The Red Sea Moments of Life

My dear, sweet wife follows "The Chosen" video series on Facebook.  If you've not watched, "The 
Chosen" retells the life of Jesus in a most captivating way.  There is no studio financing the series.  Average Joes and Joans, like you and me, have sent contributions to make this happen.  If you haven't watched a segment yet, please do so.  Given the garbage that is on the networks and streaming services, "The Chosen" is worthy of support.

Below is a post from the creator of the series.  Sherri was taken with the notion that life is made up of "Red Sea moments."  See what you think:

In this moment, I'm devastated.

This picture was taken by Shahar Isaar, who plays Simon Peter, during a day of filming some of Episode 7, which played last night. He's standing on the shore of our "Sea of Galilee" lake. I'm in the water with our on-set dresser, the incomparable Allen.

We're several hours into the day, and we haven't filmed a single frame. We, the entire cast and crew, are doing the absolute worst thing you can do on a film set where time costs lots and lots of money: nothing.

We can't film because there's too much fog. It doesn't match what we filmed the day before, and we can't see 20 yards out. What's worse? The radar is telling us this isn't going away today.

There's nothing I can do, which is very hard for me. I've done my part, and now it's out of my control, and I simply have to wait.

A picture can say a thousand words. In this case, to me, this picture says three words: Red. Sea. Moment.

In Exodus 14, the Israelites are escaping from the Egyptians, and Pharaoh's army is chasing them. Moses and the Israelites get stuck at the edge of the Red Sea, and there's no escape.

You know what happens next. A miracle. God parts the sea, the Israelites pass through, and then God returns it to normal as the Egyptians are in it, and they all drown. God told Moses he did it to show he is the Lord.

My wife Amanda has used this phrase for The Chosen a few times. When we're up against it, to the point where we're powerless and can't do anything, she calls it a "Red Sea moment." She's told me, "God's just getting you to the edge of the Red Sea so when the waters part, you know it's Him."

It's happened over and over, and yet I still struggle to be content in that moment before the waters part.

In this case, it happened at the last possible second.

With four hours left in the day, WAY too late for us to get all the scenes in before the sun went down, and the radar saying the fog wasn't lifting, we called it. Crew got in their cars, we started to push the boat to the dock, and we tabled discussions on when, if ever, we could shoot these scenes.

And then, as crew members still on the shore described it, "A gust of wind came and cleared the fog in less than five minutes." I was in a trailer at the time, and as I walked out, I said, "Is that the other side of the lake? I can see the other side of the lake."

Suddenly the entire cast and crew rushed to the shore, we unpacked all the gear again, and we decided to just shoot what we could and hopefully get at least one scene in.

But because of the overcast sky, the sun reflected off the clouds as it descended, which lengthened the daylight.

We kept shooting and shooting, and we ended up getting every shot and every angle we wanted for every scene we'd scheduled. What would have normally taken 12 hours took less than four. The scenes turned out great in Episode 7. I still don't know how it was possible.

Because it wasn't, really. It's not possible for me to part the Red Sea.

So that's why this picture means so much to me. My posture indicates that I didn't know it, but I was at the edge of the Red Sea...and that's a really awesome place to be.

The Lord cannot ignore us

There is much we can learn about prayer from Daniel.  Prayer takes hold of Christ's promises, and it find confidence in the name of the Lord given to us in Holy Baptism.  The Lord cannot ignore us, because we bear His name.  To ignore would be to deny His own name, something He cannot do.  Though He will not grant my requests that are contrary to His will, He will pay heed to prayer offered up by one who bears His name.

"Blessed Be His Name," Kevin S. Golden, page 56

What An Amazing Savior We Have!

This is the manuscript of the sermon I preached yesterday at Life in Christ.  The video was of one of our members and his family celebrating after the Phoenix Suns won their series against the LA Clippers and reached the NBA finals.  Sorry that I don't have the video for you to see but suffice it to say, the family was pretty amazed!

Such An Amazing Savior!

          Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “amaze” as to “fill with great surprise or sudden wonder.”  Watch this video for an example of what I am talking about.  (show Logan Hall video).

          According to the Concordia Self-Study Bible, “the Bible that studies itself,” there are only two instances in the Gospels where Jesus is described as “amazed.”  One of those moments you will recognize instantly.  It is the account of the faith of the Centurion as found in St. Luke, chapter seven.

          You might remember that the Centurion had a servant who had become seriously ill.  Even though he was a Gentile, the Centurion asked some of the Jewish elders to implore Jesus to come and heal the servant.  The elders sought out Jesus, explained the situation, and the Lord agreed to go with them.

          They were not far from reaching their destination when the Centurion sent some friends with a message for Jesus.  In so many words, the Centurion said that if the Lord would just “say the word,” his servant would be healed.  St. Luke then writes, “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel’.”

          The Centurion’s friends then returned home where, perhaps to their amazement; they found the servant healed.

          Now, today’s Gospel lesson describes for us a rather “amazing” incident – the rejection of Jesus by His family and friends in His hometown of Nazareth.

          One would think that the Lord would have received a hero’s welcome, the red-carpet treatment on His return.  Surely, the people should have been filled with pride.  They had no doubt heard of how Jesus raised the Synagogue ruler’s 12-year-old daughter from the dead.  They must have been told of the many sick people Jesus had healed.  Surely, they had learned about Jesus’ authority over evil spirits.  And they must have known of the parables Jesus taught to his disciples and others.

          But that is not how the Nazarenes, including His own family received Him.  To be sure, they were amazed at what they had heard about Jesus.  Astonished is probably a better word.  They asked themselves, “How is it that He does these great things?”

          Maybe you can understand how they feel.  After all, isn’t He the carpenter’s son, who made a living with His hands? He is Mary’s boy.  Mary’s nothing special.  And according to St. Luke’s account of this incident, when Jesus told the Nazarenes that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy regarding God’s promise of a Messiah, they became offended at Him.  Actually, they went bonkers and intended to throw Jesus over the edge of a cliff.  But since it was not yet His time to die, Jesus used His divine power to simply walk through the crowd, unharmed.

          Now, if we could turn the clock back about 2000 years and you had I had been in Nazareth that day, it would have been different, right? If we had been there, the Lord would have received the homecoming He rightfully deserved.  We would have given Jesus the honor and glory that was due Him.  Certainly, we would have been the Lord’s loyal and faithful disciples, ready to follow Him, wherever, regardless of the cost.

          Or would we? Would we have eagerly welcomed Jesus? Would we have taken His every word to heart? Would we have shown Him the devotion and worship He deserves from us?

          For example, Jesus comes to us in worship.  But do we always come to worship with great joy and excitement or do we sometimes see our time at church as an obligation to be fulfilled?

          How many of us take the time each day for a period of Bible study and prayer so that we can learn more about Jesus and continue to grow in faith in Him?

          Jesus comes to us in His Holy Supper.  But do we always take the time to examine ourselves, realize that we have fallen short of what God demands, and then come to the Lord’s Table seeking the forgiveness and assurance which we so desperately need?

          And what about our prayer life? Jesus commands us to pray.  He promises to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father.  But have we gotten lackadaisical about our prayer life?

          How about our witness? Do we take advantage of our opportunities to tell others about our Savior when they come our way? Or do we sit silently when others make outrageous or unfair statements about Jesus or the church?

          We probably do not want to admit it but there are times when our faith life is rather “Nazarene-like.”  And that is a fearsome thought, considering how Jesus’ own family and friends treated Him during His return to His hometown.  What happened next? St. Mark goes on to tell us: “Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.”

          Did Jesus leave Nazareth in disgrace? Did He give up and quit because His family and friends rejected Him? The answer is NO! And that is good news for us all.

          It shows that Jesus never gives up in reaching out to us, never withholds His grace when we really need it, never stops calling us to be His when we feel so unworthy of His love.  What an amazing Savior we have!

          This Sunday, Jesus brings to us the same message He brought to the Nazarenes 2000 years ago.  He proclaims to us that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of us all.  He is the only One who has kept all of God’s commands perfectly – for us.  He is the only One able to shoulder the burden of our sins and suffer the punishment on the cross that should have been ours.  He is the only One worthy of our complete honor and worship for no one else has loved us that way Jesus has loved us.

          This Jesus is no ordinary man, a carpenter masquerading as a Messiah.  No ordinary man could have paid the penalty for all our foolish acts and indifferent attitudes.  We are forgiven – forgiven of those times of uninspired worship, indifference to Bible study, complacency toward His Holy Supper, and listlessness in witnessing to others.

          And in His resurrection, Jesus shows us the full extent of His victory, giving us the reassurance that true peace and hope are really ours because of Him.  Could an ordinary man from Nazareth give up His life on our behalf and then take it up again, much to the dismay of the devil? What an amazing Savior we have!

          So amazing that the Father and the Son sent to us the Holy Spirit.  Through the Spirit’s motivating power, we receive the faith and desire to find joy in our worship, wisdom and understanding in our Bible study, power in our prayer life, and confidence to confess Jesus to others.  With the Spirit’s help, we see Jesus for who He really is – not as a worker of wood, not as a good man or wise teacher, but our Savior who proclaimed the message of salvation and peace with God and bids us to do the same.

          Perhaps, the saddest words in our Gospel lesson today are these: “And (Jesus) was amazed at their lack of faith.”  From the Scriptures we know that some of those in Nazareth that day ultimately came to a saving, vibrant faith in Jesus.  We know that at least two of the Lord’s brothers, James, and Jude, became leaders in the early church.

          But I wonder how many Nazarenes there were who never came to believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah? I wonder how many there were who never saw Jesus for anything other than an ordinary man and nothing more.

          But for you and me, Jesus makes it possible for us to recognize Him and know who He really is.  He gives us an amazing faith which believes and trusts that His baptism is our baptism, His Word of forgiveness is our forgiveness, His Body and Blood in the Holy Supper our assurance that we are made right before God and that heaven’s gates are open wide to receive us.

          I understand that there were hundreds of people at the airport waiting for the Suns to arrive home after their amazing victory.  It is too bad the people of Nazareth did not do the same for Jesus.  We can be different.  Every time we gather in this place for worship, we can welcome the Savior who brings to us each Sunday His gifts of the forgiveness of sins, power of overcome temptation, answers to prayer, the promise of His presence in times of suffering and the certainty of heaven to us.  There really is only one way to describe the grace of Jesus – amazing!  Such an amazing Savior we have!  Amen.

It's Friday - Count Your Blessings!

In that wonderful book, "Little Women," Mrs, March tells this story to her daughters.

"Once upon a time there were four girls who had enough to eat and drink and wear, a good many comforts and pleasures...and yet they were not contented...These girls...made many excellent resolutions; but they...were constantly saying, 'If we only had this,' or 'If we could only do that.'...So they asked an old woman what spell they could use to make them happy, and she said, "When you feel discontented, think over your blessings and be grateful."

In Ephesians 1:3-14, we find the apostle Paul thinking over his blessings.  And what a list it is:

* Being chosen for salvation

* Being adopted as God's dear child

* Receiving the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus

* Receiving Godly wisdom and insight

* Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit

* Receiving the power to do God's will

* Receiving the gift of eternal life

One of the best things about this list of blessings is that you and I can can this list as our own.  Through faith in Jesus alone, God gives us all these things and even more.  He generously blesses us with many and varied spiritual blessings and takes care of our earthly needs too.  We can always think of things we'd like to have.  Bur rarely do we ever lack the things we need.  In His mercy, God provides for us day after day.

Has it been awhile since you've "counted your blessings?"  Paul has given you a great list to start with.  And think of all that you can add - things like answers to prayer, healing of body or soul, broken relationships mended, new opportunities on the job front, bills paid with money still in the bank, and the list goes on and on.  Let's follow Paul's lead and take a little time every day to count our blessings in Christ Jesus!

Have a safe and blessed 4th of July holiday!

Don't let foolish pride get the best of you

John H. Holiday, who was the founder and editor of "The Indianapolis Star" stormed into the composing room of newspaper one day.  He was mad, ticked off.  He had been reading through his newspaper when he found a story where the word "height" had been spelled as "hight."  Holiday was determined to find the person who made the mistake and really let them have it.  A copy editor checked the original copy of the story and discovered that Holiday himself was responsible for the misspelling.  When he was told that he said, "Well, if that's the way I spelled it, then it has to be right."  For over 30 years the Indianapolis Star misspelled the word "height."

Holiday's actions often mirrors our own.  We find it difficult to sometimes admit our mistakes, don't we? At times, a three word sentence is the hardest one to say: "I was wrong."  Rather than admit our guilt or acknowledge our missteps, we cover up, make excuses or shift blame to someone else.  Anything but to own up to a mistake.

When Cain became jealous because his brother, Abel's offerings were received by God, while his own offerings were not received with God's favor, God gave him a chance to correct his mistake and do the right thing.  But Cain refused and his anger ultimately led to his act of murder against his brother.

Mistakes are inevitable.  We are not perfect people.  We sin daily.  So we have two choices.  We can behave like Holiday and fail to acknowledge our sins or we can humble ourselves before our Almighty God and, in repentance, tell Him that "I was wrong."  Like the psalmist David you can proclaim, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' - and you forgave the guilt of my sin."  Don't let foolish pride get the best of you! It is God's nature to forgive and restore.  Know that as you pray to the Father, "I was wrong."  He is always ready to answer, "You are forgiven for the sake of My Son.  Go in peace."  Amen!

Seal It In My Heart and Mind

Sometimes while working in the office, I like to have music on in the background.  Today, I decided to listen to some gospel and spiritual songs Johnny Cash recorded in his personal recording studio.  Just Cash and his guitar.  There are some good old favorites like "Have Thine Own Way Lord," and "In the 
Sweet Bye and Bye," among others.  But the disc led off with a song I did not know, a song Cash wrote.

As the Bible is laid open, and the Bread of Life I find

In the Words You have spoken, seal it in my heart and mind.

Seal it in my heart and mind, Lord, seal it in my heart and mind

Let me always take it with me, seal it in my heart and mind.

I find proof of Your forgiveness, and what wisdom there I find

And the strength for daily living, seal it in my heart and mind

Seal it in my heart and mind, Lord, seal it in my heart and mind

Let me always take it with me, seal it in my heart and mind

Words of love and inspiration, light to guide me when I'm blind

Keep me filled in preparation, seal it in my heart and mind

Seal it in my heart and mind, Lord, seal it in my heart

Let me always take it with you, seal it in my heart and mind.

Strikes me that this would make a very appropriate prayer when beginning a time of study and prayer.

Short and sweet church funny

I am working on a new typeface to be used for church bulletins.

It's call "Baptismal Font."

Have a blessed weekend!