Eyewitnesses - the best witnesses

Last night as my dear, sweet wife and I ate dinner, I thought some music might be nice.  On to the CD player went a disc from guitarist Lawrence Juber.  He is an amazing talent and his skill on the acoustic is the equal of anyone.  As we listened to the disc I began to reflect on the time I saw him in concert.

A couple of years ago my friend, Dan, and I went over to the Musical Instruments Museum to see Juber in concert.  I thought it would be a treat to watch him play.  But I was interested in going for another reason.  I was hoping he might give some insight about what it’s like to work with Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

Juber was part of the final Wings group before McCartney broke up the band. Juber was an eyewitness to McCartney’s genius. He stood shoulder to shoulder with the former Beatle on stage.  They spent countless hours in the recording studio working on songs.  I was hoping he would tell a story about recording a particular song or offer an insight into McCartney's personality.  After all, Juber was there.  He saw, spoke to and worked with Paul McCartney!  Who better to learn about Sir Paul than from an eyewitness?

It's that same kind of reasoning that enables us to put our confidence in the Bible.  The men whom the Holy Spirit directed to write about Jesus and the growth of the church were eyewitness to all that had happened.  Or in the case of Luke, much of his Gospel and also Acts, comes from those who were there and witnessed the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, the birth of the church and the growth of the early church.

Think about the eyewitness testimony regarding the resurrection.  The apostle John (John 21:24); the 11 apostles (Acts 1:3); Peter (Acts 10:39-41); hundreds of people (including the apostle Paul) all saw the resurrected Christ.

The resurrection is absolutely essential to the Christian faith.  Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:17: If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we, too, are dead.

Praise God that we never need to doubt the truth of the resurrection.  We have the word of those who saw and spoke with and ate with the resurrected Christ.  Our sins have been paid for.  We have been redeemed from sin, death and hell.  Satan cannot frighten us with His doubts and lies.  Jesus lives! The victory's won! 

Do you realize that each Sunday is a weekly celebration of Easter?  Give thanks to Jesus that we no longer remain in our sins.  God has forgiven them and forgotten them (Hebrews 8:12).  Jesus is alive! We have the proof of many eyewitnesses...in this case, the best witnesses!

Prayer is not a waste of time

Peter Marshall, the great Presbyterian minister and U.S. Senate Chaplain, once began a Senate session with these words: O Lord, forgive us for thinking that prayer is a waste of time, and help us to see that without prayer our work is a waste of time.

Johnny Cash's imaginary friend

Once, when his daughter, Tara, asked if he ever had an imaginary friend, singer Johnny Cash responded like this: "Yes," he told her.  "Sometimes I am two people.  Johnny is the nice one.  Cash causes all the trouble.  They fight."  (from "The Man Named Cash" by Steve Turner, page 17)

Probably without knowing it, Cash was expressing good Lutheran theology, namely that we are Simul justus et peccator - Simultaneously justified and a sinner.

To be "justified" is to be declared "not guilty."  In God's courtroom, God declares you and me and all who believe "not guilty" for the sake of Jesus who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin and to give us His righteousness which makes us clean and whole before God the Father.  

Still, we know that in this life we sin.  We think evil thoughts...say evil things...do evil stuff.  Like David, we too can say: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  (Psalm 51:3)

It seems like such a contradiction, right? If I'm a sinner, then how can I be a saint?

That's where the power of the Gospel comes in.

It is God's good news of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ that God justifies the sinner.  Christ makes us righteous.  Through repentance and faith, we are made new in Christ.  The Holy Spirit, working through the means of grace, gives us a new mind and heart, one that does the will of God because of Jesus.  

Still, we struggle.  We see that old, sinful nature rear its ugly head constantly.  As Johnny Cash said, "They fight."  That's why our baptism is so important.  At the baptismal font, we were buried with Christ in His death.  Our old Adam, our sinful nature must die.  Then, with Christ, we were raised to new life.  Now we are free to live - free to love God and to love our neighbor.  We don't have to work at or earn God's favor or blessing.  We have already been declared "not guilty."  We can now live the new life in Christ that we've received through the grace of God.

I understand this Simul justus et peccator stuff.  George is the nice one.  Spicer causes all the trouble.  Luther got it.  Johnny Cash got it too.

Let this be another day that you live in the new life you received at your baptism.  For the sake of Jesus, you are justified before God - "not guilty" of sin and freed from the sentence of eternal death.  Eternal life is yours - through Christ!

And tell that imaginary friend of yours to take the day off!

At Home With Jesus

I have been thinking about a few friends of mine who have had to bury their adult children.  I can’t even begin to imagine the depth of the pain and heartache such a life event causes for parents.  But Gerald Oosterveen, in his book, "Too Early Frost," points to where there is hope in the midst of pain and grief:

Parents are not supposed to bury their children.  The old are not supposed to stand beside the graves of the young.  It is unnatural.  One is not prepared for it.  The death of a child tears apart a family like the uprooting of one plant out of a cluster that have been allowed to grow together in one pot.  It cannot be done.  All those roots become so intertwined over the years that nothing short of violence can separate them.  And it leaves all the plants stunted...

Oh yes, we mourn...But we have hope - bright hope for tomorrow, when all who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior will move beyond pain and grief forever because we shall be forever with the Lord.  And it is not just some pipe dream, some opium to stupefy and mislead hurting people.  It is real, because Christ is real, because in our past there is a blood-stained cross on which the Prince of Glory died.  Because of that bloody, pain-filled past we have hope when all things are made new and death shall be no more, nor grief, nor crying.

In a little cemetery in a small out-of-the-way town there is a tiny marker.  It bears only three lines:
1961-1970
GERARD RICHARD OOSTERVEEN
"At Home with Jesus"

Of the three lines, the last line is the only one that really matters.

"At Home with Jesus."  When I think of those in my life who have died, like my Mother and Father and Father-in Law, family and good friends and those who I've had the opportunity to serve as pastor and shepherd, the only line that really matters and the only line that can comfort sorrowing hearts is that they are at home with Jesus.

A beloved hymn begins with the words, “I’m but a stranger here, heaven in my home.”  Heaven – where Jesus has prepared a place that we can call “home”…heaven, where our homes will not contain a single box of Kleenex because tears are a thing of the past…heaven, where our homes come without a mortgage, because Christ paid for our way in through His shed blood at the cross.

At home with Jesus - let that line, that thought, be your comfort today as you think about and give thanks for those you loved who were loved by Jesus even more and now rest in His gentle and nail-scarred hands.

Grace - there's more than enough for you!

I have always loved the story of God's grace to the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17.  Her situation is so desperate that she tells Elijah that she can't fix him even a small loaf of bread; she has just enough for herself and her son.  It is their "last supper," so to speak.  But then, the Word of the Lord comes to her and God promises: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.  (vs. 14)

The widow trusted God's Word and promise; she did as she was asked.  And until the drought ended and the rain again fell on the land, the widow had all she needed for herself and her son and Elijah, too.

In reading the story, one of the questions that I mused on was, "What's it like to have such a promise made and miracle happen in the life of a person, a desperate person like the widow?" But then I realized that I know what it's like.

Every Sunday in worship the church gathers and God blesses us with His grace.  He promises to come and abundantly bless us and He does.  Never have we run out of the Word of God.  Never have we run out of God's absolution and forgiveness.  Never have we run out of the Lord's body and blood in the sacrament.  God blesses us generously and then we come back the following Sunday and He gives even more!

Sometimes I feel like the widow.  I, too, am desperate.  I come with an impoverished soul.  I need to hear that God forgives all the stuff that I feel so badly about - my disobedience, my selfishness, my cold heart.  I need to hear God's promises and be reminded that if I were the only person in the world, He'd still keep those promises - for me.  I need to hear that in the Holy Meal I meet my Lord and Savior is the most amazing way this side of heaven.  When I leave worship I am filled, forgiven and refreshed.

And then, there's next week.  There will be even more - grace upon grace.  You, me and the widow - richly blessed and cared for by a gracious and generous God. 

A thought about Easter

Easter is our promised future, present now in Jesus.

Glenn Nielsen, from "Lutheran Forum," Winter 2012, page 31

Sermon illustrations

A fellow I used to work with years ago is always sending me stories and jokes that he thinks would make good sermon illustrations.  But I haven't found any that I thought would be suitable.  Here's an example:

An elderly man was dying in his bed.  In death's agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs.

He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself up out of bed.  He slowly made his way out of the bedroom and down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.  With labored breath he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen.

Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven: there, spread out upon newspapers on the kitchen table was literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.  Was it heaven or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left his world a happy man? Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table, landing on his knees in a rumpled posture.

He reached out to the edge of the table and took one of the cookies, bursting with dozens of chocolate chips.  A glass of cold milk would have made this would have made this moment perfect, but the old man couldn't wait.  His parched lips parted; the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seemingly bringing him back to life.  The aged and withered hand was bringing the cooking to his mouth when suddenly it was smacked with a spatula by his wife.

"Stay out of those," she said, "they're for the funeral!"

Luther's last confession of faith

My heavenly Father! Eternal, gracious God! You have revealed Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to me.  Him I have taught, Him I love, and Him I revere as my dear Savior and Redeemer, whom the godless persecute, blaspheme and defame.  Take my soul into Yourself.

Recorded by Justis Jonas, found in "Luther's World of Thought," page 297

You are the sun

Meaningful lyrics.  An infectious melody.  Although it was written in 2006, Sara Groves' song, "You Are the Sun," reminds me of just how much I need the Lord in my life. 

You are the sun, shining down on everyone
Light of the world, giving light to everything I see
Beauty so brilliant, I can hardly take it in
And everywhere You are is warmth and light

And I am the moon, with no light of my own
Still You have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can't be a light
Unless I turn my face to You.

The song still resonates with me.  Every day, as I wrestle with the desire to gratify my own sinful nature, I am just like the moon.  I have no source of light.  I am cold.  I am dark.

Such would be my sad state today except for this: As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.  (Luke 9:51).  Some have said that Jesus "set His face" toward Jerusalem.  He kept His appointment at the cross where He suffered and died.  He endured the darkness of Calvary.  He suffered for our cold-hearted ways.  In His resurrection from the dead He triumphed over the prince of darkness.  And now, in all His brilliant glory, Jesus calls us to be salt and light.

You are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).  Salt is a preservative.  It provides seasoning.  Jesus seasons us with His rich mercy and grace so that we might go out into the world and extend the same mercy and grace to others.

You are the light of the world ((Matthew 5:14).  As we turn our faces to our Lord and Savior, the Light of the World shines His light upon us.  He has made us to shine.  As we do so, all those around us may be able to see the difference Christ makes in us.  They feel the warmth of His love in our words.  They see the brilliance of His compassion in our actions.  All this happens when we turn our faces to Jesus who is warmth and light.

Be salt! Be light! May the light of Jesus' love reflect off of you and into the lives of everyone you meet today.

Jesus is full of surprises!

Have you ever given much thought to that? So often, the people who meet Jesus are surprised by His Words and actions.

A Samaritan woman (John 4) was surprised that Jesus spoke to her.  She was even more surprised that the One offering her living water was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

The fisherman, Peter (Luke 5), was surprised that Jesus would have any interest in him, a sinful man.  Jesus made Peter an offer the fisherman couldn’t refuse – to catch men.

The tax collector, Zacchaeus (Luke19), was surprised that Jesus wanted to have a meal with him.  By the end of the meal, Zacchaeus surprised himself by returning money to those he had cheated. 

These are only a few of the people whom Jesus surprised.  But they are not the only ones.  Ask yourself, “How has Jesus surprised me?”

When He spoke His Word of forgiveness to you at a time when you could not forgive yourself?

When He offered His peace to you in a moment when your life was in turmoil?

When He proclaimed His love to you when you felt lonely and unlovable?

As we Run the Race of Faith we can almost assuredly expect Jesus to surprise us in some way.

So often, Jesus surprises us when He does what we deem impossible – comfort our hurting heart or provide peace in the midst of our pain or come to our rescue during depression and discouragement.

Keep on drawing near to Jesus.  Have an open ear and heart for His Word.  Come to His table and hear Him say, “This is my body, this is my blood for the forgiveness of your sins.  See how much I love you!” In the pages of Scripture, the waters of Baptism, the bread and wine in Communion - in these Jesus comes to you.

As you draw near to Jesus, don’t be surprised when He surprises you – answering a prayer when you least expected it, offering a clear path when you couldn’t see it, or speaking a Word of love to you when you really needed it.

What does today look like for you? Same old routine? A day just like any other day?

Be watchful – just like the Samaritan woman or Peter or Zacchaeus, you might find that Jesus has a surprise for you!

The Eight Ball

When I was growing up I had a friend who had one of those big, black "Eight Balls."  Remember them? You could ask the Eight Ball questions like "Will I hit a home run in the Little League game?" or "Will my parents ever increase my allowance?" and then turn the big, black ball over and wait for the answer.  We kids never put much stock in the answers we'd get.  But it was kind of fun to mess around with it.

There are times when a reliable "Eight Ball" could be helpful, wouldn't it? Being able to know about our health or finances or how our kids and grandkids will turn out would seem to be a benefit for us.  But there is nothing in this life - no person or thing - that can tell us the future with any certainty.

You wouldn't have found an "Eight Ball" in the apostle Paul's traveling bag.  He traveled by faith, trusting in God's presence and power to help him finish the race and complete the task given him by Jesus - "the task of testifying to the Gospel of God's grace."  (Acts 20:24)

How shall we then live? Paul offers a fine example for us.  He explained to the Ephesians Christians that he did not know what would happen to him as he traveled from place to place.  But he believed that the Holy Spirit would direct and help him.  He learned that he could trust God no matter where he might travel or what he might face.

Today, some people turn to a horoscope to attempt to learn about their future.  Others collect crystals with the hope that they might provide some healing power for an illness.  It seems to me that these efforts are something like seeking answers from an Eight Ball.

You and I don’t need to turn to a big, black Eight Ball for answers.  We can turn to the Scriptures.  You’ll find the assurance that God knows know what you need and will take care of you (Romans 8:32).  You’ll receive comfort that Jesus is near and will not forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).  And you can know without a doubt that your future is secure in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 1:3-4).

Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 13:11) that, when he was young, he spoke, thought and acted like a child.  But as he grew older, he put his childish ways behind him.  As a kid, I learned that the big, black Eight Ball was totally unreliable.  It told me I would hit a home run.  I struck out! It told me my parents would never increase my allowance.  But they did!

Isn’t it so good that we have God and His Holy Word to turn to as we go through life with its daily opportunities and challenges? “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 (Proverbs 3:5-6).  Good advice to follow so that you never find yourself “behind the Eight Ball!”    

The most interesting Man in the world

Everything He says...happens.

He walks on water.  By the way, He created the water.

He is fully God and fully man.  That's right, you heard me.

On Christmas, you celebrate His birthday but He gives the gifts.  Actually, He is the gift.  How do you top that?

He loved you enough not to fight for His own life.

His presence often strikes fear in people - must be the nail-scarred hands.

There are so many people who won't give you the time of day.  He'll give you all the time you want.

Thirsty, my friends?  Read John, chapter four to learn how to quench your thirst.

Do you need a Spiritual EKG?

Jesus said: Listen and understand.  What goes into a man's mouth does not make him "unclean," but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him "unclean." St. Matthew 15:10b-11

The Pharisees, Jesus' self-righteous enemies, considered a person unclean or unacceptable to God by failing to keep their regulations and traditions.  The Pharisees’ rule book far exceeded the commands of God.  For example, the Pharisees had very specific regulations about when and how a person should wash their hands.  The people were expected to know and to keep every little rule.

Jesus responds by exposing these Pharisees for who they are.  Drawing on words from Isaiah 29, Jesus says: These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.  Isaiah 29:11

Later, the disciples approached Jesus. The disciples didn't quite get what Jesus meant and asked him to explain His little parable.  Here are verses 16-20: Are you still so dull? Jesus asked them.  Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a mouth come from the heart and these make a man "unclean."  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what make a man "unclean;" but eating with unwashed hands does not make him "unclean."

Jesus does something very revealing here.  He described the defilement of a person in much different terms than the Pharisees.  The Lord teaches that defilement comes from an impure heart.  What separates a person from God is not what they eat but by sinful and unrepentant ways.

So, if you really want to know what a person is made of just listen to what they say and do.  Do their words defend or accuse? Do their words lift up or tear down?  Do their words frame a person's actions in the best and kindest way or is their goal to hurt and ruin a reputation?  Oh, we all need to repent for things we've thought, said and done that broke God's commands.  Have mercy on us, O Lord!

An EKG is often used by doctors to determine if a person is suffering from heart disease.  Today, find a moment and administer a Spiritual EKG.  Where do you find uncleanness in your heart? Don’t bury or ignore it.  Confess it and trust that the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, can cleanse your heart and make you right and acceptable before God the Father.  That little “heart procedure” can do wonders as you live out your new life in Christ!

Top 10 Discoveries Made Around the Church Office

Hello friends and readers!  Just got back from vacation.  We traveled to Michigan to see my youngest daughter and her family.  Sherri and I really needed a little time away to refresh and recharge.  My daughter truly has the gift of hospitality.  It is a pleasure to visit her, although our visits seem too short.

While away I put the finishing touches on a Top 10 List I had been working on.  Keep on reading to learn the Top 10 Discoveries Made Around the Church Office:

10) Pastor miffed that the Modern Music service does not feature his favorite contemporary song, "Kumbaya."

9) Office computers still function poorly even when upgraded to Windows '98.

8) Church custodian feels taken advantage of when told to wax the fellowship hall floors and the pastor's car.

7) Secretary is fed up having to hum the hymns to the pastor each week because "he can't remember how they go."

6) Pastor discovers there is no place to hide from the church organist.

5) Church staff refuses to call the pastor, "The Sermoninator."

4) The secretary tries to talk the pastor out of his latest outreach idea, "Reverse Offering Sunday," where visitors get to take money out of the offering plate.

3) Pastor blows a gasket when he reviews the Sunday bulletin and finds that the secretary has placed a "sad face" next to Confession, a "happy face" next to Absolution and a "sleeping face" next to the sermon.

2) In order to cut costs, church staff are surprised to learn that the new copier is coin-operated; color copies require a credit card.

And here it is!

1) Pastor complains of one sleepless night after another when unable to get the VBS songs out of his head.

Have a great week!