.
Impossible? Not if we realize that God is with us. That the Holy Spirit, breathed out on the 10 in the upper room was given to us at our baptism.
How? In the mercy displayed as we forgive sins, even as we know our sin are forgiven. That peace is found there. Nothing new about this – for while God answered prayers of those foreigners, Solomon also noted the prayers of the people of God.
18 Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood? Why, the cosmos itself isn’t large enough to give you breathing room, let alone this Temple I’ve built. 19 Even so, I’m bold to ask: Pay attention to these my prayers, both intercessory and personal, O GOD, my God. Listen to my prayers, energetic and devout, that I’m setting before you right now. 20 Keep your eyes open to this Temple day and night, this place you promised to dignify with your Name. And listen to the prayers that I pray in this place. 21 And listen to your people Israel when they pray at this place. Listen from your home in heaven and when you hear, forgive. 2 Chronicles 6:18-21 (MSG)
Sound familiar?
That is what Jesus authorized the apostles to preach – the forgiveness of sins, the freedom given in our baptism. Whatever you forgive here… is forgiven….
These are the words heard in a few moments, the blood of the New Testament, shed for the forgiveness of sin. And as you take and eat, and take and drink, what is the blessing the end of communion? Until we are before His throne in glory, know you dwell in His peace…..
Be at peace, all sin, every sin committed against you is forgiven. Go and share that peace, the peace we know because sin was dealt with at the cross, and while it cannot rise, we know this.
Alleluia! He is Risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)
and therefore?
(We are risen indeed! Alleluia!)
AMEN
Really? Why God? Oh yeah…..
Devotional/Discussion Thought of the Day.
14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say. 1 Peter 3:14-16 (TEV)
“No one can keep the treasure of the faith or the treasure of a vocation for himself alone!” (1)
I am sitting here – thousands of miles away from my family. My wife of nearly 25 years is resting at home, pregnant with our second child, being cared for by our 7 year old. She is a little older than most ladies who are pregnant – and at 49 there are few chances we would take. One was my coming here. One that has been more challenging than any moment I can remember in my faith.
Why?
Personally, I’ve been in a lot of pain – not only is my back pretty tweaked from the turbelence of the flight – but I had the blessing of passing a kidney stone yesterday.
My wife is struggling – there was some bleeding, and her hormones were low – and we are scared. More advice coming in has relieved that some…yet – the dark moments have come.
I’ve seen others on line – people I care about – struggling with life – and doing so quite openly, and possibly destructively.
So why I am sitting in Manilla, waiting for a ride to go preach at a church located at the university?
I’ve wondered. Somewhat bitterly in the last 48 hours. God what are you doing? Why the pain? Why the things that You know will cause massive anxiety? Why not just let this trip go smoothly, let the minsitry excel, or let someone healthier, a better speaker, a more gifted theologian come – rather than me. Why take me from my family in this moment?
The questioning becomes easier – as I look at the sermon – one posted later today. You should read it – for re-reading it put everything into perspective for me. If I have the perfect life – I don’t need Jesus. If everything works as it should – I don’t need to depend on Him, and if don’t depend on Him, my life is….lost.
I can’t explain it more than to say I know God is here – and as well with my wife. HIs promises are ours – and our son’s and the baby in my wife’s womb. That message – the reason we can expect (better word than hope) God to keep His promises go beyond human logic, they overwhelm the pain, they bring calm to the anxious. To know the God who has claimed us as His, marked us as His with the water of baptism, that is the God who is here… walking with us, never abandoning us – the God whom David describes in Psalm 139.
Such is our God.
Such is the God everyone needs to know – whether it is our children, or the college students of the Phillipines, or the pastor who is feeling homesick and overwhelmed.
We desperately need such a God in our lives – and because He loves us, we do.
So why am I here?
Last night on television, as I sat here trying not to take pain meds… I was watching the second version of Zorrow with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. At the end – as they are renewing their vows, the town church bells ring out for Zorro…His wife urges the Padre to move along the vows quickly – as she says, “this is who we are”.
Not sure what God will do here – or at home. Whether there will be joy or comfort, but I know this…. He opened these doors – He walks through them with us – and that is who we are.
So it’s time to preach…. may the people here in Manilla – and may you hear as well – that this faith in Jesus – this treasure of trusting in Him alone, that is too good not to share. And neither is the joy of sharing the Answer to why you have hope. Please share that with someone who needs it today!
God’s Peace…
(1) Urbano, Pilar (2011-05-10). The Man of Villa Tevere (Kindle Locations 5914-5915). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
