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.

Pentecost!

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:11b “we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

How many languages can you speak? Most people in America can only speak one language, English. Some may be able to manage 2 or 3, but beyond that there aren’t many people that can speak multiple languages. I’ve always envied people who were multilingual. For a while, I was able to manage German pretty well. Then, I switched to biblical Greek and Hebrew. Now, well, I’m pretty competent with English.

            There is something about communicating in foreign languages that is intriguing and perhaps a bit romantic, regardless of which foreign language. But here in this amazing event of Pentecost, the languages are anything but romantic. In fact, they are nothings short of astounding. The background- It’s 50 days after Passover, thus Pentecost. It’s a festival for the Jewish nation. For the followers of the Way, they are not called Christians yet, it is a strange, foot in both worlds, feeling. They are Jewish by birth but followers of Jesus by rebirth. They’ve come to celebrate the feast of Pentecost and then, the Holy Spirit literally rocks their world.

            It’s also interesting to note that not too long ago, they were hiding behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jews. Now, they were standing in the open in Jerusalem. Amazing what God can do. The Holy Spirit comes in with the sound of a rushing wind and he takes up residence on the heads of the disciples in the form of something like a tongue of flame. It’s the best you can do when describing the Holy Spirit. Sounds like::: Looks like::: Not sure, but what you can describe is what he does! Because what happens next is nothing short of amazing.

            The Holy Spirit fills them up and they begin to speak, to proclaim the Gospel, to talk about God and Jesus. But they do it in languages that they themselves didn’t know they could speak. All manner of languages from all manner of places. From the far west of Egypt to the islands of the Mediterranean to the far east and north, people had come from all over and were now hearing of Jesus in their own words. Some thought the men were drunk, some wanted to know more, but everyone was amazed. The Holy Spirit would not be held back, he would not let the men and their own apprehensions get in the way. The story of Jesus needed to be told to all the world, right there, right now and it was indeed.

            The story of Jesus still needs to be told. All the time. Let me put it this way: We still need to tell the story of Jesus! Oh Pastor Joe, you still need to tell the story of Jesus, that’s why you’re here. You’re right. I do. But I’m not the only one here who can or does tell the story of Jesus. To be honest, none of us is really worthy to tell the story of Jesus. And the devil wants to remind you of that. You’re a sinful, miserable mess. How in the world can you presume to tell people about Jesus when your life isn’t perfect? The devil wants the story of Jesus to remain quiet, or silent. But the story of Jesus isn’t about you and me. It’s about Him. It’s about what he’s done for you and me, the miserable messes that we are. He has forgiven us, remember we talked about that last week. He has saved us from ourselves and he sends His Holy Spirit to be our counselor and guide and comfort.

            It’s the same Holy Spirit that he sent to the disciples. That same loud, wind rushing, flaming head spirit comes to me and you. Don’t look now, but your head’s on fire. You’ve been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to speak the words of the Gospel. Me, the sinful, cracked pot that I am, has been forgiven and blessed by the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel. And I get to do it in all sorts of languages. No, I’m not about to start speaking in tongues, though that might be kind of interesting. I speak in many different languages in other ways.

            Can you share the love of Jesus and the Gospel with infants and toddlers and wobblers and preschoolers? Then you can speak their language.

            Can you share the love of Jesus and the Gospel with kids in elementary school or middle school or high school or college? Then you can speak that language.

            Can you share the love of Jesus and the Gospel with adults, both young and not so young? Then you can speak that language.

            What languages can you speak? Can you speak the language of an engineer or scientist, a teacher or a doctor? Can you speak the language of a missionary, in the villages or around the world?

            Speaking in tongues is not always about foreign languages, though the language of a 2 year old could certainly be described that way. It is the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel, words of forgiveness, words of law and gospel, words of hope, the words of Jesus with many different people.

            So how many languages can you speak? My guess is more than you realize. May the Holy Spirit open your lips so that your mouth can declare the praise of God. Amen!

            

Forgiveness and Love

Luke 7:48 And he [Jesus] said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Could it be put more simply? Could the message of Jesus be put in clearer terms? I don’t think so. Forgiveness is hard to come by in most relationships and to really grasp what happens in forgiveness is impossible for us. But forgiveness is what Christians are all about. And for Jesus, forgiveness is directly connected to love.

In this part of Luke’s gospel, Jesus is eating at the home of a Pharisee. And a “sinner” comes into the house (as if those already present weren’t sinners). She begins to wipe Jesus’ feet with her tears and her hair and anoint his feet with expensive ointment. The Pharisees scoff at her and, by association, Jesus. Jesus proceeds to tell them a parable that is a scathing critique of their “holier than thou” life and their belief that they somehow don’t qualify as sinners.

He forgives her sins. The sinner is forgiven, right in the face of those who feel that they don’t need forgiveness. She is forgiven because Jesus forgives her. “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” How many are your sins? Those who are forgiven a lot love a lot because they realize how undeserving the forgiveness is and live that out. Those who live in their denial of sin can’t possibly grasp the ideas of love and forgiveness.

Jesus forgives you. It is one of the most humbling and joyful parts of being a pastor. I get to speak those words to a lot of people all at once. The words don’t come from me. It’s not only a human level of forgiveness but a holy level of forgiveness. But I’m not the only one who can speak those words. Each one of us Christians gets to speak those words. The astounding thing is that when any one of God’s children says, “Your sins are forgiven,” Jesus tells us that indeed those sins are truly forgiven.

Whatever sins you may be carrying around, Jesus can and does forgive them. Listen for those words when you are in church or go to whomever you have wronged and ask them for forgiveness or go see your pastor and talk to him about private confession and absolution. Forgiveness is what we’re all about and where there is forgiveness there is love. Where there is love, there is forgiveness.

Heavenly Father, forgive me, for the sake of your Son, Jesus. Forgive me for all of the sins that I have committed. Breathe new life into me through your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your mercy and grace and forgiveness and love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

A Strange Sound, A Strange Power

Luke 5:5-6 And Simon answered [Jesus], “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets. And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

I’ve noticed a strange power that some people have. My dad has it. I have it and others have it. It showed up when I was first learning to drive. I would get in the car and drive to the store. While I was driving I would hear a strange sound in the car. When I got home, I would tell my dad about the strange sound. He would then get in the car and drive it and the car would not make the strange sound. The next time I drove the car, the sound was gone. It’s a strange power that some people have. Just when you think everything is going wrong, they show up and everything is fine or better. Is there someone in your life that possesses that strange power?

The fishermen had worked all night long and come up empty. Eight or more hours of back breaking labor and you have nothing to show for it. That stinks! The sea is empty. All the fish are gone. There’s something wrong with the nets. Then, Jesus shows up. “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But there’s no fish, the fishermen think. This guy is crazy, they might laugh. If you say so, we’ll try it. Then, the miraculous catch of fish astounds everyone.

It’s not hard to know what Jesus’ strange power is. He’s God. He shows up in the lives of the fishermen when they had nothing to show for their work. They couldn’t boast in their boat load of fish. In fact, others may have laughed at them for coming home empty handed. But not Jesus. In his strange, powerful way he shows up.

He shows up in our lives to forgive us and make the strange sounds stop. Now, it’s not always a lightning bolt or something, but he shows up. He shows up and makes the sounds stop in Holy Communion In bread and wine he’s there to quiet the noise. In prayer, we get the chance to tell him about the noise we’re hearing and he shows up to say, “What noise? Don’t be afraid, I’m with you wherever you go.”

My dad’s power may not be the same as Jesus because my dad is not Jesus. But you get the idea. Thank God for people who show up and stop the noise and thank God for Jesus who shows up and reveals to us that there’s more to life than the noise.

Heavenly Father, thank you for taking care of the strange sounds in our lives those sounds of sin that hiss and clang. Through your son, Jesus, you show up and reassure us that you are here with us, in the midst of the noise, to quiet the noise. Amen.

Heart, Life, Community, World- breaking it down

Each of these topics would be discussed and taught from Scripture and the Confessions of the Lutheran Church

Session #1-
Creation and the Fall and our present human sinfulness
God's promises to His people
The Message and Cross of Christ
Worship and the Means of Grace

Session #2-
Spiritual Gifts
God's purpose for you and all Christians

Session #3-
Christian Stewardship- What has God given you and what are you going to do with it? This involves all of the gifts God has given us, not just time, talent and treasure.

Session #4-
Christian Discipleship- Living by the Law/Gospel paradox, following Jesus and carrying your own cross, spiritual disciplines and real life.

Session #5-
The Church and the body of Christ- Your place in His family, at this congregation in particular, who are you here for?

Session #6-
Small groups and life together- growing in community, who is here for you?

Session #7-
The Church on earth- serving one another in Fairbanks and throughout Alaska, mission groups, VBS, etc...

Session #8-
The Church serving the world- connections with LCMS missions agencies, national missions and world missions and the Great Commission.

Thoughts, questions, comments, brushes with greatness, humorous anecdotes that you care to share?

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Heart, Life, Community, World

In June of this year, the senior pastor of our congregation is going to retire from parish ministry after serving for forty years; fifteen of them were here in Fairbanks, Alaska. A lot of people talk about me filling his shoes when I become senior pastor. I always laugh and say that he’s taking his shoes with him when he moves and that I have my own shoes to fill.

But, all joking aside, one of the shoes that will need to be filled is the development, preparation and facilitation of a new member’s course. I started a while ago working on what I thought were the main ideas that needed to be discussed for those who were interested in membership at our congregation. Here’s my list. I’ve tried to break it down into sections that make it easier to follow. Almost two years ago, God inspired me one way or another to write down these four words: Heart, Life, Community, World. This, as I know see it, is a progression of the Christian life.

#1- God begins with the Heart.

            From Ezekiel 36:26- (The LORD said) And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

#2- In Christ, we all have new Life.

            From Romans 6:4- (Paul writes) We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

#3- By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are connected to the Community of faith.

            From Acts 2:46-47- And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

#4- Christians live by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel to all the world.

            From Revelation 21:1- (John writes) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Each of these topics would be divided up into two week sessions. There’s a lot to talk about in each of these pieces.

I’d be interested to hear what topics you would put under these headings, how you might divide it up and what you think is most important for someone who is new to the church to know. I plan to put my topics under each heading on another posting soon.

Post-Game Show

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

I like to watch sports on TV. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. But I almost always turn off the TV or change the channel when the game is over. I don’t stick around to watch the post game wrap up. Even after the Super Bowl, my attention is diverted elsewhere. What is it about the post-game that is so uninteresting? Well, for starters, I just watched the game. Do I need to hear again about the game I just watched? Second, the commentary is often mundane and repetitious. There just isn’t much to say that could match the excitement of the game we just saw. Nope, I don’t stick around for the post-game.

In case you missed it, we just celebrated Easter. In fact, we’re only a few days post-Easter. What a day, what a week that was! Palm Sunday, the triumphant yet paradoxical entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday and the drama of the Last Supper, the arrest and kangaroo court. Good Friday, the shouting, spitting and horrible torture of the Son of God. His death and burial followed. Then, the big show, the game of all history, the glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday. What a day! The excitement, the pageantry, the light and life of Jesus. Does it get any better than this?

But now what? Post-game wrap up? Recap the events? Are we gonna stick around or change the channel? Some of the disciples decided that they were going to hit the road, maybe to beat the traffic. They started walking along the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35) With downcast eyes and heavy hearts, they commiserate as they walk. Then, the star quarterback, Jesus, shows up and walks along with them. But he’s out of uniform so they don’t recognize him. They recount the game to him, how they’d hope they would win, but it looks like they lost. Jesus, knowing that they weren’t planning on sticking around, begins to recount the whole game to them. The big picture, the whole tournament, not just one game. In the immortal words of any infomercial “But wait, there’s more!”

Easter day may be over. But don’t change the channel yet. We’re reminded in Hebrews that we should not neglect gathering together and we should gather together all the more, as the last days approach. In other words, “But wait, there’s more!” Stick around for the post game wrap up. Go back or come back to church next week. There’s more to this tournament called the Christian life than a one game event. And talk with any person, particularly one who is a professional at a sport and they’ll tell you that it takes practice, repetition, dedication and hard work to play the game. And in this game, you’re not just a fan, you’re a first-stringer.

Heavenly Father, stir up in our hearts the Holy Spirit so that we, with faith and endurance, will stick around for the post-game and the next round of the tournament. Thank you for the gift of faith and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.