Max Lucado tells the story - I like the story of the father who was teaching His three-year-old daughter the Lord's Prayer. She would repeat the lines after him. Finally, she decided to go solo. He listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer. "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us from e-mail."
From "Anxious For Nothing," page 82
(Jesus) perfect keeping of the Law for us is starkly demonstrated in Gethsemane: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but Your will be done." (Jesus) both kept the First Commandment and suffered the punishment we deserve for our not keeping it.
Matthew Harrison, "Why I Am Joy:Fully Lutheran" page 14
God's will is your forgiveness. God's will is that His forgiveness ring in your ears so that you believe and rejoice that the blood of His Son has answered for your every sin...
From "Thank, Praise, Serve and Obey," page 90
I'm reading a book entitled, "Where Nobody Knows Your Name." It tells about what baseball players go through when they either never get to the major leagues or get called up to the big team only to be sent down. Some players have had this happen to them multiple times. One player said that he dreads seeing a particular coach. This coach is the guy who informs the player that the manager wants to see him. And that usually means bad news.
Uncertainty is a tough thing to deal with. When we find ourselves in such situations, it creates anxiety and worry. The future doesn't seem clear. And it's not only baseball players who have to deal with uncertainly.
We can face this feeling at work - "with the cutbacks, will I still have my job?" At the doctor's office - "They said the test was no big deal. If that's the case, why did I have to have the test in the first place?" Family finances - "our son starts college this fall; do we have enough money to pay his way?"
Fortunately, there is no uncertainty with God's promises. God's Word does what it says. For example, we never have to wonder if we are forgiven of our sins. 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, God forgives and cleanses us from our unrighteousness. Is God near to us? Matthew 28:20 assures us that God is with us to the very end of the age. John 3:16 reminds us that our salvation is not up for grabs, so to speak. Whoever believes in Jesus will have everlasting life.
There are plenty of things in this life that cannot be guaranteed. There are some situations that will leave us hanging, so to speak. But not with God. We can be certain of every promise He has made. We have His Word on it!
Where God has placed His name, He has placed Himself.
William Weedon, "Thank, Praise, Serve and Obey," page 31
My friend, Suzanne, passed away on Saturday morning.
For as long as I've known her, she has always suffered with her health. In and out of the hospital more times than I can count. She had many more bad days than good ones. Life was a struggle and it was difficult to watch her suffer.
In the life of every pastor there are people who are a source of encouragement. Suzanne was one of those people for me. Things that I took for granted, like visiting her in the hospital or having a prayer with her over the phone were things that she cherished and she let me know it. When I retired, she was disappointed but she still made me feel like I was doing the right thing.
Last September, she and Jim took me out for my birthday. Knowing my love for the Beatles, she gave me a book of their lyrics and a prized record album from her collection. Her thoughtfulness was touching and something I won't soon forget.
My heart goes out to her husband, Jim. He had seen Suzanne through so many of her health issues. Jim is dealing with his own health issues right now so this is doubly hard for him. Keep him in your prayers.
In the book of Revelation, we have the words, "Blessed are they who die in the Lord." Through all her many trials, Suzanne kept trusting in her Lord and Savior. Now she is resting in the arms of Jesus, waiting for the great day of the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting. Then we'll see a new Suzanne - no more pain and no more tears.
What a day that will be. Come, Lord Jesus.
One of the most frightening things I experienced as a pastor was when someone would come up to me and say, "Pastor, I wanted to ask you about the sermon you preached six months ago."
Since I normally had trouble remember what I had preached on the previous Sunday, it was impossible for me to remember a sermon preached months before.
Which brings me to today's post. We received a card yesterday from some friends who were apologizing for not getting a Christmas card out to us. In the card, the writer thanked us for the best Christmas letter they had ever received.
I wrote the Christmas letter. I couldn't remember a single word that I had written.
Fortunately, I had saved the letter. You can read it below. I hope it provides some encouragement for you today.
We wish you a “Mary Christmas!” No, that’s no a typo. Our girls, Steph and Katie, love the song “Breath
of Heaven.” Perhaps you know it. It’s a first-person meditation of Mary as she
ponders becoming the mother of God and so she prays for God’s help to be worthy
of this task.
The song is beautifully written and includes these words: But
I offer all that I am, for the mercy of Your plan. To all that happened that night in
Bethlehem, the Bible tells us that Mary “treasured all these things and
pondered them in her heart.”
Interestingly, the word, “pondering,” means “putting together.” Mary is pondering how this Babe could be the
promised One of God.
Throughout the entire life of Jesus, Mary would be putting
together the meaning of all these words.
The Bible reveals to us the mercy of God’s plan. That plan called for God Himself to enter our
messed up, hard-to-figure-out world and become our Savior.
That’s the good news of the season. “For unto you is born this day in the city of
David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
The Christ-child – He is the One who is for you sent from God. He is your Christmas gift. Full of mercy and grace. There is no one like Him.
I hope this good news brings you some hope and encouragement. It’s been a tough year for so many people. Hard things happen and we are sometimes
tempted to wonder if God has forgotten us or doesn’t care for us. When we encounter tough times we are tempted
to think such things.
In God’s heavenly workshop, as He worked on the mercy of His
plan to bring salvation to the world, You were on His mind. So, He sent Jesus to be your Savior. The birth of Christ is your absolute guarantee
that God has not forgotten you. God has
done everything needed that you would have a life with Him in eternity. If God can handle something as big as
granting you forgiveness and new life, He can certainly take care of the day-to-day
problems we encounter. He can see us through
Covid-19 and chemotherapy. He can provide
help with family trials and faulty finances. You can trust God. The manger is proof that He is for you.
Usually, these letters are all about us. Well, I can tell you that Sherri and I are
retired and looking forward to a new season in our lives. We have some exciting travels planned for
2022. Our kids and grandkids are mostly
healthy – Covid-19 has not wreaked havoc among us. We miss our church family of 17 years but are
blessed to be worshipping with a new church where Jesus is proclaimed. We’re optimistic about the future.
Enough about us. As
the saying goes, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” May God richly bless you
and yours with a “Mary Christmas!”
Last Christmas my dear, sweet wife gave me a T-shirt. It read: "Jesus Took Naps - Be Like Jesus." It included the Bible verse, Mark 4:38 (Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown!"
While looking at this shirt the other day, I began to wonder if there were other "Be Like Jesus' slogans that would work. Here's a few I came up with.
"Jesus Loved Little Children - Be Like Jesus" - Matthew 19:14
"Jesus Liked Parties - Be Like Jesus" - Matthew 9:10
"Jesus Valued Prayer - Be Like Jesus" - Mark 1:35
"Jesus Loved People - Be Like Jesus" - John 15:13
What might you add to this list?
Author Joni Eareckson Tada, in her
book “Overcoming Adversity,” wrote about a volunteer at her ministry, “Joni and
Friends,” named Clay. He cheerfully
packed boxes and stuffed envelopes and just generally offered himself and his
time wherever it was needed.
However, Clay’s passion is
running. During cross-country season
Clay didn’t volunteer many hours of service.
Every hour he wasn’t in school, he was out running. The folks at Joni’s ministry would report
seeing Clay out running in the wee hours of the morning, piling up the miles.
When she had the chance, Joni asked
Clay a question that had been on her mind for a long time: what is the most
difficult part of a long-distance run?
She thought that it would be either the first mile or so as the runner
is getting mentally prepared to run a great distance or at the end, when you
body is exhausted and you feel like you can’t run another step.
Clay’s answer surprised Joni. He told her it was the middle portion of the
run, “when you’re out of range of those cheering voices at the start and finish
lines. It’s that long, grey, middle
distance that saps your strength and your will.
Life has been likened to a
long-distance race. As you read, you
might feel like the race has been a lot tougher than you imagined it would
be. A health problem, financial struggles,
self-esteem issues can all seem like reasons for giving up.
If you’re in need of refreshment for
the race called “life,” be sure to read Psalm 42 carefully. Hope in the Lord leads to praise. Love from the Lord leads to prayer. Verses five and 11 seem like a refrain worth
singing: Put your hope in God, for I will
yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
It is not that with God we have no enemies, but that along with our enemies we have God.
Dan Paavola, "Our Way Home," page 149
A Prayer for Ragamuffins
I
love to read and one of my all time favorite books is “The Ragamuffin Gospel”
by Brennan Manning. Manning is a former
Catholic priest whose life was changed by the transforming power of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. Manning loves nothing
better than speaking with people about the unconditional love and grace that
only Jesus gives.
“The
Ragamuffin Gospel” is a provocative title, isn’t it? Manning makes it very
clear that this book was not written for the super-spiritual, those who are
leading the so-called victorious Christian life where every problem is swept
aside and every crisis easily averted.
Instead, Manning writes to Ragamuffins – those who are burdened by guilt
that won’t go away…for those who need a touch of God’s love but are too proud
to ask for it…for those followers of Jesus who so desperately want to follow
the Lord but get so easily sidetracked by people and things that seem much more
attractive…for those who have fooled people into thinking that they have a strong
faith but are as fearful and timid as a little child.
“The
Ragamuffin Gospel” is a treasure trove full of valuable nuggets of God’s
grace. I particularly like this
heartfelt confession of sin that Manning offers in the following prayer: Lord Jesus, we are silly sheep who have
dared to stand before You and try to bribe You with our preposterous
portfolios. Suddenly we have come to our
senses. We are sorry and ask You to
forgive us. Give us the grace to admit
that we are ragamuffins, to embrace our brokenness, to rely on Your mercy no
matter what we do. Dear Jesus, gift us
to stop grandstanding and trying to get attention, to do the truth quietly
without display, to let the dishonesties in our lives fade away, to accept our
limitations, to cling to the Gospel of grace and to delight in Your love. Amen.
Confession
is good for the soul, so they say. The
Psalmist David would agree. In Psalm 32
he writes how a guilty conscience leads to misery. Here’s how David puts it: When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long. For
day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the
heat of summer. Those are the words
of a miserable man.
But
then David’s misery is lifted by the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. In verse five David writes: 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. David’s misery is replaced by
God’s peace and comfort.
In many churches, it is no accident that worship begins each Sunday with confession
and absolution. We ragamuffins are not
strong enough to carry the burden of our sin on our backs. We have not the power to remove it and keep
it from weighing us down. So we confess
our sin, our guilt and our shame and we leave it at the cross of Christ where
our Lord paid for the guilt of our sins with His own blood. And having done so, we hear the comforting
words, “For the sake of Jesus Christ, God forgives you all your sins.” With forgiveness, there is life – life in
Christ now and life with Christ in eternity.
And with forgiveness there is something else – joy. At the conclusion of Psalm 32, David writes: Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart. Knowing that there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love, we can sing and praise the Father for our relationship with Him through faith in the Son. Let that promise from God’s Word give all you ragamuffins’ faith and hope for today.
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Psalm 32:1
The 32nd Psalm is an
exemplary psalm of instruction that teaches us what sin is, and how one might
be freed from it and be righteous before God.
Our reason does not know what sin is and tries to make satisfaction for
it with works. But the psalmist says
that even saints are sinners. They
cannot become holy or blessed except by confessing themselves as sinners before
God, knowing that they are regarded as righteous only from the grace of God,
apart from any service or work.
In short, our righteousness is
called (in plain language) the forgiveness of our sins. Or, as it says here: “sins not counted,”
“sins covered,” “sins not to be seen.”
Here stand the clear plain words: All the saints are sinners and remain
sinners. But they are holy because God
in His grace neither sees nor counts these sins, but forgets, forgives and
covers them. There is thus no
distinction between the saints and the non-saints. They are sinners alike and all sin daily,
only that the sins of the holy are not counted but covered; and the sins of the
unholy are not covered but counted. One
would have a healing dressing on and is bandaged; the other wound is open and
undressed.
Martin Luther
“Reading the Psalms with Luther”
Concordia Publishing House, 2007