#LoveWarns

In 21st century America, the greatest virtue is tolerance and intolerance is the greatest vice.

In a bygone era, to "tolerate" someone or something meant "to put up with" him/her, "to endure" the situation. This tolerance was often accompanied by a sense of weary resignation.

Nowadays, however, tolerance is to be served with a side dish of acceptance or approval or even applause. We are told that to do anything less is to be a "hater."

This was recently made evident when a transgendered teen wanted to be crowned prom queen in his local high school. Although born a male, he identified as a female and wanted to be treated as such.

This person gained "media darling" status through a local newspaper columnist's articles and Facebook posts. Those who took issue with his desire to be prom queen were called "ill informed, uneducated, scared bigoted individuals" and "hateful and disrespectful people."

The prom queen controversy is only one example of the tyranny of the New Tolerance. A year ago when the Supreme Court re-defined marriage, the reaction was quite the same. Anyone who stood for traditional marriage was criticized as being homophobic and judgmental. No allowance was given for a person to object on moral grounds. Any objection was deemed to be hate.

Now, I believe that Jesus means it when He tells me not to judge others. I believe that He means it when He tells me to love others, also. But nowhere does Jesus tell me to sacrifice my principles and convictions on the altar of tolerance. He certainly didn't.

Jesus teaches us not to judge people. But He doesn't teach us not to warn people. Warning is a loving act. "Don't touch the hot stove." "Don't play in the street." "Don't do drugs." These are warnings that we give to the people we love the most, our children.

As a follower of Jesus, it's my responsibility to warn people of danger. This is especially true if they are in danger of sinning against their God, which can cost them their eternity with God. In the words of St. Paul, "I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children" (1 Corinthians 4:14).

I often take issue with the direction our culture is going in its swift drift away from the teachings of God's Word. However, as Jesus has taught me, no matter how much I might question a person's choices, it's never my place to judge. Because of my own moral failings, I have no right to do so. I am in no position to throw stones.

Nevertheless, although it is not my place to judge, it is always my place to warn, in all humility and compassion. Genuine love can do no less.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

"Please, won't you be my neighbor?" That question from our childhood friend Mr. Rogers is one that is still being asked today.

In a world of cyber communities, Facebook friendships, and digital dating, our social needs still go unmet by the social network.

To me that means there are people all around us who are asking the question, "Please, won't you be my neighbor?"

Won't you be the person who lovingly listens to me?

Won't you be the one who faithfully cares about my fears, my uncertainties, my insecurities?

Won't you be the friend who joyfully celebrates my victories with me?

Won't you be the one who kindly comforts me when I'm hurting?

Won't you be the companion who patiently spends time with me?

Won't you be the one who gently mourns with me?

Won't you please be my neighbor?

Jesus taught us the value of neighborliness when He gave us the second greatest commandment. The most important command, according to Jesus, is to love God with all we have. The second most important is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

And lest we be tempted to try to figure out who is our neighbor so that we can also determine who isn't our neighbor, Jesus tells us that our job is act in a neighborly manner to anyone who needs a neighbor.

Next time you are at the office or at the store or in your neighborhood, be mindful of the folks around you. Take notice of their demeanor, their tone of voice, their body language. See who is silently asking, "Won't you please be my neighbor?" It could even be that the person who is the most exasperating is the one who most needs your neighborly care and compassion.

Won't you be their neighbor?

Musings on "Captain America: Civil War"

* * * SPOILER ALERT * * *

Fanboys and fangirls waited eagerly for the May 6 release of "Captain America: Civil War." I should know. I was one of them!

Many people have asked me why all of these heroes who have fought side-by-side against threats like Loki and Ultron are now fighting each other.

The answer is Helmut Zemo, the villain of the movie.

You see, Zemo is driven by revenge. In the battle between the Avengers and Ultron, an artificial intelligence that considered humanity the greatest threat to the planet Earth, Zemo's family was collateral damage. As a result, Zemo wants to rid the earth of the Avengers.

But Zemo has neither superpowers nor cosmic weapons to do the trick. What he has is a plan, a plan to pit the members of the Avengers against one another. Hence the subtitle "Civil War."

In this movie, Zemo is the Devil and the Avengers are the followers of Jesus, a.k.a. the Church.

Jesus bested the Devil through His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus' death was the price necessary to redeem us from sin, death, and the Devil. And Jesus paid that price willingly because of His love for each one of us. When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, that meant the utter defeat of the Devil. The Devil was rendered powerless against Jesus and against those who follow Jesus.

Much like Zemo, the Devil is still driven by revenge. Unable to wage war against Jesus, the Devil targets Jesus' followers. Unable to destroy the Church in a direct assault, the Devil schemes and plots to have the Church destroy itself.

Endless conflicts and divisions among believers blunt the Church's witness to the world. Power struggles in congregations or church bodies sap the energy and enthusiasm that should fuel the Church's mission. The lure of wealth or fame or pleasure cripples the leadership of those entrusted to shepherd Jesus' lambs and sheep.

When these things happen, the Devil pours Himself a martini, lights up a cigar, and relaxes by the pool, because he has had a good day.

We can only pray that Jesus, the Lord of the Church, would send His Spirit of peace and unity to fill the hearts of His people. Apart from Jesus' Spirit, we will only breed conflict and disunity. With His Spirit, we can stand against the Devil's schemes (Ephesians 6:11). With His Spirit, we can keep the main thing the main thing. With His Spirit, we can continue the mission of Jesus, who came to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 9:10).

In Need of Renovation?

I confess that I am a fan of "Property Brothers," HGTV's hit show about twin brothers who help families find houses in need of lots of work and transform them into their dream homes. Drew Scott handles the real estate end of the task, while brother Jonathan Scott does the renovation work.

Reading Paul's letter to the Galatians put me in mind of the work the Property Brothers do. Paul tells us that following or not following outmoded religious practices (such as circumcision) makes no difference to our salvation. What matters, Paul says, is "new creation" (Galatians 6:5).

New creation, renovation, is what God is all about. This is so true that in Revelation 21, when God the Father speaks for only the second time in the entire book, He sums up His work with the words, "Behold, I make all things new."

That's the Father's work, to make all things new. He does this work in harmony with His Son, Jesus, who purchased us at the price of His blood, and through the effort of the Holy Spirit, who does the renovation work. Jesus found and purchased the rundown property, you and me, and the Spirit transforms us into "dream homes" suitable for Him to inhabit.

On the show, after the home is purchased, that's when the "reno" work begins. Jonathan and his crew will tear down walls, remove outdated flooring and fixtures, reconfigure rooms, replace wiring and plumbing that is nowhere near up to code, and do whatever else need to be done. In the process, the home gets pretty messy. As my dad would often say, it has to look bad before it can look better.

In much the same way, the Holy Spirit goes to work in us. Each of us has all sorts of faulty thoughts and outdated attitudes and beliefs that need to be "demoed." Our hearts need to be reconfigured from their self-centered focus so that sight lines are opened up and we can see the needs of those around us. Walls of division and strife need to be torn down. We need to be brought up to God's code. It can be a messy, even painful, process, but it has to look bad before it can look better.

The Spirit does that through the power of God's Word and the blessings of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are His sledgehammer and sawzall, His hammer and paintbrush, His tape measure and level. Through the word of law the Spirit demolishes our sinful nature and through the word of grace He renovates us, makes us new, brings us up to code.

Jonathan will readily admit that one of the most frustrating aspects of his job is when homeowners doubt his design plan rather than trusting that he knows what he is doing. They have "better ideas" about how the work should be done, ideas which would end up costing more time and more money and make Jonathan's work more difficult to complete.

Maybe that's what Paul means when he urges us not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). We grieve the Spirit when we come up with a "better idea" of how to be renovated or what we want to look like when the job is done. We are inclined to hang on to the ugly fixtures of anger, greed, deceit, and lust because we are attached to them and are comfortable with them. We think that simply painting over moldy walls or rotten trim will be sufficient. We doubt that the Spirit knows what He is doing, and end up making His work in us more difficult.

But if we trust the Spirit's wisdom and experience, we will see the results in our lives. The Spirit's fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will abound in us. We will be renovated into dream homes, holy temples in which God's Spirit can dwell.

Timing Is Everything!

In September of last year I met with the Call Committee of Messiah Lutheran Church. It just so happened that I was in the Houston area for a conference when they wanted to talk with me. So instead of a thirty minute phone call, we had a ninety minute conversation about the Messiah congregation and its ministry as well as my pastoral experience and ideas for outreach. The next day the congregation president told me that they would recommend me to the congregation to serve as their pastor. I sometimes wonder if they would have made that choice if it was only a thirty minute phone call.

Timing is everything.

In January 2016 I was installed as pastor at Messiah, but my wife still needed to remain in Indiana through the end of the school year. We had a house to sell, a daughter still at Indiana University, and no place to move to in Houston. The transition would take about five months of us living apart with only a couple of visits during that time.

The house sold in late March and we were scheduled to sign the papers in early May. Although we had house-hunted online for almost six months and in earnest for a few weeks, nothing we saw met our family's needs. With the sale of the Indiana house looming on the horizon, time was getting short. We needed to find a Houston home.

In late April, a mere 11 days before I was scheduled to fly to Indiana for our daughter's college graduation, and seven months to the day since I met with the Messiah Call Committee, we found the house and our offer was accepted.

Timing is everything.

That's what I have been learning. Timing is everything, especially when it's Jesus' timing. In Psalm 27, David writes, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Jesus has been teaching me and my wife to trust Him. He has been challenging us to be strong in our faith and take heart when discouraged. He has been saying to us, "Don't worry. I've got this. I am the Lord of perfect timing."

What in your life seems to be ill-timed? What do you need to happen in a timely fashion? I encourage you to ponder the words of David: Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Timing is everything, and His timing is perfect.