Mutual Conversation and Consolation

From Martin Luther's Smalcald Articles, "4: Concerning the Gospel. . . We now want to return to the gospel, which gives guidance and help against sin in more than one way, because God is extravagantly rich in his grace: first, through the spoken word, in which the forgiveness of sins is preached to the whole world (which is the proper function of the gospel); second, through baptism; third, through the holy Sacrament of the Altar; fourth, through the power of the keys and also through the mutual conversation and consolation of brothers and sisters.  Matthew 18:20: 'Where two or three are gathered. . .'"

Many people think that pastors only work on Sundays. . . it's a running joke in churches. . . not only that but that we only work about 2 hours (Worship and Sunday School).  We chuckle right along with you when you tease us about our light schedules, but under our breath we whisper, "If you only knew."  Just ask our kids and our spouses about it, they'll tell you the truth.  We know you work hard too but since much of what we do is out of plain sight it can be a mistake that parishioners often make about us clergy-types. . . that we aren't "doing" anything.  My husband often teases me about sitting around the house eating candy and watching soap operas. . . he knows how many hours I put in because half the time he can't keep track of me.

I'm not complaining, not at all.  I love being a pastor, can't imagine what else I'd do with my life.  But it can be a bit stressful at times. . . why? Because we love God's people!  When you grieve, we grieve.  When you are struggling we worry about you.  We worry about the budget, decisions that need to be made, if you're growing in your faith, how your kids are doing and more!  In general we try not to take on too much of your worries, because that would be rather unhealthy for all of us, but lots of times we can't help it because we are holding you in prayer, watching you deal with real life issues, and we are often helpless to change any of it.

As pastors we try to be there for each other, to lift one another up through it all because we can look at one another just know. . . we know when each other is getting burned out, overwhelmed, tired, and spiritually drained.  (So we not only worry about you, we worry about each other!) Just like we know when "life" is happening to those we were called to care for in our parishes.  Thankfully we have people in our congregations who see the fatigue in us. . . who call and check in on us, who tell us to go home, who bring us treats and send us notes to lift our spirits.  Thank you for that!  What I'm describing here is a little bit of what Luther called "mutual conversation and consolation of brothers and sisters."  But there's more to it. . .

The holy gospel comes to us as we care for one another, as we listen to each other and pray for one another.  God's mercy and grace comes to us through each other as we sit knee to knee and look at each other in the eyes and see, really see, what's going on in our brother or sister.  There's nothing like this in all the world!  This ministry has been given to all the saints, not just the ordained!  As Luther cites Jesus' promise, "Where two or three are gathered I am there among them." Christ comes to us as we gather together to tend to each other, to listen to what's going on in each other's lives, and to offer a word of kindness, hope and understanding.  We all need this!  And come to find out. . . it is as powerful as a sacrament for conveying God's grace!  

Forgiveness is like. . .

Why is it so hard for us to forgive one another?  
Why is it so hard for us to forgive ourselves?  
These are questions that I have pondered for years. . . 


I've had several Holy Spirit moments in my ministry where the power of God's love has washed over me and taken away all bitterness, anger, spite . . . when I knew I wasn't willing to let go of it.  It was as if God said to me as He took it ALL away, "I need you to let go of this because I have something for you to do. . . and if you are still hanging on to this poison you will not be able to do my work."  It would only be a matter of days or weeks when I would see exactly why God had taken the grudge out of me and replaced it with immeasurable peace.  Amazing.  Wonderful.  However, it cannot be willed!  It comes from God, not from inside of us somewhere.  


On the other side of this coin is the pain we carry around from past experiences. . .  intellectually I think we know that God forgives us (we hear it at least three times in worship each Sunday➔ confession and forgiveness, proclamation of the Word, and in the Eucharist).  But still, sometimes we can't let go of it. . . are we better than God?  What makes us hold on to it when God has already forgotten about it?  We've repented. . . we've asked, no begged, for forgiveness and yet still. . . we. . . hang. . . on.  


To hear that I am forgiven is the most amazing gift.  It means that I am loved.  It means that I matter.  It means that my sin doesn't define me in the eyes of God.  I am not the sum total of my sinfulness and neither are you!  "While we were still sinners Christ died for us," St. Paul reminds us in Romans 5.  Not while we were perfect, or lovable, or righteous. . . not while we had it all together, but while we were broken and fragile and straying.  

Why don't we practice telling each other that we are forgiven?  Why don't we free one another from the burden of sin, doubt, guilt and pain when we get the chance?  I happen to know that it makes a tremendous difference in this life and on this faith journey.  It revives the spirit and frees us to live into God's will for us.  I think we should make it a point of proclaiming forgiveness to those we meet-- imagine how it will free them to live life more fully!  


Thank you God for your mercy and lovingkindness and thank you, friend, for telling me I'm forgiven! 
Amen.

Too Many Details Hide What is Most Important

I am STILL working on whittling down a chapter of my DMin project from 32 pages to, well let's say, LESS than 32 pages.  It is a chapter that is taken out of Reformation history, a back and forth exchange between Luther and two fellow reformers.  But I am finding myself stuck in the details.  Ever feel like that?  Stuck in the details of all that is going on around you?  Unable to dig deep and get to what really matters?

Well, three informal submissions later, my advisor still says, "Get down to what is really important!"  (This is really interesting stuff, he says, but get to what really matters here!) In other words, stop trying to impress everyone with your knowledge base. . . it's not about that!  All the details don't matter and very few people would even be interested in all of that anyway!  So, now I labor away once more, I've printed it on paper so I can see it in black and white rather than on a screen.  The red pen is coming out!

Know why it's so hard for me to do this?  Because I am too emotionally attached to it!  I admit it: I don't want to sacrifice the work I've put into it.  I don't want to cut it or prune it or throw any of it away.  It's almost painful in a way. . . Sounds like a little bit of idolatry doesn't it?

How often do we get stuck in the details in our churches?
How often do we need someone to say to us, "Get down to what is MOST important!"  We are afraid of losing something. . .
*Losing the work we've put in to it.
*Losing a part of us and thinking that it never really mattered. . .
*Losing the legacy of our grandparents and great grandparents.
*Losing status. . . the fancier the better, the more important and more impressive we will be to those who don't know us yet.

We have some illusions that need to be crushed!  We have some idols that need to be crashed!

Sometimes we think that more and more information will solve our dilemmas.  If we could only just get more documents, more statistics, more experts weighing in on things then we would surely be just fine.  But I think we know what to do . . . we know how we've been called to serve, and live, and share the good news.  We simply have to be able to free ourselves up from all the baggage, data, facts and figures and get busy doing what God has called us to do.  Obedience, again?  So often it comes back to that, doesn't it?  In order to do what we are called to do we need to focus on the basics-- what is most important?  Oh, and stop worrying about our own egos, our own status, our precious reputations. . . none of that matters!  What matters is Jesus Christ and him crucified, risen and ascended.  Oh, and the promise that he will come again!
Amen!

Faith, once again, gets shoved to the background. . .

CNN Reports No Clergy will be Present at 9/11 Commemoration

The clergy were right there with the victims of 9/11, for months even years afterwards, but they have no place at the 10th Anniversary commemoration of 9/11.  I know several pastors from the New York City area who did serious, intensive counseling with victims, firefighters, police and other rescue persons after the greatest tragedy on American soil happened.  But do you think the Mayor of New York would consider inviting them to this milestone event?  Apparently not!  The dilemma according this report from CNN is "Who will get to be there?"  "How will we ever choose?"

It doesn't matter WHO!  As clergy know this is not a competition. . . it's not about which one of the local pastors would get the distinct honor of offering a prayer. . . we are all in this together so if one clergy person gets to be there then we are happily represented.  It simply makes no difference, it just doesn't matter if you're Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, Wesleyan or whatever tribe you're from-- just let someone be there to offer a prayer-- OUT LOUD.  Furthermore invite a Rabbi and an Imam . . .  I don't care. . . just invite someone. (Or is the issue that it keeps extending on and on and on?  Even if it is. . . make a decision to include someone who considers themselves to be religious!)

This, like so many moments in human life, is about a ministry of presence.  No one will remember exactly what was said by the person who offers a prayer but they will remember that someone did.  They will remember that the event was couched in a deep reverence for the holy, an assent to the divine presence.  Silence is great but audible prayer in a time like this seems incredibly important.  But once again, the realm of "faith" gets pushed to the background. . . relegated to obscurity. . . cast into the category of irrelevance.

But here's the thing. . . even if the Mayor of New York seeks to keep "religion" and "faith" out of this ceremony (and I hope he changes his mind), he cannot keep the Lord away.  No one can keep God from showing up!  He's already there and has been there since the first airplane circled the World Trade Centers, before that he was there, he's always been there. Society can be hostile to religion but it cannot keep God from being God! And, God is a God of being there!  Society, Government, Culture (or whoever) cannot wish the Creator of the universe out of existence.

Wouldn't it be great if all the faithful who gather that day would quietly whisper their prayers, not to disturb the moment, but to let others know that they are praying to the God who never leaves us?  It doesn't have to be someone who is ordained. . . we are all capable of praying. . . and God hears all of our prayers. . . none are more important than another.


I love you, LORD, my strength.
  The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
   my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.     (Psalm 18)

A Way of Being in the World. . .

We all have our own way of "being" in the world. . . the way we are either draws people toward us, or repels them from us, or somewhere in between.  Sometimes we are ever drawn to people because of their abrasiveness rather then their gentleness if there is something within us that responds to that (might not be a healthy thing or maybe we just like a challenge?).  


St. Paul had some advice for us on how to "be" in the world.  We're not good at it all the time.  We can get better at it if we have a working awareness of the energy we put out into the universe though.  From 1 Corinthians 14 he advised, "Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adult." In other words, be mature, be grown up, be wise about things.  Don't be gullible or foolish or infantile and fall for everything!  

Next thing we need to work on in "being" in the world is to be ones who have hope rather than ones who lack hope.  There is much around us to cause us dismay, to grieve us, to get us to take our eyes off of Jesus. . . but Paul says, "First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word." He was talking to the Thessalonian Christians (4:13) about death and resurrection but I think it applies to daily life as well.  Don't live your life as if there is nothing to hope for!  There is hope all around you!  All the negative stuff can get you down but you have Jesus, and if you have Jesus, fully present with you at all times through faith then what have you to fear and grieve? 


Look around. . . what do you see that gives you hope for today?  
* A smiling child
* A cute puppy
* Someone helping another
* Some fresh tomatoes out of the garden is usually good enough for me!
* The sound of wind chimes in the breeze
* A good cup of coffee
* The kiss of a loved one
What gives you hope?  I really want to know. . .


Then Paul gives us some really great advice. . . it is probably the best advice we could hear in these contentious times where people seem to be at each other's throats (think politicians and reality TV) where we seem to have lost six layers of skin and everything hurts us and wounds us and we take things way too personally. . . 
Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. (Ephesians 4:26 The Message)


So we can be people that resemble bulls in a china shop emotionally/spiritually/in our relationships or we can practice poise, patience, and perseverance.  One is easier but it wreaks a whole lot of havoc, and the other takes way more energy and intention but it creates peace and lowers anxiety.  Plus, people are drawn to the calm presence. . . how will you "be" in the world today?  God bless your day!

For the boat to sail, it cannot be tied to the dock. . .

Psalm 118 reminds us that God's steadfast love endures forever.  What more do we need in the midst of our daily trials and our faith journey?
Check out this incredible psalm and then come back. . . Psalm 118

For the past five years or so, my friend Pamela has been teaching me to sail.  I still could never do it alone but with her as the skipper I feel fine about it!  I trust her. . . she urges me to "do" what comes naturally (though when learning such a complex thing as sailing, nothing comes naturally at first, but then again there's a certain feel to it that just might be called "intuition").  When I get stuck in a cross wind she helps me get out of it, when I'm doing it right she simply smiles at me and the look on her face tells me all I need to know-- that all is going well.

I could never learn to do what I need to do in that boat if we left it at the dock, moored in its own personal slot, tied to the metal fasteners that keep it from drifting backward into the marina wall.  When it's time to head out, we climb on board, one of us and then the other and we unfasten those lines that keep the boat in its safe place. We toss the ropes onto the stern itself and onto the sides of the boat where they stay until it's time to return.

        (Once Pamela got stuck between the boat and the dock and said ever-so-gently "I need help."  It was   the softest sound ever coming from her lips but in a swell of adrenaline I almost picked her up out of the precarious position she found herself in.  We still laugh about that today; 

point is, she needs me sometimes too!)   

Thing is. . . in order to get out there onto the wide water, you have to release the lines that keep the boat moored.  There is safety ashore to be sure.  . . but little adventure, unless you consider watching those guys with the big yachts and little dogs wash their boats.  I want to feel the wind in my hair. . . I want to be tilted so far into the wind that I'm almost sitting on the water. . . I want to race across the clear glass with my eyes on the destination. . . it's time for me to let go of the safety and security of that dock and get sailing.  

God is with me. . . he has answered the deepest prayers of my heart. . . the fear, the darkness, the uncertainty, the turning away of those who disapprove of the course. . . who disapprove of me. . .

"With the Lord on my side I do not fear. . . The Lord is on my side to help me. . . It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."  

I'll be alright.  . . don't worry, the Lord has gotten me safe thus far by faith. . . wild waters will not overtake me, but it's time to stop clinging to the shore of old ways, the old structures that I once knew and was comfortable with. . . it's time to not look back any more, to embrace the adventure to which God has called me to this day.  

Image Credit:  igkt.net

First Day of School/New Beginnings

Today is another new beginning. . . life is full of them isn't it?

Our oldest child is heading to High School (I can't hardly believe it, he was just born!!) and our youngest is going to fifth grade (I loved fifth grade it was my favorite year in Elementary School).

I always get a little bit "homesick" feeling when school starts up again. . . I think it's because I always loved school and I don't get to go! (Though I do have a 160 page paper to edit for my Dmin project that I should be working on!!)  I remember the days of packing up mom and dad's car with all my stuff and heading back to Athens for the fall.  Moving into a new room, first the Convo, then Wilson Hall, then two years at the College Inn. New folders and pens, a new backpack to carry my stuff in, new track shoes for fall practice.  I miss those days!  I miss those people!  I miss the freedom. . . what I don't miss is having an 18 year old's brain!  I like the brain I have now!

So, I send my kids off today with their new bags and folders, pencils and erasers. . . I wonder what adventures they will be taken on this year.  High school swimming for him, honors classes, more homework than ever before, and the chance to watch him shine.  For her, well- she's into everything so it should be interesting!  The world is right there for them to grab. . . will they be brave enough to go for it?
Will they be intimidated by new surroundings?  Will they forget their locker combinations?  How long will it take for them to get comfortable?  Will it be overwhelming or exciting or both?  

I have to confess something about this first day of school.  At the same time that I long for the house to be a little bit quiet so I can write and read (and think!) I will miss them and wonder what they are doing.  Whenever something changes, even if it's a good thing, a positive thing, a step in the right direction. . . part of me still misses what once was. The old Adam hanging around my neck I suppose.  Melancholy is the best way to describe the feeling.  Bittersweet even.  Then I think. . . God knows what is coming next, I don't know. . . it just might be the most wonderful thing ever and who could imagine it?  I trust that God is always looking out for us, moving us toward something deeper, more meaningful, more to where He wants us to be. . .

So while I lament what is past, what will be gone forever, I am hopeful for what is to come.  And I try, oh how I try, not to dwell in the details of the transition, not to look too far ahead, or too far behind.  God is working on me to live more in the moment, to embrace the gifts that come TODAY.  That takes an ability to "feel" my way through life and if you know me then you know that I prefer to reduce everything to words and logic and reason.  Hazard of years of scientific study I guess.  So a new beginning is upon us. . . nothing to fear, only life to embrace for Christ is with us every step of the way.  What will happen next?  I can only be present enough to see and feel and experience whatever God has in mind for me and for the two most precious people in my life:  Noah Jacob and Anna Sophia.  Love you guys!

Rock Quarries

When my kids were in the third grade they made the annual third grade field trip to the rock quarry in Sandusky, Ohio.  Full of excitement and chattering away about the rocks they found and brought home, they had to show me each and every fossil in each and every rock.  "Look mom, here's a leaf!"  "Mom, see this insect right here?  I wonder how old it is!"  

"Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord.  Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.  Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many.  For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song."  Isaiah 51: 1-3

Whenever life changes it has a way of putting us off balance. . . even if it's a change we anticipated or even longed for. . . it can be a bit overwhelming at times even when we're happy about it.  How much more difficult is it for us when a change occurs that we did not desire?  When it seems like the proverbial rug is ripped out from underneath us?  We may end up on our backside wondering what happened to bring us so violently to the ground!  

God has a word for us that draws us back to what we know, to our most basic grounding and foundation.  "Look to the rock from which you were hewn. . ."  Where did you come from?  Who are your ancestors?  Who are your faith mothers and fathers?  What have they taught you that you can draw upon in this moment? 

Looking back to where we came from grounds us in a deeper reality than the change that is all around us!  Who are those old fossils who have formed and shaped you into the person you are today?  They might be ancestors that you never even met, but still they have something to give you (for instance a couple of years ago we found out that we have in our ancestry "the oldest Presbyterian minister in the eastern US," the Rev. Dr. Lyman Whiting.  I have since read much of his history and many of his sermons.  Who knew?).  What can their witness offer you in the midst of struggle?  How did they make it through the trials they had to deal with?  We draw strength from their story. . . we can be encouraged by their faith, tenacity and journey.  They knew that God was with them. . . they lived in hope and trust of the One God who promised, "My salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended." (v.6)

See, fossils are good for something more than paperweights!  

Image credit: superteachertools.com

So glad I don't have to take a number. . .

We are studying the Formula of Concord in our parish.  This is a document produced by the second generation of Lutheran theologians as they sought to hammer out orthodox teaching amongst themselves and other evangelicals of the 16th Century.

In the Epitome of the FC, Article VII The Lord's Supper, one of the negative theses (where they cite those tenets with which they disagree) states, "That God, according to all His omnipotence, is not able to cause His body to be essentially present in more than one place at one time."  Remember, they are disagreeing with this statement as apparently the Sacramentarians said that God cannot be fully present in more than one place, or more than one altar, in more than one church at any single moment.  To which dear Ramona said, "I give thanks everyday that I don't have to take a number or stand in line to receive God's mercy and grace."  Amen to that!

What if God really was that busy and that single minded that we had to wait our turn to receive his mercy and the benefits of Christ?  Some might already say that as they wait for a diagnosis, for comfort, for an answer about something they have been praying for for so long.  Take a number, please and God will get right to you!  Get in line here, sign in, and when God is ready for you He will call you into his office.  It might be a little while because right now God is out to lunch with his Kiwanis buddies.  But don't worry, it will happen all in God's good time!

Thanks be to God that He is NOT like that!  Christ is fully present to us in faith ALL the time!  We don't have to wait in line, or fill out an application, or call ahead for a reservation. . . God wants to hear our deepest felt needs and we can talk to Him anytime we feel like opening our hearts or our mouths!  Not only that but He is present with every believer, in every church, at every worksite, in every classroom, at every gathering of the faithful all the time!  Count on it, don't doubt it!

You never know from which direction Grace will appear. . .

Grace. . . Forgiveness. . . Mercy. . . Acceptance. . . Love

Whatever you want to call it, you never know when it will come to you, how it will look, or from what direction it came from-- oftentimes it comes from out of the BLUE.  But it does come. . . God's love comes to us from all directions, the Spirit of the Lord comes to us from directions that we cannot pin down.  Jesus said that in John 3:8, that the Spirit blows where it chooses and we do not know from which way it will come.

So why do we trudge through life sometimes thinking that it will never come?  That's God's mercies are finite, limited, in short supply?  What a bunch of faithless pessimists we can be at times!  It's as if we've never felt it before, as if we somehow think we cannot rely on the God of all hope. . . we have short memories I suppose, and a frail faith.

But then a hymn, a song sung by the faithful, a word of hope, a glimmer of truth that points to the ultimate truth in Jesus Christ sparks a heart-awakening movement within us.  And where did it come from?  From what direction?  Who could have seen that coming?  But it does come.  And it comes to us. . . from God. . . looking nothing like we thought it would or should. . . in a place that we never imagined God might be. . . but there it is in all its fullness-- grace, mercy, peace, light, hope, LOVE.  

Don't be surprised by it, but rejoice in it!  Hold onto it, cherish it, for God gave his only Son to die for us so that we might live and live a new life of joy and love.  Changed forever.  Love comes from God-- because God is love!

For today or for tomorrow. . . for your Sabbath day. . . May your hearts be filled anew as you worship the Creator of the Universe; may the songs of the faithful congregation lift your spirits toward heaven; may the bread and wine/body and blood of our Lord Jesus fill you, nourish you, strengthen you and keep you in his grace.  And may the God of love use your life to bring others to the love that transforms us into true disciples, followers of the light of the world.  Amen.

Change, even positive change, can be a bit overwhelming!

Matthew 28: 18-20
"Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

It's a new beginning.  A new church.  A new opportunity to get down to basics and serve the Lord with heart, soul, mind and strength.  I'm talking about the fact that I am now a pastor in the North American Lutheran Church and within days will no longer be affiliated with the church of my youth, the ELCA.  This post is not to discuss the myriad reasons why this came about, simply to say that even though a change is good, hope filled, Spirit filled, Spirit led. . . it can still be a little overwhelming.  


You know how that is-- a new baby-- very good change!
A new job-- fantastic opportunity for growth and career.
A new home-- with new closets, cupboards, and curtains.
But it is change nonetheless. 
I've written before on this blog about how one can not expect change to happen in a vacuum.  Whenever there is one change, we can expect change in other realms of our lives.  Isaac Newton said it like this, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. . ."  


So, I wait. . . and cling to the cross of Jesus who promised to be faithful to this task of disciple making, baptizing and good news preaching.  He also promised that he would NEVER leave us!  Therein  lies the best news of the day.  The Christ who lived and died, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, the Christ who will come again is the same yesterday, today and forever.  There's a constant we can rely on in the sea of change.  So I tell myself, "Shhh, be still, don't get overwhelmed by all the change, even though you're happy about it. . . just BE."  (It's hard for me to BE.  I know that and so I'm working on it!)  Just BE present, to the moment, to self, but ultimately to CHRIST!  


Whatever is changing in your life. . . just BE.
Whatever is moving in your being. . . just BE.
Whatever is adapting, transforming, whatever is being reworked, remodeled, or refined. . . just BE.  And know that Christ is with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.


Image credit: ideachampions.com

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. . .

We all have favorite hymns that touch our hearts. . . hymns from childhood or an important moment in our faith life. . . maybe even from a loved one's funeral or baptism.  They are songs that have the power to bring us to our knees or cause us to weep whether with grief, joy, hope, or repentance.  This one always gets me. . .

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

I think it's because I know how fragile faith, my faith, often is.  Seeing the pain and suffering all around puts me on the verge sometimes of disbelief, on the edge of hopelessness some days, and prone to leave the Lord I love.  But this song always brings me back to what Christ has done for me and all believers.  He has instilled in me a holy love, and most days (thankfully) a deep faith.  When a friend or parishioner is questioning their own faith, this song comes to mind because it is so honest in the way it portrays the faith journey.  We are all prone to wander, and prone to leave the God we love. . . its called original sin and we were born into it.  Though the waters of baptism keep original sin in check, we are still very fragile in our faith. . . yet we are reminded of what Christ has done for us:
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

The good news is that we are rescued, saved, pulled out of the waves that seek to sink our boats (Matthew 14) and given a second chance.  "He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned human being. He has purchased and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death.  He has done all this in order that I may belong to him, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally."  (Luther, SC)


Our second chance, and third and fourth. . . consist of new life and life abundant.  


That doesn't mean that everything will go smoothly for us, that every loose end will be tied up and there will suddenly be absolute certainty in all aspects of life-- this is after all a life of faith and faith is required where uncertainty is the norm.  But we know that even though we wander that our Lord will come looking for us, the Great Shepherd of the sheep will not abandon us or leave us wandering too long.  And nothing. . . nothing. . . can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8)  Every fall, every failing, every uncertainty, every doubt is met with the holy presence of Christ.  We are clothed in flesh but we rely on our faith. . . and our faith allows Christ to meet us in our mortality, our failings, insecurities and uncertainties.  If we knew everything and could control everything then we wouldn't be in need of a Savior!  Our wandering has to do with our wanting and needing to control everything!  


Yes, we are prone to wander.
Yes, we are prone to leave the One we love, the One who loves us most of all!  
Sometimes I think we just need a reminder about how fragile are our human tendencies.  


Image credit: examiner.com

When Will Jesus Show Up?

Ever wonder, "When will Jesus show up?"  When you are in the midst of crisis, confusion, conflict, anxiety, or even a life and death situation. . . if you had the wherewithal to ask, would you ask, "Where are you Jesus?  When are you going to show up here?"

Matthew 14:
^22-23As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.
 ^24-26Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror.
 ²⁷But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid."
 ²⁸Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water."
 ^29-30He said, "Come ahead."
   Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"
 ³¹Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?"
 ^32-33The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, "This is it! You are God's Son for sure!"
 ^34-36On return, they beached the boat at Gennesaret. When the people got wind that he was back, they sent out word through the neighborhood and rounded up all the sick, who asked for permission to touch the edge of his coat. And whoever touched him was healed.


First of all, I'm struck by how Jesus is still trying to get away for awhile to pray.  He was diverted from that desire in the previous passage as the crowds followed him on foot and he met their myriad needs, ultimately feeding 5,000 men plus women and children.  He is still trying to find a moment's peace to recharge, to connect with his father, to regroup his thoughts and emotions.  He did find some time as Matthew tells us he spent most of the evening and night there on that mountain.  Meanwhile the disciples are out on the boat that Jesus sent them on. . . and a big storm blows in as storms are want to do!  Matthew talks about the "battering" that happens out there in the water.  You've been battered too, haven't you?  Battered by grief, frustration, loneliness, sadness, lack of control over the things that you'd love to be in control of!  


So where is Jesus?  Where is he in the middle of all of this battering of our boats?  When is he ever going to show up?  


It seems to me that Jesus never shows up too early. . . and he never, ever, ever shows up too late. . . his timing is impeccable!  He always shows up right on time, just exactly when we need him, and oftentimes in the very moment when we think that he has forgotten us and that he won't show up.  And then he says to us, "Courage."  Believe.  Trust me.  Have a little faith.  Don't be afraid.  It's me, the one who loves you.  I'm right here.  


We might say to ourselves after each encounter with Jesus, the same words he said to his followers, "Faint of heart, what has gotten into you?"  We know it after the fact, don't we?  It's knowing it when we need to know it that is the growing edge of our faith.  It's trusting that Jesus most certainly will be there when the battering, bruising, life-threatening incidents come.  And they will.  

Jesus reaches down to grab our hand to pull us out of all that seeks to destroy us.  He shows up right when we need him.  I'd say there is no better news for us to hear this day or any day!  Thanks be to God! Amen.


Image credit: Eugene Delacroix "Jesus Calms the Sea"

Ever lost anything important?

Of course you have!  It's nerve wracking, mind bending, aggravating, frustrating. . . and yet it usually isn't the end of the world is it?  Keys, money, a phone number, your wallet. . . even if you never find them again it isn't the end of the world.  Life will go on.  Things are replaceable.  It may take a little effort but all of these things can be replaced fairly simply.

"I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. . ." (Martin Luther, SC, explanation to the Second Article of the Apostles' Creed)

I'm lost.  I've been lost.  I will be lost again I am quite sure.

But I'm also found.  God found me when I was about 22, fresh out of college, a useless biology degree in hand, not headed to med school which had been my plan for so long, track career over, working at a Chinese restaurant wearing a blue silk Chinese dress everyday to work, living at home- the last place a 22 year old wants to be (at least that was what I thought back then).  Lost.  Beaten.  Virtually hopeless.

But God found me again.  I'd like to say that I found God but I know that's not the truth of the matter.  I don't think I was looking for him.  The God of my childhood was a cold, sterile, boring, dry, lackluster figment of the imagination- and a very imaginative one at that.  I remember not being moved at all by any worship in my childhood though I attended every Sunday.  How sad is that?  I remember going to counseling with the pastor of my teen years and hearing, "I don't like you and I don't like your attitude."  Endearing, eh?  Is that how God sees me too?  Maybe God doesn't like me or my attitude?  What a shame.  Is it any wonder I was lost? I was not only lost I was thrust out into the realm of "dislike."

But then, God found me.  Different church, still Lutheran, different preacher, pure Gospel.  Pure milk for the 22 year old baby.  God grabbed ahold of me through a servant who is still my pastor today when I need one.  God used him to get me to seminary.  God uses us to bring others to faith, to bring the lost into the realm of being found.  We may never know it but it's true nevertheless and it doesn't matter if we ever find out that something we did or said led someone to Christ- we simply do our best to encourage that to happen.

So, some things don't matter in the big picture if they are lost--- but lost people matter.  They matter very much and God will never give up working to bring all lost and condemned sinners back into the fold of his mercy and grace.  Know someone who is lost?  Don't give up on them!  Keep in touch with them, keep an eye on them, keep telling them how much you love them and more importantly--- how much God loves them!  And maybe your prayers will be answered. . . I think it's God's will that those prayers will be answered! Amen.

I believe- Mystery Adventure Creed

To say, "I believe" is to put one's self out there for all to see, examine, even criticize.  We open ourselves up to the scrutiny of others when we define our position with a statement of faith or belief.  "I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth."  Do you believe?  Do you believe that God set the stars in the sky?  Do you believe that God created humanity from dust and breathed life into the first humans and continues to breathe life into humanity?  What do you believe?  In order to say it aloud you have to first think about it.  You have to whittle it down to the most core set of values/beliefs/fundamental truths and then boldly proclaim your creed.

Here's ours from last night. . . 10 young people ages 10 and under made their own credal statement as they studied the First Article of the Apostles' Creed. . .   see if you believe what they believe:

Our Mystery Adventure Creed

We believe that God is the almighty Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that God made us, and everything else including all the animals, food, drinks, and materials so that we can create things.

We believe that our God loves us.

We believe that our God helps us through the day.

We believe that God listens to and answers our prayers.

We believe that God made grapes and wheat to feed us in his holy supper. 

This is most certainly true.

What do you say when someone asks you what you believe?  Do you believe it to the core of your being or is it simply a passing thought?  Nothing less will do when it comes to your faith. . . at some point you have to just say it!  I believe!