My hero - Martin Luther - and me

Today is Reformation Day, the 495th Anniversary of the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95th Theses to the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  One of the highlights of last year's European trip that my wife and I took was our visit to Wittenberg.  I'm standing next to the Luther statue; the building in the background is City Hall.  We were in Wittenberg for only a couple of days.  I wish we could have stayed longer.  It felt like home.

Marriage's Death Certificate

I came across these words while reading some Max Lucado yesterday and he is right on the money. 

When one or both people in a marriage stop trusting God to save it, they sign its death certificate.  They reject the very One who can help them.

As we Lutherans would say, "This is most certainly true."  When married couples ask to meet in my office to counsel and pray about their marriage, within the first few minutes I can usually tell whether there is hope or not.  It comes down to whether or not the couple are willing to let the Lord do His healing work and put His Word to work in their lives.  Sure, there are always problems, many of them serious, that cause a marriage to begin to come apart at the seams, so to speak.  Relationships generally do not fray over night but over time.  So, it only stands to reason, that mending the relationship will also take time.  But when a husband and wife are willing to trust God, listen to Him speak to them through His Word, put that Word to practice in their lives, practice repentance and reconciliation, and learn to love one another as the Lord has first loved them, the Lord can do a marvelous work.  Nothing is impossible for God.  Nothing.

Have you 'appreciated' your pastor?

October is Pastor Appreciation Month.  If you haven't "appreciated" your pastor yet, please do so.  Quickly.  Today.  Like right now.

Here's why:

Most pastors work really hard.  They often forgo doing things with family and friends so they can serve the flock.  Most folks aren't aware of this.

Because pastors work really hard, they tend to keep crazy schedules.  Most folks only see the pastor at work on Sunday.  The majority of people are simply not aware of what the pastor does during the week.  During the week is when the preparation for Sunday takes place.  During the week is when much of the ministry happens.  People get sick.  People are in crisis.  People die.  This is not an 8 to 5 job with Saturday and Sunday off.  Most pastors I know work 55-60 hours a week.  Throw in a funeral or wedding or Advent or Lenten services on top of everything else and the hours soar.  This is not a recipe for good mental, emotional or physical health.

Because pastors keep such crazy schedules, they often wear out.  Or burn out.  Most pastors I know really give themselves to the Lord and to their congregations.  The demands made on them are great and since most pastors don't want to let anyone down, they push and push and push some more.  The human body wasn't designed to keep up that pace forever.  What happens when a person has a tired mind and a tired body? Illness.  Depression.  Guilt.  Some pastors lose their effectiveness.  Others leave the ministry.  The congregation weeps.  The devil celebrates.

What can fill up a pastor's emotional gas tank? Knowing that he has the congregation's appreciation and support.  A few years ago I was going through a very difficult time.  As I sat at my desk going through some email, I opened one that said simply, "I've got your back."  I can't describe very well what that message meant to me.  For a moment my heavy heart felt as light as a feather.  The heavy burden I carried on my shoulders and into my office had been lifted. 

Even more filling is the Word of God.  The Lord's reassurance provides comfort and consolation for weary or wounded pastors:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame will not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God...  (Isaiah 43:1b-3a)

Ministry is hard.  What a blessing for a pastor to know that "God has your back!"  And what a blessing it is when the pastor knows that in spite of his weaknesses, the congregation still "has his back."

'Appreciate' your pastor today! 

Birthplace of the Reformation

Wittenberg, Germany...Martin Luther is called in 1511 to serve a a professor of the Bible at the University of Wittenberg.  It is through his study of the Scriptures that he learns that righteousness before God is not something that is earned but is given as God's gift through faith in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This good news is imperiled by the selling of indulgences which promised forgiveness for sin.  On October 31, 1517, Luther posted the 95 Theses on the doors of the Castle Church (see above).  Sadly, while we were in Wittenberg last summer, the doors of the church were under repair so I was unable to get a good picture of the spot when Luther stood with Theses in one hand and hammer in the other.  I guess that means that I'll just have to make a return trip!

It's Monday - I'm Pregnant!

I read this story in one of Jan Karon's "Mitford" books about the pastor who explained that delivering the Sunday sermon is kind of like giving birth to a baby.  Then, on Monday, you find out you're pregnant again! Well, I'll be delivering another sermon this Sunday as we celebrate the reformation of the church.  I might even mention Martin Luther once or twice (what a surprise!).  Come and join us if you're in our area.  Worship at 8 and 10:45 am with Christian LIFE hour at 9:15 am.  Join us at Life in Christ this Sunday!

The best place in the world to be buried?

On Thursday nights I'm teaching a LifeLight Bible study on the topics of miracles.  I chose the study, in part, because the prof who most inspired me at Seminary, Glenn Nielsen, helped write the study.  As I was preparing for the first lecture I came across this great line:

I like the man who said he wanted to be buried in Jerusalem because as he put it, "Jerusalem has the highest resurrection rate of any city in the world!"

Stuart Townend gets it!

Townend, IMHO, is the finest writer of modern Christian and church music today.  His song, "In Christ Alone," already is a classic.  It is sung in all kinds of churches using all kinds of service formats.  The reason is simple: "In Christ Alone" has a singular focus - the Lord Jesus Christ.  The object of the song is clear: Christ crucified, risen, victorious.

In an interview, Townend said something which I think the church and especially those who plan worship must keep in mind: When all our songs are about how we feel and what we need, we're missing the point.  There is a wonderful, omnipotent God who deserves our highest praise, and how we feel about it is in many ways irrelevant.

I want to encourage the expression of joy, passion and adoration, but I want these things to be the by-product of focusing on God - I don't want them to become the subject matter.  I'm trying to write songs that refer to us as little as possible, and to Him as much as possible.

We Lutherans understand worship as something as God does for us and not about what we do for God.  What joy that should bring to the heart of a believer! Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, comes to meet us in our church to serve us.  He comes and brings a Word of forgiveness and hope...He washes us with a washing that cleanses us so that we can stand before our Father...He invites us to His table to provide us a meal that draws us as close as we can be to Jesus this side of heaven.

Townend is right - the subject and object of our worship can only be the Lord.  God alone can forgive sins.  God alone can give us the miracle of the new birth and new life.  God alone paves the way to eternity through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Savior.  If the personal pronoun "I" dominates all the songs you sing in church, be concerned.  As Townend says, if all the songs we sing are about how we feel and what we're going to do, we are missing the point.  Worship the Lord!