A stewardship point to ponder

It's a refrain that had been heard in the church ever since there has been a church: all this church is interested in is my money! I don't doubt that there are some churches whose main concern is the almighty dollar. But that hasn't been the case at Life in Christ.  Not too long ago I came across the following statement from the great C.S. Lewis.  Read carefully:

The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says, "Give me all (of you).  I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work - I want you.  No half-measures are any good.  I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there.  I want to have the whole tree..."

The Lord doesn't want your money.  That would be too easy.  You could write a check, make a big donation to the church and be on your way.  No, the Lord wants you.  And it's only right that He would feel that way.

Who suffered the punishment for your sins? Who humbled Himself so that you might be saved and lifted up? Who has removed the shame of your sin and the fear of your death? Who has prepared a place for you in heaven.  You know the answer - Jesus!

Jesus wants your heart and your head, your time and your attention, your worship and your praise.  When He has you in this way, supporting the ministry of the church will never be a problem! And no one will ever be tempted to say, "All this church is interested in is my money!"

The greatest waste of all

The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. The greatest waste in all our church, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.

Rev. Billy Graham, as quoted in "In A Heartbeat," page 254

Pastors - pay attention!

What have I been doing all this time? If I'm going to take 20 or 30 minutes to play something that I can play in 10 minutes, maybe I'd better play it in 10 minutes.

Jazz great John Coltrane, as quoted in "Making Records," pages 35-36

Perhaps Pastor's should look at their sermons the same way?

What goes on in Christian Churches

When Christian believers gather in churches, everything that can go wrong soon or later does. Outsiders, on observing this, conclude that there is nothing to the religion business except, perhaps, business - and dishonest business at that.  Insiders see it differently. Just as a hospital collects the sick under one roof and labels them as such, the church collects sinners.  Many of the people outside the hospital are every bit as sick as the ones inside, but their illnesses are either undiagnosed or disguised.  It's similar with sinners outside the church.

So Christian churches are not, as a rule, model communities of good behaviour.  They are, rather, places where human misbehavior is brought out into the open, faced and dealt with.

Eugene Peterson, author of "The Message" translation.

Know someone who is thinking about going to church?

Do you know someone who might come to church with you if you were to ask?

Why not invite them to Life in Christ this weekend.

We worship today at 5 pm.  Tomorrow our services with traditional hymns are at 8 & 11 am.  We also have a service that features modern songs played by a band at 9:30.

Make the invitation.  Help a friend hear about Jesus, the One who longs to be the friend of those in need of forgiveness and eternal life!

Hallowed be Thy name

The Large Catechism says, "To hallow means the same as to praise, magnify, and honor both in word and deed," (LC III 46).  God's gifts and answered prayer give us an unsurpassed joy.  I have joy that I know exactly who God is.  I know His name.  I know I am forgiven in His Son.  I know His name is mine in Holy Baptism.  I know that I am His beloved child.  I know He expects me to sanctify His name in word and deed.  I know He answers my prayer, "Hallowed be Thy name."

"Why I Am Joy:Fully Lutheran?" Matthew C. Harrison, page 93

Be on guard for self-righteousness

There is no greater temptation for those who profess to be Christians than self-righteousness,

Robert E. Fischer, "Christian Freedom - Christ Sets Us Free," page 27

Wait on the Lord?

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope.  Psalm 130:5

The psalmist provokes an interesting question: What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Where do we find the patience to wait for the Lord to work out His will and purposes for our life?

Here were are taught to look to God's Word for hope.  It's there in Scripture that we find the assurance of forgiveness, the certainty of our salvation.  The precious promises of God's abundant grace, mercy, pardon and peace give us hope for each day.  What are you waiting for? Rather than worry, ask the Lord to help you wait.  Wait on the Lord and let His Word fill you with His hope!

Jesus paid your ransom

He was sold for the price of a slave, but He doesn't buy you as one. His purchase was not your price, but your ransom.  He would have you love Him, and rejoice in Him, so He leaves you free.

David Petersen, "God With Us," page 89.

The media is liberal and biased

Who says? Lara Logan, reporter from famed television program, "60 Minutes."

In an article posted on the "Daily Mail" website today, Logan says: "In this country 85% of journalists are registered Democrats so that's just a fact."

"For example, the coverage on Trump all the time is negative...Well that tells you, that's distortion of the way things go in real life."

Logan makes a reference to the Western Wall in Jerusalem where there is just a small place at the wall for women to pray while the majority of space is for men only.  She goes on to say that her example is descriptive of our media today - conservatives have just a small space while the liberal media holds the greater space.  If her example is correct, the liberal view has the opportunity to have greater influence.

Is it any wonder that President Trump relies so heavily on social media?

Here's something to do with those Christmas cards

We seem to have seen an uptick in the number of Christmas cards we received this year.  More and more we noticed that family and friends are sending a card with a montage of pictures and some kind of holiday greeting.  Simple but very fun to receive.

When we take down the Christmas decorations for another year, the cards usually get thrown out.  We take one last look but then in the garbage can they go.

But I was surprised when I received a postcard from our friends, Dan and Janelle.

They wrote: It has been our tradition over the past few years after the Christmas season to keep all of the Christmas cards we received and personally pray for each individual or family during our mealtime prayers in the weeks that follow.  This card is being sent to let you know that we prayed for you today."

Dan and Janelle also write a little note that personalizes the card for each recipient.

Sherri says that she knew they did this each year.  Somehow I missed the memo.

Next year we're going to follow suit.  What better time than to pray that the new year brings a multitude of blessings for those you love?

An idea you might want to consider, huh?

Why a church should desire to be a singing church

“Congregational singing is a major means of grace and growth for the soul of the Christian, it is a distinctive discipline of God’s people to pour out their hearts and lift their voices together in common worship of the One who has loved and redeemed them. Singing together is the activity of Christians who wish to serve one another, who are willing to struggle together all the way to glory, who intuitively understand the power of song to lift our souls, strengthen our hands, and enlarge our hearts.

Andrew Roycroft

God is not helpless

Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God's plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins.

Olympic champion, Eric Liddell, as quoted in "Stronger," by Clayton King, page 67

It is the cold and flu season!

And I have a cold.

That's not unusual.  Everyone I know has had or currently has a cold.

I just didn't think I would get one.

Wrong! 

I'm praying that a good dose of worship will be good medicine.

Come and join us - today at 5 pm or tomorrow at 8, 9:30 or 11 am.

God bless your day!

Love, love, love

This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has on one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:12-13

A good read - good time management leads to love

We normally think about time management in terms of personal productivity – we want to manage our time well so that we can accomplish things, finish what we start, achieve goals, and pursue excellence. We want to avoid time wasters, unorganized schedules, and time spent on things of lesser priority because it robs us of getting the right things done at the right time. We think about productivity in terms of ourselves as individuals.

But have you ever considered that our poor time management also robs others? That how we manage our time has an impact on how well we are able to love and serve those around us?

If our life is unorganized and full of mismanaged time, we cannot be present for others in a way that serves them. Every second that we mismanage our time is a second we cannot give ourselves away in service to other people. If we do not schedule adequate time to do our tasks, take care of our responsibilities, build in necessary rest, then we’ll steal time that we should give away to serve others instead.

I should be motivated to plan out my life in the most efficient manner possible so that I am free to give myself away in love to other people. Time management is not just a tool for personal productivity, it is a tool of a heart for others.

When I’m scrambling around over a weekend to finish school work that should have been done through regular discipline throughout the semester, I am robbing my kids of uninterrupted time they could be spending with their father. When I’m in my church office past midnight on Saturday night to finish my sermon because I let less important tasks crowd out my sermon study time during the week, I’m robbing my wife of my arms and kiss on the cheek after a long day as we go to bed together. When I blow off finishing the remodel of our den because I want to sit and watch college basketball on a Saturday, I rob others of the life-giving fellowship they could be sharing over our dinner table.

Good time management isn’t just about personal productivity. It is about shaping a life that is free from the tyranny of the deadline so that we are able to give ourselves away to others with our full presence, our full mental awareness, and our full joyful attention.

So don’t only let personal ambition (which is often good when directed at accomplishing the right things for the right reasons!) drive your efforts at good time management. Let the loving service that you can render to those around you motivate you to organize that schedule, kill those time wasters, and seize the best parts of the day. Let love lead!

+Bill Landis+ Every life he touched was better for it

This morning at 6:15, the Good Shepherd of the sheep, the Lord Jesus Christ guided my father-in-law, Bill Landis to heaven where he will sleep in Jesus.

Sherri and I were with him.  We prayed with Bill and as I concluded with, "Amen," at that very moment Bill breathed his last and was at peace, no longer hurting, no longer suffering.  Praise God for His mercy.

Bill lived a life of service to others.  There isn't anything that Bill wouldn't do for another person.  In fact, that was when he was happiest - using his gifts and talents to be a blessing to others.  You couldn't help but be inspired to reach out to others too after having watched Bill offer selfless service to those in need.

Most precious to Bill was his family - his wife, Betty; daughters Sherri and Carrie, his grandchildren, Stephanie, Eric and Katie, and his great grandchildren, Luke, Ethan, Dominic, Emily, Will, Drew and Duke.  It would be impossible to number his many friends.

Please pray for Betty and the rest of the family during this time of sadness.  We are comforted in God's promises of the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting.

If you're happy and you know it...

I first heard the song at a youth weekend.  It was really a children's Sunday school song but our teenagers found it fun to sing.  So, I learned to play it on my guitar.  Simple to play and simple to sing.  You've probably heard it.  The refrain goes like this:

Where does this happy feeling come from?
 Where does this happy feeling come from?
This happy feeling comes from Jesus
 Every day He more than pleases 
That's where this happy feeling comes from!

I believe this little song captures well the feeling of the psalmist David: Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. (psalm 32:1)

The word, "blessed," has at its heart a buoyant happiness, a soaring excitement which we feel whenever our burdens have been lifted and we are at peace with our world.

Some spend their entire lives seeking such happiness. We expect to find it with our next purchase, success or accomplishment. These things do bring joy - but so often the feeling is fleeting and never lasting.  And then the search begins all over again.

David knew that true happiness comes from knowing that God forgives us of all the thoughts, words and deeds which should separate us from Him. He forgives us for the sake of Jesus, whose shed blood paid for our sins and whose righteousness covers us and makes us acceptable before our heavenly Father. 

Forgiven of our sins! Covered in the righteousness of Christ! That's where this happy feeling comes from!

A Prayer Based on the Second Article

O Eternal Word, You instruct me in the Creed that from conception to resurrection and into eternity, You assumed my flesh. You became everything I am, only without sin. You assumed; You redeemed.

Blessed Christ, God and Redeemer, I confess that You are my Lord. Your blessed Word is rich and full and clear. That Word instructs me that You took on flesh in the Virgin's womb. You lived, suffered, died and rose again for sinners, of which I confess, I am chief.

I thank You, blessed Redeemer, that You have paid the price for me and for the world. I thank You for the Creed and all its glorious biblical truth. I thank You for Dr. Luther's wonderful explanation and that You have redeemed me, not with silver or gold, but with Your holy and precious blood and Your innocent suffering and death.

I confess, gracious Jesus, that I have too often ignored Your Word. I have failed to contemplate the depth of Your compassion, the depth of Your Father's love in sending You to bear my sin and be my Savior. I have failed to meditate on and rejoice on the profound gift of Your incarnation and that You became like me in every way, save sin. I have doubted. I sin. I fail to live joyously as Your servant in righteousness, innocence and blessedness.

Forgive me, divine Redeemer! All this You have done for sinners. I am a sinner. You have done it for me. You are my only hope for time and eternity.  Amen.

Matthew C Harrison, "Why Am I JOY:FULLY Lutheran," pages 72-73

A Manual for Maturity

Pastor and author, Reed Lessing, calls the epistle to James "A Manual for Maturity." Written by a brother of Christ Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem, James makes a clarion call to us to live as devoted and faithful followers of the Lord. Over the course of five compelling chapters, James encourages and challenges his readers to:

* Trust in the Lord in times of trial and testing
* Hear the Word of God and obey it
* Treat others with grace and love
* Produce fruit in keeping with faith
* Tame the tongue
* Seek the wisdom that comes only from God
* Live in humility before God\
* Patiently wait for the Lord's coming

Have you seen the bumper sticker, "If you were accused of being a Christian,would there be enough evidenced to convict you?" James would pray for a guilty verdict every time. Such would be the sign of the maturity in faith that the Lord's brother wants to see in believers. If you have time this week, read through the epistle of James.  Some verses may help you see where you are falling short of the glory of God.  But remember - James is on your side! His prayer is that you continue to grow in Christian maturity and faith to the glory of God!

Joyfully give God your best

If my hand slacked, I should rob God.

Antonio Stradivari, famous violin maker

From "For All the Saints," vol 2, page 202

Go ahead! Let it shine!

"Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine!" In that familiar song for children we sing it loud and clear that we're going to let our love for Jesus shine for all the world to see.  In fact, as it is the nature of light to shine, so it is our nature, as disciples of Jesus, to let His light shine in us - through the words we say and the things we do.

However, we don't "shine for Jesus" to show off or to make people believe we're better than other people.  Our shining faith in Jesus can be a testimony of our love for Jesus and an encouragement to our Christian brothers and sisters. We live each day to give glory to God for His blessings of forgiveness, power for daily living, the hope of heaven through faith in Jesus, "the Light of the World."

To whom can you reflect the light of Jesus today?

Blondin, don't fall!

The Great Blondin

Years ago there was a fellow who walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He called himself "The Great Blondin." His was a pretty amazing feat and so people on both sides of the border of the US and Canada would come to watch him perform.

I was told that before Blondin, he would ask the crowd, "Applaud if you think I can complete the walk." The people would wildly applaud. After all, they must have reasoned, he wouldn't try it if he couldn't do it.

Then Blondin would ask, "Applaud if you think I could complete this walk with a person sitting on top of my shoulders." Again, much of the crowd would clap loudly. Perhaps they thought they were going to see something really special. Then, after the applause died down, Blondin would ask, "Which of you would like to climb on my shoulders?" And there was silence from the crowd. No one trusted Blondin enough to risk their life crossing Niagara Falls while riding on his shoulders.

Is there anyone in whom we can really trust with our very lives? My confirmation verse is Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

To trust in the Lord is to put all your hope and confidence in Him.  Jesus did not put us on His shoulders in His suffering and death. But he shouldered our sins while He gave up His own life for you and me at the cross. 

To lean on the Lord is to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. His resurrection from the dead signals our redemption - sins paid for, death defeated, the devil defanged. Having saved us from death and destruction, why wouldn't we follow the One who loved us so much He gave His life for us?

As you begin your day, ponder Proverbs 3:5-6.  Post it someplace so that you see the verse throughout your day.  Ask the Lord, when you pray, to strengthen your faith as you lean on Jesus for forgiveness of sins, new purpose for living and the hope of life eternal!

The trouble with retired husbands

My friend, Sharon, forwarded the below to me.  I almost fell off my chair laughing.  I hope you get a chuckle or two as well. 

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men; I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter, from the local Target:

Dear Mrs. Harris:

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion, in our store.

We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to, ban both of you from the store.

Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Harris, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.  This is just a small summary of what we have observed.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money. We don't have a Code 3.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.

6. August 14: Moved a, 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs were called.

10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while, loudly humming the, 'Mission Impossible' theme.

13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'

14. October 22: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed; 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'

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Top Ten Things Kids Say During the Children's Message

Those pastors that include a children's message as part of the service have to be on their toes because you can never be sure what you might hear from the kids (often off the topic!).  The list below is not exhaustive.  Every pastor could compile their own list.  This is mine.

10) Why is the answer always Jesus?

9) The other pastor gives us candy.  Do you have candy?

8) HI MOMMY!

7) My Daddy said the last thing he wanted to do on his birthday is go to church!

6) My Brother eats his boogers.

5) Are we almost done?

4) Wanna come to our house for dinner after church?

3) Pastor, do you know you have hair sticking out of your nose?

2) My Mommy told me not to tell but she's having a baby!

And the number one thing kids say during the children's message...

1) I have to go to the bathroom!

A place that can give you joy!

We've been watching Marie Kondo's program on Netflix.  She helps people get their homes and their lives back together through getting rid of the clutter that creates chaos and unhappiness.  As she moves from room to room, Kondo reminds those she's working with to take each item and ask, "Does it bring you joy?"  If it does, keep it.  If not, get rid of it.  We've watched only three episodes so far but the transformation we've seen in these homes is nothing short of amazing.  And it all begins by asking a simple question, "Does this bring me joy?"

There is another house that gives joy and that is the Lord's house, the place where God comes with His gifts of grace and love.  I especially appreciate these words from the psalmist:

Psalm 84:4 - Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You.

Or Psalm 27:4 : One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Or Psalm 122:1: I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'

Blessings abound for those who come to God's house - hearing that your sins are forgiven, listening carefully as God's speaks to you in His Word, joining fellow believers in confessing the faith in one of the Creeds, having the Lord's Body and Blood placed on your lips for the forgiveness of sins.

As we leave God's house we can really sing, "Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee..."

Did you have a hard week? Did you face unending trials and problems? Come to God's house.  Let Him remove your burdens and sins from you.  Receive hope that trumps the biggest problems you might face.

Worship today at Life in Christ at 5 pm or tomorrow at 8, 9:30 or 11 am.  Come and let God serve you with His gifts of forgiveness and hope.  Then leave with your heart overflowing with joy!



 

Ever lock your keys in your car?

A pastor was at church when he received a phone call from his wife that their daughter was very sick with a fever. He left church and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication. Going back to the car he found that he had locked his keys in the car. He didn't know what to do, so he called home and told his wife what had happened. His wife said, "The fever is getting worse. Maybe you can find a coat hanger and use that to open the door."

The pastor looked around and around and found just what he was looking for - an old rusty coat hanger that had been left on the ground! His excitement soon turned into despair. "I don't know how to use this." He did the only thing he could think to do - he bowed his head and asked God to send help. Within five minutes a beat up old motorcycle pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head.

The pastor thought, "God, this is what you sent to help me?"  The man got off of his cycle and asked if he could help. The pastor said, "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?" The biker said, "Sure." He walked over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was open. The pastor gave the man the man a bear-hug. "Thank You So Much!"

The biker replied, "I have to be honest. I just got out of prison today. I was in for car theft and have only been out for about four hours." The pastor smiled, looked up to heaven and exclaimed: "Thank You God! You even sent me a professional!"

Keeping the main thing the main thing

My friend, Lisa, reminded me the other day of the importance of not being distracted by little, nagging stuff that pastors deal with and, instead, focus on what's really important - the sharing of Jesus Christ with people who need a Savior.

I appreciated this portion of a blog post from Kouyanet:

Mission is witnessing to Jesus in the power of the Spirit to the glory of God the Father.

Everything else, all the discussions about strategy and such like are secondary to this simple reality. Mission is about bearing witness to Jesus; telling his story and pointing people to him. Everything else is just details.

Mission must involve some sort of verbal proclamation; you can’t witness to Jesus without telling people about him. This might happen in church, in the classroom, in quiet discussions in a coffee shop, over the airwaves or internet or in print – but words have to be involved. In almost all situations, mission must also involve some sort of actions; these might be planned and organised such as running a clinic in Jesus’ name, or they might be spontaneous, helping a friend in need. Our actions either reinforce or completely undermine our words – by their fruits, you will know them.