Are you suffering? Make it a virtue!

Hurricane Florence. Childlessness. Santa Fe High School. Hunger. California wildfires. Cancer. Terrorism. Death.

All of these are causes of a malady that afflicts all of creation, the malady of suffering.

I've begun to read "Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart: How to relate to those who are suffering," by Ken Haugk.

As he lists numerous biblical characters who faced various forms of affliction, trauma, and sorrow, I reflected on how we in 21st century America regard suffering as foreign to our human experience. It is to be avoided however possible.

That's why we numb with alcohol, drugs, food, sex, and whatever else we can grab to mask our pains.
As counter-intuitive as it sounds, we need to embrace suffering as an inevitable reality of life. Rather than numb and avoid, we can choose to endure and even thrive in suffering.

That's the biblical perspective that we hear from the apostle Paul. He writes to the Romans, "We also rejoice in our sufferings, for we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3, 4)

It's not enough for us to say in resignation, "This too shall pass." Because sometimes suffering is chronic, not passing. It's better to say, "Let's look for the good that God will bring through the suffering."

That's the key. Suffering is not just a physical or emotional experience. It is also profoundly spiritual.

My suffering is connected to my faith. It even has the ability to challenge that faith.

But it need not destroy that faith. Although God may seem remote during our times of pain, anguish, or grief, He is not.

God is present to bring good out of ill, and blessing from suffering.

He is present with us in His Son who suffered for us.

That's how we can redeem our suffering, how we can make it a virtue.

Trust that God, who is bigger than your suffering, is up to something good.

Laziness is a sin? You gotta be kidding me!

Pride, Envy, Greed, Hatred, Selfishness, Laziness, Injustice.

In the world of Shazam (the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel), those vices are the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man.

They are based on the list of cardinal sins from centuries ago in Christian ethics: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. This catalog of vices was popularized in the 1995 thriller "Se7en," starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Both lists include some pretty bad stuff. Wrath or hatred. Pride. Envy. Greed. Injustice. Lust. Even gluttony. All of these cause problems for people.

How in the world, though, did sloth or laziness make the cut for being a deadly sin or deadly enemy of man?

Does my penchant for binge-watching "West Wing" really pose a threat to humanity? If so, does that make the love of Netflix the root of all evil?

All kidding aside, while it may not seem as dangerous as the other vices on those lists, sloth or laziness does indeed pose a threat.

Many a college freshman has been tossed out of school as a result of laziness.

People lose jobs because of sloth.

Marriages are ruined because of it.

Sloth or laziness is really the refusal to fulfill one's responsibilities, to do one's job. That job might be cracking the books, producing for the boss, or taking out the trash. Failure to do things such as these can wreak havoc in a person's life.

The Book of Proverbs, one of the Old Testament wisdom books, warns against being what it calls a sluggard.

"How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest -- and poverty will come on you like a bandit, and scarcity like an armed man" (Proverbs 6:9-11; repeated in Proverbs 24:33-34).

All of us wrestle with each of the items on those lists of vices. Every one of them poses a threat.

Maybe it's the one that appears benign that can prove the most malignant.

And maybe I wrote this blog, my first in four months, to warn myself of the vice that likes to sabotage me the most.

The Joy-Filled Six Dozen

Jesus was pumped!

Ok, Luke says He was "full of joy through the Holy Spirit."

That's the Bible's way of saying, "Jesus was pumped!"

What had Jesus so full of joy?

The seventy-two disciples He had deployed just came back with stories of their mission outings.

"Even the demons submit to us in Your name!" they exclaimed.

Their enthusiasm was contagious and filled Jesus with joy.

This story came across my radar as I have been looking at my goals for Messiah for 2018.

In 2017 we officially launched our Comfort Dog Ministry with the arrival of Gabriel, our LCC (Lutheran Church Charities) K-9 Comfort Dog. We also undertook a number of outreach events that enabled our members to use their gifts in exciting ways.

In 2018 I want to build on that.

With those thoughts in mind, Luke's story of Jesus sending out the seventy-two resonates with me.

Normally I don't treat the Bible like a leadership manual. However, I couldn't help but see things in this story that make sense in terms of pastoral and missional leadership.

1. Be wise.

Jesus didn't start by deploying the seventy-two. The sending of the seventy-two in Luke 10 is preceded by the sending of the twelve in Luke 9. Jesus started with His core group of disciples, those who had seen Him do ministry up-close. The twelve's success bred confidence and their enthusiasm inspired the other sixty to think, "If they can do it, so can I."

Moreover, in both instances, Jesus sent His followers out in pairs. He employed the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 4: Two are better than one.

Missional leaders need to be wise. That may mean taking time to equip your people and build your congregation's outreach ministry. It might mean thinking about the best way of setting your people up for success, because success breeds confidence.

2. Be honest.

Ministry isn't easy, for pastors or parishioners. Pastors receive lots of training to prepare them for their work and we still feel inadequate to the task. We are warned about the challenges and yet, until we face them, we don't understand them.

Our people need us to be honest with them that ministry is hard.

Jesus told the seventy-two that they would be sheep among wolves, that they would need to rely on the generosity of strangers, and that they would face rejection. You can't say that Jesus wasn't honest with them.

We need to be just as honest with our people. Ministry to the hurting and the lost is time-consuming, emotion-draining, and faith-challenging. It is rewarding, but also costly.

3. Be affirming.

When the seventy-two reported their successes, Jesus affirmed the work they had done. "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." In other words, "You did great!"

When people take the risk of doing outreach and caring ministry, they need to be affirmed in their work. When they report that they prayed with someone out loud or shared their faith with another person (maybe for the very first time), we need to affirm to them that their efforts made a difference for that person and, more importantly, filled Jesus with joy.

4. Be grounded.

The seventy-two were excited about their success, as well they should have been. However, Jesus didn't want their joy to be rooted only in their success, because success is not always guaranteed.

Joy needs a firmer foundation, one that can never be shaken. "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven," Jesus said. Salvation is the true source of joy when we succeed. It is also the true source of joy when we fail. Success does not solidify our salvation. Failure does not compromise our salvation. Salvation in Christ is solid, independent of failure or success.

5. Be thankful and praise-ful.

Jesus praised His heavenly Father for making known His truth to the seventy-two. He was thankful for the divine work accomplished through His followers.

Leaders model by example that all glory is given to God. We can rejoice in our people's success, but neither we nor our people deserve the credit for the good that results.

We need people who plant. We need people who water. We need to remember that God gives the growth. Affirm your planters and waterers, but give the glory and thanks to God.

May God bless you all as we begin a new year of adventurous ministry in the name of Jesus.

Do You Suffer from SAD This Holiday Season?

Houston -- 10:14

Baltimore -- 9:24

Detroit -- 9:05

The Netherlands -- 7:41

Those are the hours of daylight for each of those locations on December 21, 2017, the Winter Solstice.

I have family members in each of those places. As Houstonians, my wife and I will enjoy the most sunshine. Our son in Baltimore and my parents in Detroit will have roughly the same amount of daylight. Our daughter and son-in-law in the Netherlands, however, will spend more than two-thirds of the day in darkness.

For many people, the shorter days and lack of sunlight that characterize the winter months bring on what might be termed the Winter Blues. We might feel more tired than usual, maybe put on a little weight, or perhaps undergo minor bouts of depression.

Some folks, however, experience more exaggerated forms of these symptoms, a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.

For them, the winter months of decreased sunlight or working in buildings without windows cause depression that saps energy and causes work and relationships to suffer.

Aside from Seasonal Affective Disorder, millions of people this month will suffer from another type of SAD, what could be termed Savior-Absent Disorder.

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Symptoms of Savior-Absent Disorder include an over-emphasis on presents and parties, the noticeable lack of peace and joy, and a Christmas celebration devoid of Christ.

Savior-Absent Disorder can afflict the young or old, and men and women are equally susceptible.

Those most likely to contract SAD are those whose December schedules run them too ragged to attend a Christmas Eve service at a local church. Others at risk are those who don’t take the time to ponder the words of carols such as "O Come, All Ye Faithful" ("Come, see in the manger our Savior and King!") and "Silent Night" ("Christ, the Savior, is born!").

Long-term effects of SAD include holiday seasons lacking in meaning and even a Scrooge-like resentment toward those who offer a joyous "Merry Christmas!" greeting.

However, there is relief from Savior-Absent Disorder. Not just a short-term pain killer, but a lifetime cure. The treatment is found in the words spoken to shepherds by an angel: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

Possible side-effects of this treatment include the following:

• a renewed sense of hope (Luke 2:25-35)
• freedom from guilt and shame (Luke 1:50)
• an increase of love and compassion for others (Luke 2:16-18)
• a desire to praise God (Luke 1:46-47; 2:13-14, 20)

If these side-effects persist, keep calm and be grateful. For further information about this cure, contact your local Christian church.

Now with the angel's words to the shepherds in mind, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a SAD-free new year.

Prepare the Way of the Lord

John the Baptizer from Godspell

I've been reading the opening chapters of Luke to get into an Advent and Christmas frame of mind.

This morning I gave thought to Luke 3, which focuses on John the Baptizer.

(I will confess that the Isaiah quote from Luke 3:4 has the Godspell song "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" running through my head [and maybe yours now, as well].)

John the Baptizer was a very bold and direct prophet, but also very humble.

He knew he wasn't the Christ and would not pretend otherwise (John 1:20).

He admitted that he wasn't worthy to untie the straps of Jesus' sandals (Luke 3:16).

He understood that he must decrease and that Jesus must increase (John 3:30).

Nevertheless, John was not bashful in his preaching.

He calls the crowds the offspring of serpents, charges tax collectors to stop cheating people, and exhorts soldiers to quit extorting people and making false charges against them (Luke 3:7, 12-14).

Imagine how they felt when John called them out that way! Today John would be called a "hater" and be eviscerated on social media.

John certainly had a different approach than Jesus. No wonder John had his questions and doubts about Jesus while he was prisoner in Herod's dungeon (Luke 7:18-23).

It's tempting to say that we need to be more like John -- bold, in your face. And that may work for some.

However, John's portrayal is descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, it's not meant to prescribe how we are to act. John's conviction and courage are to be emulated, but his manner of ministry was all his own.

Scripture isn't telling me to set up shop on Buffalo Bayou and cry out to the joggers running past. That's not my calling. I'm a pastor, not a prophet. These are two different callings with two different job descriptions.

On the other hand, Scripture is telling me (and you) to display the courage of John (and Paul and Jeremiah and Isaiah and Jesus) in speaking the truth despite its unpopularity.

We are called to afflict the comfortable with God's law and to comfort the afflicted with God's promises.

In short, like John, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord.

Martin the Monk

500 years ago today,

A German monk named Martin

Posted his Theses on a door.

Who knew what he’d be startin’?

We call it Reformation Day.

(Some folks call it Halloween.)

Martin challenged the Roman Church

And he really made a scene.

There was a friar, John Tetzel.

His Indulgences he sold.

Forgiveness of sins they offered

At the cost of just some gold.

Martin the Monk said, “No!” to this.

“Forgiveness is offered free!

It can’t be bought, it can’t be sold.

Jesus earned it on the tree!”

So we give thanks on this, the Day

Of joyful Reformation,

Martin the Monk helped all to see

The free gift of salvation.

SMH

Shaking My Head.

Another mass shooting.

An overwhelming sadness fills the soul ...
of the individual ...
of a community ...
of our nation.

I sit at this keyboard and shake my head.

I tear up when I ponder the victims and the heroes.

I don't ask, "Why?"
That answer is as old as humanity itself.
"Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you" (Jesus' words to Cain, urging him to reject anger and hate, Genesis 4:7).
Some people open the door and welcome in Sin.

With disbelief I exclaim, "Not again!"
Columbine. Newtown. Boston. Orlando. (To name only a few...)
Not again!

In weariness I ask, "How long?"
I add my voice to the souls of the martyrs.
"How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth?"

I am told, "Wait a little longer" (Revelation 6:10-11).

I am promised, "My grace is sufficient for you" (Jesus to St. Paul when he pleaded to be delivered from a personal affliction, 2 Corinthians 12:9).

I am assured, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (Jesus to His disciples on the night of His betrayal, John 16:33).

My head may shake.

But faith need not be shaken.

Faith, in fact, is proven in times like this.

Faith is proven in its love for the grieving and its care for the hurting.
People of faith "shine like stars in the universe as [they] hold out the word of life" in defiance of violence and death (Philippians 2:15-16).

Faith is proven in its conviction that our God is bigger than the trials and tragedies we face.
"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28).

Faith is proven in its confidence that love is stronger than hate, and God's love is stronger than anything.
"I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

Your head may shake.

Your faith need not be shaken.