"Adoption: An Act of Courageous Love" December 29, 2019

The adoption metaphor reveals the courageous love of our heavenly Father.

"Immanuel? Really?" December 22, 2019

Oh, come, Oh, come, Immanuel! Oh, really?

"Jesus: The Messiah that We Need" December 8, 2019

"The Advent of Peace" December 1, 2019

The Prince of  Peace offers us peace the world cannot give.

"Wheat and Tares Together Sown" November 24, 2019

The season of harvest reminds us of the harvest of the earth at the return of Jesus.

Ministry Ups and Downs

Commissioning of Paul and Barnabas

Acts 13-14 records Paul's first missionary journey after he and Barnabas are commissioned by the church in Antioch.

It was a mission trip marked by ups and downs.

They have success in Paphos after they rebuked a false prophet named Bar-Jesus or Elymas.

But then John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, leaves them to return to Jerusalem. This angers Paul and eventually strains his relationship with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-40).

In Pisidian Antioch they are warmly welcomed at the synagogue and are asked to return the next Sabbath to continue teaching.

The next Sabbath, however, the Jews become jealous of the crowd that Paul attracts and stir up the people against Paul.

In Iconium the mission duo is effective in their preaching, but the Jews there cause division in the city and Paul and Barnabas have to flee.

In Lystra they heal a cripple man which causes the locals to think they are the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. So there's that.

Then the Jews that caused trouble in Antioch and Iconium arrive in Lystra and turn the crowd against them. Paul is even stoned by the crowd and left for dead.

Eventually the pair returns to their sending congregation in Antioch in Syria to report on their mission work.

Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas report all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

What they don't do is dwell on the setbacks. They don't allow Satan to drag them down. Instead they rejoice in what God was doing.

Ups and downs. Highs and lows.

In other words, when it comes to ministry and mission, some things never change. That includes the saving power of God and His holy Word.

"Days Will Come" November 17, 2019

Jesus warns His disciples not to be enthralled with what is temporary but to cling to His eternal Word.

A Comfort Dog's Prayer

Gabriel is packed and ready to go!

I have worked side-by-side with golden retriever Comfort Dogs for a decade.

I have worked with Comfort Dogs after natural disasters and mass shootings.

I have worked with Comfort Dogs in hospitals and long term care facilities.

I have worked with Comfort Dogs in elementary schools and universities.

Working with Prince and Fuerst (father and son who are now serving the saints in heaven), as well as Barnabas, Isaiah, and Gabriel has been a privilege and a blessing.

These wonderful creatures have given me opportunities to provide Christian care to countless people.

I think I have gotten to know these dogs pretty well over the years, so I composed the following poem to reflect the thankful hearts of these furry servants of Jesus.

"Gospel DNA Marker 4: Adaptability" November 3, 2019

"The Villain Is the Hero (of His Own Story)"

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

I just went to see "Joker" at my local theater.

It's not a movie for the kids by any stretch, but it is an engrossing character sketch of Arthur, the man who would become Batman's prime nemesis.

In this outing, Joaquin Phoenix portrays the Clown Prince of Crime.

Phoenix's Joker is plagued with mental illness regulated by meds.

When his meds are cut off due to cuts in city social services, his illness runs free, including a delusion that he is in a relationship with a single mom who lives in his building.

He also is told by his mother that her former employer, Thomas Wayne (Bruce's dad), is also his father.

Joaquin Phoenix

When he learns that his mother suffered from delusions, had been committed to a mental institution when he was young, and that he was adopted by her and has no kinship with the Wayne family, the illusion that is his life is shattered.

That night he enters the apartment of the single mother, who barely knows him and is shocked to see him.

When she asks what he is doing there, he mumbles, "I had a bad day."

There is no question that Arthur has had many bad days, a lifetime of them.

He is the product of abuse, poverty, and mental illness.

He would say, "My bad days justify my violent, murderous actions."

In his story, he is giving people what they deserve.

In his story, he is the hero who liberates the enslaved masses.

In the Dark Knight Trilogy we meet another version of the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger.

This Joker arrives on screen fully-formed and offers multiple explanations for the scars that force his mouth into a gruesome grin.

Heath Ledger

When he is interrogated by Batman, he explains how society's moral code is just "a bad joke" that will be dropped "when the chips are down."

He then adds, "See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."

In other words, "My violent, murderous actions are just a reflection of a society that is on the verge of chaos."

In his story, he is teaching people that "the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules."

In his story, he is the hero who enlightens the ignorant masses.

These tales illustrate a point about sin and evil. Sin and evil can delude us into believing that sinful and evil actions are anything but.

Our sinful hearts can find many and various ways to justify sinful actions.

"They deserved it."

"It's not gossip; it's the truth."

"God would want me to be happy."

That's because, as God Himself clearly declared after the flood, "The intention of man's heart is evil from his youth"(Genesis 8:21).

But even while making that declaration, the merciful God promises, "I will never again curse the ground because of man. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done."

You see, although our sinful hearts will contort and distort reality to portray us as the heroes, it's all a lie.

The truth, on the other hand, is that God provided the hero, the rescuer, the Savior.

He provided Jesus.

Trust in Jesus means that I can be honest about my sin, confess my sin to Him, and receive not false affirmations of my goodness but true forgiveness for my wrongs.

I can claim this truth, that Jesus is the hero of my story.

A 3D Mission

I recently finished a sermon series at the church I serve entitled "Messiah's 3D Mission."

A few years ago our congregation had developed a mission statement that could be boiled down to this: Embrace our neighbors with Jesus' unconditional love.

Let's let Jesus define "neighbor" for us.

When asked, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responded with the story of the Good Samaritan.

He concluded that story with a question: Which character in the story acted like a neighbor to the injured man?

That's a completely different question than the one He was asked.

"Who is my neighbor?" wants to categorize people so that I can figure who I will and will not love.

Jesus turns the question on its head and puts the responsibility on me to be a loving neighbor.

That's the mission part of "3D Mission."

Now come the three D's.

• Daily

• Doggedly

• Daringly

Daily means that mission is not an occasional activity.

Each morning is to begin with the conscious awareness that I am part of Jesus' mission.

I may not know what my opportunity will be today, but my eyes are open to the possibilities to embrace my neighbors with Jesus' unconditional love.

Doggedly means that mission is all-consuming.

Like the entrepreneur on "Shark Tank" who sacrifices all to make his or her business "the next big thing," I am to be single-minded in my determination to embrace my neighbors with Jesus' unconditional love.

(Some times I even do this with a dog at my side!)

Daringly means that mission includes taking risks and not fearing failure.

The youth David went against the warrior Goliath with only a sling and a smooth stone.

Oh, and the assurance that the Lord God was with him.

I may not know if the outcome will be ridicule or rejection, but I am to dare to embrace my neighbors with Jesus' unconditional love.

That's our congregation's 3D Mission.

Every follower of Jesus is a part of His mission.

You might not phrase it the same way, but the mission is always the same: Love your neighbor as yourself, which is the second greatest commandment.

And keep in mind the greatest commandment, love the Lord your God with all you've got.

If that's the goal that you daily, doggedly and daringly pursue, you won't have to find Jesus' mission.

It will find you.

Come to Me

I've been reading 1 Samuel lately, focusing on the life of David.

David was plucked from obscurity to become a captain in Saul's army following David's defeat of Goliath and his other victories.

David even became Saul's son-in-law when he married Saul's daughter, Michal.

However, Saul became extremely envious of David's victories and, more to the point, David's popularity.

He chafed at the chant, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."

Finally, Saul plotted to kill David and David flees for his life.

Eventually David finds himself alone at the cave of Adullam.

Psalm 142, written by David, gives voice to his despair: "Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me" (v.6).

In 1 Samuel we are told that David's family joined him there, along with four hundred other men.

These men are described as in distress, in debt or discontented.

They were the outcasts, the disenfranchised, the fringe elements.

They were losers.

Reading about them reminds me of Jesus' words, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

It also raises the question, does the church of today behave the same way?

Do we welcome the outcast, the fringe elements?

Do we seek out those who can't pay us back, who might never join our congregations, who can't fill our offering plates?

Those are the folks that Jesus served.

Jesus relied on the generosity of the wealthy to serve those who weren't, the resources of the accomplished to serve those who weren't, the prosperity of the in-crowd to serve the outcast.

By global standards, most of the members of most of our churches are wealthy. (Generous may be another matter.)

The question is, do we use that wealth to reach the outcast or maintain our comfort?

Psalm 142 concludes, "Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me" (v. 7).

Those four hundred outcasts were the righteous.

They may have been on the fringes of society, but they were smack-dab in the middle of the Lord's righteousness.

The outcasts are still out there.

What are we going to do about it?

Divine Love for the Lost

In my last post, "That Man Welcomes Sinners", I focused on how the "sinners" of Jesus' day gathered to hear Him, much to the displeasure of the self-righteous Pharisees.

Tax collectors and sinners were drawn to Jesus because, as the Pharisees observed, Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them. (Luke 15:1-2)

Those opening verses of Luke 15 set the stage for the three parables that follow, the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Sons (more commonly referred to as Parable of the Prodigal Son).

That third parable is perhaps the most well known of Jesus' stories, as well as one of the most elaborate.

It tells the story of a father with two sons, each of whom demonstrates disrespect for the father.

The younger son demands to be given his portion of the inheritance early, since dad isn't dying soon enough for his liking.

The older son describes his relationship to his old man as a form of underappreciated slavery rather than genuine sonship.

This parable, however, is also the story of a father's love for his two undeserving children.

While this love is evident throughout the story, perhaps the most dramatic display of that love comes when the younger son returns home.

Having wasted his inheritance in what is described as "wild living," the son comes to his senses and realizes how good he had it back home.

In fact, he realizes that his father's hired men have it better than he currently did, since his only employment was slopping the hogs on someone's farm, an unimaginable task for a good Jewish boy.

So, after rehearsing what he will say to his father, the young man heads home.

Meanwhile, his father, who has no idea whether his son is dead or alive, waits daily for his son's return.

Then there comes the fateful day when he sees his son in the distance.

Immediately he runs to him, embraces him, and kisses him, before the son can utter one word of his rehearsed lines.

This is the point that I missed for years. The father welcomes his son before he even knows why his son is there.

Maybe the son was coming back for more money.

Maybe the son was going to say, "Dad, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by to tell you that leaving here was the best thing I ever did and I'm never coming back again."

The point is, the father doesn't know what the son will say, and he doesn't care!

All the father knows is that he loves his son. That's all that matters to him. He loves his son, without question and without condition.

Whatever has brought his son back to him, for however brief a time it might be, the father has only one goal, to let his son know that he loves him.

What happens after that is beyond the father's control. Either his love for his son will win the day or it won't.

Come what may, he won't force his son to stay.

That's the purity of the father's love. It doesn't demand explanations or apologies. It simply offers itself freely to be either received or rejected.

That's God the Father's love for each of us.

He wants His love to win our hearts, but allows us to refuse it, because divine love doesn't coerce.

Rather, it is constant. This love doesn't change. This love doesn't end.

Be assured that, however far away from the Father your wanderings may take you, the Father's love is always there for you.

He is always waiting for you.

He will always welcome you.

Without questions. Without conditions.

With only love.

"That Man Welcomes Sinners"

For the last number of years I have marveled at the fact that "sinners" flocked to Jesus.

These people ranged from the folks who didn't measure up to the pharisaical standards of ceremonial purity to those who were in clear violation of God's expectations.

I pondered the question, "Why did the sinners of Jesus' day come to Him when most sinners of our day wouldn't think of crossing the threshold of one of our churches?"

The answer actually was staring me in the face in the Pharisees' accusation, "This man welcomes sinners and eat with them" (Luke 15:2).

Jesus welcomed sinners into His space, His presence, and shared fellowship with them by eating with them.

That's why sinners flocked to Him. His love for them drew them in.

And He didn't lead with the law with these folks on the fringes. Condemning them would only drive them further from Him.

Jesus' love drew the sinners to Him, and the closer they got, the more Jesus expected of them.

As He had taught, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" (Luke 12:48b).

That's why Jesus was harder on the Pharisees. They had been given much and were misusing what they had been given. The same couldn't be said of the sinners.

On Friday afternoons I spend time with folks that would be considered sinners. They are prostitutes and addicts, some recovering, some still active in "the life."

I attend their support group meeting designed for those who are looking to get out of or stay out of "the life."

We have lunch and talk about the problems we face. Even though we have different experiences, we all have problems. We are all sinners looking for grace and guidance.

These folks have welcomed me because I welcome them and eat with them.

They are grateful that I bring our church's Comfort Dog, Gabriel, to spend time with them, but my presence is valued by them as well.

What I have learned is that if we want the church to be a safe haven for sinners, we need to be like Jesus.

We need to welcome sinners and eat with them, the way Jesus has welcomed us.

If Jesus Came Over for Dinner

In Luke 11, Jesus accepts a dinner invitation from a Pharisee.

The Pharisee disapprovingly takes note that Jesus doesn't give His hands a ceremonial washing.

Jesus, in turn, begins to lay into the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. "Woe to you Pharisees..."

When the experts in the law complain that Jesus is insulting them also, Jesus turns His sights in their direction. "Woe to you experts in the law..."

I so want to cheer Jesus on. "You tell 'em, Jesus!" I'm even envious of His boldness. Who has the courage to accept a dinner invitation and then chastise the host? Only Jesus!

But then I realize that if Jesus came to my home for dinner, it would likely look the same for me as it did for that Pharisee.

If Jesus came over for dinner, I would ask one of my members to be the pit master for a genuine Texas barbecue.

I would then invite the members of the church and some of my fellow pastors to dine with the divine guest of honor.

We would all clear our calendars, put on our Sunday best, and show up early, eager to meet Jesus, share a meal with Him, and listen to His wisdom.

But during the course of the dinner, as Jesus listens to our conversations and looks into our hearts, He might say something like this.

Woe to you Lutherans!

• You love your traditions and ceremonies
• You pride yourself on your orthodoxy
• You exult in your achievements
• You venerate your heritage
• You idolize your church buildings
• You bemoan your shrinking numbers
• You criticize the culture

However,

• You fail to love one another
• You fail to love your neighbor as yourself
• You fail to seek first the reign of God
• You fail to grow in the grace of giving
• You fail to make disciples
• You fail to fear, love, and trust in God above all things

We at the dinner might be insulted by Jesus. We might be offended by Jesus. But we couldn't say we were misjudged by Him.

That's why I'm grateful that Jesus invites me to His place for a meal, where I receive forgiveness for my failures, salvation from my sins, and the grace that I need to move forward in a more God-pleasing way.

Mother Knows Best

Jesus' first miracle was performed at a wedding in Cana when water became wine (John 2).

How this transformation occurred is not explained.

Somehow, between the filling of the six 30 gallon water jugs and the tasting by the master of ceremonies, the water became wine.

No command of Jesus is recorded.

No physical interaction between Jesus and the water is described.

It all happened simply because Jesus willed it to happen.

No wonder John tells us that, when they witnessed the glorious power of their rabbi, Jesus' disciples "put their faith in Him" (John 2:11).

But the disciples are not the only ones who put their faith in Jesus that day, nor were they the first.

Jesus' mother, Mary, beat them to it.

Mary is made aware of a problem at the wedding. The hosts had run out of wine.

What an embarrassment for the wedding couple and their families!

Mary, however, figures out a solution. She will tell Jesus about it.

Jesus' response to His mother is unexpected, and even sounds outright disrespectful.

"What is to me and to you, woman?" is the literal translation. A more natural rendering would read, "Dear woman, what does your concern have to do with me?"

Jesus is not being disrespectful, but He is distancing Himself from Mary and her concerns.

In explanation He adds, "My hour has not yet come."

What Mary does next is truly surprising. Rather than walking away disappointed in her son, she tells the nearby servants, "Whatever He says to you, do."

Jesus hadn't said He would do anything about this problem. He made no promises. He even makes it sound like He's not going to take any action at all.

But Mary knows her son. She knows He is a man of compassion and of power.

She puts her faith in Him and declares it with her words to the servants. "Whatever He says to you, do."

She trusts Jesus to act in whatever matter and at whatever time He chooses.

She didn't beg from Him. She didn't argue with Him. She didn't dictate to Him.

She made known to Him the need and left the rest up to Him.

Sounds like a good way to pray.

As is so often the case in life, mother knows best.