Faith is No Illusion

2 Corinthians 4:18 Paul writes, “…We look not to things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

I really enjoy watching a good magician. I don’t think they call themselves magicians anymore. They’re illusionists. I really enjoy watching a good illusionist. They have the ability to make you see things that aren’t there or to not see things that are there. But when an illusionist is bad, there’s nothing funnier. When an illusion is so poorly executed that it leaves no doubt that it’s all a sham, the show goes out the window and the guy is out of a job. The unseen is so much more powerful than the visible.

Paul is writing about our faith in Jesus. Faith is the belief in the unseen things of God. Faith is not an illusion but it is unseen. Many people in Paul’s day put their trust only in things that they could see, feel and explain. Idols were made by carving stone, wood or shaping metal. They were things that people could see. But stone doesn’t last forever and neither does wood or metal. The seen things are transient. They don’t last. They are a poor illusion gone bad.

“Show me, God!” Many people today look to God as an illusionist and want him to reveal his methods. Show me how it’s done and then I’ll believe. Tell me all your secrets and then, I’ll follow you. And the church, in the grand scheme of things, hasn’t always been so helpful in that. In an effort to please people, God has often been softened and the unseen things have been ignored, downplayed or forgotten. The mystery of God, of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit and the Sacraments is powerful because it is unseen.

The seen things of the church, of our own idols, will not last. They will all fade one day. Churches are buildings made of human hands. Pastors are people whose bodies will not stand the test of time. Hymnals and Bibles will dry up and turn to dust. The things of the world will do the same. Great monuments and statues will crumble. Leaders and celebrities, despite their best efforts, will not live forever. Constitutions, manifestoes, and other official documents of freedom or oppression will one day disappear. They are transient. But those things of God which are unseen are eternal.

Faith is not an illusion, it is unseen. God is not a trick, but a mystery eternal. Our faith, the faith that is a gift from Christ himself, holds to those things which are unseen. Faith, hope, love, these are things unseen. One day, the unseen things will be seen. When Jesus comes back, those things that are eternal will be visible. The communion of saints will be a feast that lasts forever. One day our eyes will see that which cannot be seen. God Himself. What a day that will be!

Heavenly Father, keep me steadfast in faith until the day when the unseen becomes seen, the invisible becomes visible and I see you face to face. In Jesus’ name, amen.

We’re Sure to Get Somewhere

Alice…went on, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

            “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the [Cheshire] Cat.

            “I don’t much care where—,” said Alice.

            “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

            “—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

            “Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

                                                From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 

                                                                              Hebrews 11:8

Where are we going as a congregation? As God’s people, where we go is in God’s hands and we trust that He will continue to lead and guide as He has throughout human history. But we are a people who like to have control and like to be in charge and like to have all of the details before even agreeing to go on the journey. God never reveals too much of His plan, much to our dismay and frustration. He simply says, “Go!”

Alice pleads with the Cheshire Cat for direction. He offers no specific details or a map. He simply says, “You’ll get somewhere so long as you keep moving.”  Just keep moving.

For Zion Lutheran Church, we will just keep going. But we are not without direction or guidance. In fact, with the Holy Spirit in charge, we are sure to get where we need to go. Through His leading, we developed our mission statement: To Proclaim Christ’s Gospel to All People. With His guidance, we developed our ministry objectives and will use those as our topographic map. We have the lay of the land. We have the landmarks in sight. We will go wherever God leads.

Some landmarks for all of us to keep an eye on… Wednesday night changes, intentional bridges between generations, more bible studies, developments in our worship activities, continuous calls to keep our eyes on Jesus and to let the cross be the focus. Where will we be a year from now? I don’t know. But we’re sure to be somewhere and we won’t be there alone. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20.

From Job to Paul- A Funeral Sermon

Job- The trees are beautiful aren’t they Paul?

Paul- Yes, Job, they are very beautiful.

Job- The thing about trees is that they get cut down or blown down or struck by lightning or burned up by the fire. They’re never the same after that.

Paul- Things like that sure do change the trees. Most people would say that the trees are dead after that.

Job- But that’s not really so because trees sprout up again. Even from a stump a shoot can form and a whole new tree comes up. It takes a while, but it grows again.

Paul- They do grow again. Sometimes it takes the death of one tree to grow a whole new forest. Look at the fires in the forests. They burn up acres of land so that new trees can grow. Amazing how God works in the world, eh Job?

Job- Truly. But it’s different for us people. We die but we don’t sprout new people.

Paul- No, we don’t sprout new people. When we die, we die. It seems like a pretty permanent thing. But we often say that we fall asleep.

Job- But Paul, when we fall asleep, we wake up again. When we die, we can’t hear or see or move, so waking up is nearly impossible. I’m not sure I like saying that we fall asleep.

Paul- Take it easy my friend. There is someone to wake us up. God our Father will wake us up. With the sound like a trumpet and with his great booming voice, the same voice that spoke into creation the entire world will call your name, my name and wake us up.

Job- If He can speak and create mountains then He can sure speak and wake the dead. But what about in the mean time? Life is hard, full of tragedy and pain. And when someone close to us dies, how do we get through it?

Paul- Life is tough and death is real. There’s no way around that and to pretend as if everything is fine when it’s not, isn’t helpful. But here’s the thing, it’s what I told my friends in Thessalonica. Because we’re Christians, we look at the tragedy of life with a different set of eyes. We look at death not with despair, but with hope. But it’s not a hope in something fluffy and white clouds and harps. It’s a hope in the one and only savior, Jesus Christ.

Job- So, what you’re saying is that death sprouts hope like a stump sprouts a new tree? Death sprouts hope. When you say you hope in Jesus, tell me what that means.

Paul- My hope in Jesus is this: I was baptized in Jesus’ name. Since I was baptized in Jesus’ name, I will die like him but I will also rise like him. His death is my death. His resurrection is my resurrection. My hope is in something certain, eternal life with Christ. That’s why death sprouts hope.

Job- The trees are beautiful aren’t they, Paul?

Paul- Yes they are and a beautiful reminder of the hope we have in Jesus.

Hilda was a wife, a widow of 39 years, a mother to her children and a mother to those who needed one. She was servant in church, in Sunday School, in the community, at the Pioneer’s Home. She learned to drive at age 57 and bought her first car. She prayed continually, shared her devotional life with her children and her love for the Holy Scriptures. She was steadfast in her faith in Jesus. All of these things are important to those of us who are left here this afternoon. Hilda made a mark, left her legacy on our lives. Some of you here today can say that you know Jesus because of Hilda. She has run her race and finished well. For that we will ever be grateful to our Father in heaven who gave us time with Hilda.

But today is not a day to praise Hilda for all of her good deeds. Today is a day to look to Jesus, the giver of our faith and Hilda’s faith. Today is a day to remind ourselves that we, like Hilda, are sinful human beings in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. Today is a day where we look to the cross and remember what God the Father in His mercy has done for you, me and Hilda on that tree. That tree is the tree that sprouts hope. Jesus’ death on that tree is the spring of hope and life for all of us. The trees are beautiful aren’t they?

What a Rush!

Judges 14:6 Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat.

Call it adrenalin, excitement, or whatever, but you know that feeling you get when something thrilling is about to happen. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about people being able to do amazing feats of strength in emergency situations. All of these are quite a rush. Driving race cars, jumping out of airplanes, or public speaking can provide the rush of adrenalin… or the Holy Spirit.

The story is about Samson. The Sunday School lesson is that Samson was super strong because of his long hair. But his strength was not really in his hair, but in the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. But for adults, the rest of Samson’s story is not as glamorous, but more scandalous. He was not a nice guy or a Superman type. He was blood thirsty and cruel and a bit of a womanizer. We don’t teach that in Sunday School. God worked in his life for a distinct purpose and a prescribed time. He can use anyone, any time. After all, He’s God.

More than once, the Holy Spirit rushed upon Samson and he was able to do the astounding. Killing a lion with his bare hands is just one example. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 13, “And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” Later in Acts 1, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” With the Holy Spirit comes power.

For Samson it was feats of strength. For the disciples it was power to proclaim. The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways, ways of which we are unaware. But rest assured, the Holy Spirit is at work in you. Maybe he rushes in and provides strength when needed. Perhaps he gives you the right words to say when you need them. In baptism, the Holy Spirit gives the gift of faith in Jesus.

I don’t know if racing cars and sky diving are necessarily Holy Spirit things. But that rush, that boost, that overwhelming presence of something astounding is there. Pay attention to those times when you find yourself able to do something that would be impossible and give thanks to God for his presence. Then, give thanks to God for His presence even when you can’t feel Him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help me to live out my life in an expression of His presence. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Food in Your Teeth

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Have you ever had a bit of food on your face and not realized it? You walk around talking with people and they can’t stop staring at that seed of broccoli caught in the corner of your mouth or that chunk of spinach on your front tooth. How embarrassing! Then, finally, a good friend whispers in your ear that there’s food on your face. With gratitude for your friend, your excuse yourself and take care of the situation.

How many of us walk around with sin caught in our teeth and not realize it? Or perhaps we’ve justified or excused the sin and are in denial of what others can see. Maybe we say, “Well, everyone else has stuff in their teeth too so I’m just fitting in.” The problem is sin is sin and it messes us up and keeps us at a distance from God. It doesn’t matter what we think about it or how we justify it. Just like gravity is gravity, sin affects everyone.

The psalmist goes to the only one who can accurately point out, seek out and root out our core problems. God alone can search our hearts, our thoughts, our messed up ways. We can’t even do it ourselves very well. We need God’s Word to do it. It’s called the Law and hurts, embarrasses and points out the obvious and the not-so-obvious pieces of sin. So there we sit, in all our shame with the food all over our faces and stuck in our teeth. What can we do? Nothing.

But Jesus can, has whispered and will continue to whisper in your ear. “I forgive you. I will wash your face. I washed the disciples’ feet. I will wash your face and make it clean and presentable.” In baptism, Jesus washes our face and makes us clean. In the confession and forgiveness of sins from other Christians, he washes our face and makes us clean. In His Supper, through the body and blood, he washes our face and makes us presentable. Through those things, he leads us in the “way everlasting.”

Heavenly Father, thank you for knowing all things and knowing what’s in our hearts. Thank you for knowing what’s there, even when we don’t want to see it. Above all, thank you for your Son, who came down to walk among all of us with food on our teeth and on our chins. Thank you for washing us clean and making us presentable before you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

For Such A Time As This

What an amazing weekend! Very busy but satisfying. Three baptisms, an ordination, a retirement and an installation, all in one day. WOW!
And now the dust settles...
     I find myself in the seat of the Senior Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Fairbanks, Alaska. Are you kidding me? Just three years ago, I arrived from St. Louis, Missouri fresh from the Seminary and God put me on the anvil of pastoral ministry. For three years, He pounded on me with His hammer and stuck me in the forge, then into a bucket of water. This horseshoe is not finished. There is more pounding to be done. Some of it I'm looking forward to but some of it, I'm not. No one likes to be pounded on by the smithy. But that's the only way to be shaped and formed.
     How will I lead? Not sure to be honest. I pray that the grace of God and the spirit of Jesus are the leads and I'm here to be used by Him. Jesus gave his disciples a hard time for their aspirations to leadership and prominent seats in his kingdom. See, we don't volunteer for this. Jesus calls us and by His Spirit, he enlightens and sanctifies us for service. I can only lead so long as Jesus leads. I can only do what He calls me to do.
     Now, the truth is that I will make mistakes. Probably a lot of them. Most of the time I will make mistakes because I'm trying to do things my own way and thinking I know best. Some of the time, I will make mistakes because I listened to what others had to say and followed their advice. The amazing thing is that even though I am sure to make mistakes and messes, Jesus still says, "Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men."
     God never reveals too much too soon. He only shows me a little at a time because it's all I can handle. So, don't ask me where I'll be in 5 years or 10 years or where the church will be or what we'll be doing. I don't know. God knows, but he's not tellin'. We'll find out together.
     As Senior Pastor, this is my prayer right now, today: Father in Heaven, I'm glad you know what you're doing. Because I'm really not too sure. There's a lot in front of me and around me. I can't do it all. You have graciously surrounded me with gifted people. Encourage them, by Your Spirit, to use their gifts in whatever way you would have them. May we support and learn from one another in the bonds of fellowship. May the grace of your Son Jesus and your mercy pour out over the work of your hand in this place. Help us to come to you not just when we need it, but before we need it. In Jesus' name amen.

Sheep and Shepherds

John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me...”

How many shepherds do you know? I know a few people who raise sheep for 4-H, but I’m not so sure they’re what you would call shepherds. But just the same, these folks know their sheep. They know each of their sheep by name and by sight. I guess you get to know sheep pretty well when you raise them from lambs on up.

Jesus knows me. I don’t know where I heard it first, but someone reversed the lyrics on an old Sunday School favorite. “Jesus knows me, this I love.” Jesus can pick you out from a crowd. He knows everything about you, better than you know yourself. That’s hard to believe, but it’s true. He knows the good things and the bad things. He knows the light places and the dark places. Just as the friends who raise sheep know all of the faults and all of the benefits of their sheep, Jesus knows you inside and out.

That can be a bit intimidating and perhaps embarrassing. I don’t know what goes on in a sheep’s mind when they are being “inspected.” (Probably not much) But I know what goes on in my mind when my heart is being inspected by Jesus. When I come to confession and think over the dark spots of my heart, I am embarrassed and ashamed that they are still there. But John says that in Jesus is life and that life is the light of men. So the light has to come and shine in the dark places of our lives so that we can truly live. The sheep need to be looked over from head to tail and the faults revealed so that they can be repaired and the sheep can win the blue ribbon.

Jesus knows his sheep and his sheep know him. He knows everything about them and still loves them. He knows all of the dark places of our hearts and still, the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. He laid down his life for you and for me on the cross. And he has some of us shepherds under him to care for his sheep. Pray for your pastors that they may speak with the voice of Jesus and not lead the people astray.

Heavenly Father, you know more about me than I know about myself. Thank you for bringing me into your pasture and continuing to care for me through your shepherds here and now. In Jesus’ name, amen.