Huskers beat Jayhawks in license plate wars

Kansas limits vanity tag to one owner Wichita and Kansas news Crime, courts, weather, education, politics, events Wichita Eagle: "Kansas limits vanity tag to one owner"

This was a curious little article. Evidently, in Kansas, a vanity tag can be duplicated as long as there is not a duplicate in the county for which it is registered, until now. According to the article, of 88,000 vanity tags in Kansas, 33,000 are duplicates. And in the land of the Jayhawks, guess what the favorite vanity tag is? HUSKERS. That's right, an homage to the newly minted 2009 Holiday Bowl champions who were only four points away from a 10-1 season this year.

Anyway, here are the rest of the top 10 duplicate vanity plates in Kansas which will have to come up with other clever ways to get their message across once the new law is put in place:

PLATE--(# of dups.)
HUSKERS--53
JAYHAWKS--43
GITRDON--38
CHIEFS--37
2FAST4U--36
SPOILED--35
SOONERS--34
BLESSED--34
MYTOY--33
REDNECK--32

Tough times for large, local employer, parent of Yellow Freight

YRC continues debt swap one more day Dollars & Sense: from the Kansas City Star

We've all read these articles(see link above)--many of them in the last year or so. Articles which tell of the troubles and trials of big industry and the layoffs, bankruptcies and liquidations which follow. And while it may have been popular to bash the corporations as we vented our frustration with overt greed and corruption, I think we also had a tendency to forget all those who worked at those places who were not in the upper echelon, who are really hurt when the corporate giants fall.

Another thought occurred to me. In a way, our large, public companies of the day are not all that different from the Princes, Electors, Bishops and Lords of feudal Europe whom Luther called upon to look after the welfare of those who served them. At the same time, he encouraged the peasants to serve their masters faithfully, trusting in them to protect and provide for them. Through this whole saga, it seems mutual respect has been thrown out the window in favor of shocking headlines and sensational soundbites in our 24 hour news-cycle.

I've been in both worlds. I know the tremendous pressures put upon managers and officers of companies to do things which raise the stock price of a company so that the investors make money. I've been invited to dine and vacation with those who have resources I will probably never experience. But I also know what it is like to live a life with little means, relying upon the generosity of others to provide food, clothing and shelter for my family. I know what it feels like to be dependant upon public assistance and hand-outs.

Perhaps God has given me both experiences so that I can understand both and help our future generations come to terms with this growing chasm between the 'haves' and 'have-mores' (Even the poorest Americans have more than a large part of the equatorial regions of the world) Perhaps there is a lesson for me yet to learn--a message God is revealing to me through his still, small, voice which I am not quite able to hear yet.

As we look at the 2nd part of the 9th Psalm on pg. 31 of "Reading the Psalms with Luther" we notice that while the first 10 verses gave encouragement to the faithful, the second 10 verses speak of retribution to the world who ignores God.
Life in American society is very worldly and I-centric, that is, centered on the self; what I want. Rev. Jerry Todd, A pastor friend of mine, once told me that when he speaks with children and confirmation students about sin he defines it this way: "Sin is this--I want what I want when I want it! NOW!"

Now, as with any good analogy or maxim which tries to capture a theological point or doctrine the analogy will always break down and never be a perfect substitute for God's word itself. And so if we look at the above quotation we might be tempted to go to the extreme and say we must slosh our way through life never making decisions and never setting goals and living a minimalist life because to have goals and preferences is sinful--WRONG! Quite the contrary. Revelation 3:15-16 says this: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

No, I think one of the warnings for us today from this passage of scripture is to not get caught up in what the world thinks is good, right, and profitable but, rather, in all the plans we make, temper them against God's word and his will so that when we do make up our mind to do something we may have the hardened tools necessary to do what is right in a manner which will make a difference in the world and proclaim Christ as its king.

So, the homework part of our discussion: Think of one thing that our society has embraced, which you know is contrary to God's will, and give us an idea of how we might positively be counter-cultural to that one thing in a way which is winsome and effective in reflecting our faith in Christ.

I would love it if you would post comments, but if you would rather e-mail me privately that's ok too.

Have a great day in the Lord,

Christmas Blizzard

Yes, That's snow on the INSIDE of our house.  No, we didn't leave the window open.  It was shut and latched, but very drafty.

Reading the Psalms with Luther

Our "Fresh Start" bible study for young couples is collectively reading through Reading the Psalms with Luther,  Each week I'll start a discussion on a particular Psalm and pose a question or comment to which I invite others to share their thoughts and ideas as well.  It is my hope that, as we read through the Psalms together, we will grow together in truth and love.

Today:  Psalm 9 speaks of the faithful who suffer for Christ and the support which he always provides, no matter how bad things get.

Question:  In what ways have/are you suffered/suffering for Christ?  How has God delivered you and what has he done to make known his power and control over the situation?

Don't Critique the BCS--or Texas

Evidently its costs you a few bucks to complain about bad calls or apparent favoritism in the Big 12 Conference.  Read the Weird Harold article (linked) for the details of the pattern of fines following Texas losses.

Now, I'm not saying that Nebraska is a better team than Texas, but I do beleive they beat Texas until the last minute of the game.  The bad kick-off combined with Asante's blunder (4-cheap shots in 4 games--not too classy Larry), gave Texas valuable yardage they needed to kick the game-winning field goal in, litterally, the last second after Mack Brown brow beat the officials into adding a second to the clock after time expired.  This would not have happened "back in the day."  Is it just me, or has all the new technology really ruined the spontinaity and excitement of the game?

Buffalo’s Turner Gill will be Kansas’ next football coach - KansasCity.com

Former Husker star and 'triplet'* takes the reigns at KU. Part of the great 1980's I-Option teams lead by Dr. Tom Osborne, Gill consistently lead his team to nationally ranked finishes each year and nearly winning the National title in each of his three years. Gill's record as a quarterback was 28-2, winning all 20 conference games in which he started. Gill's entry in wikipedia already reflects his new possition, just 2 days after it was announced.

Buffalo’s Turner Gill will be Kansas’ next football coach - KansasCity.com: "Buffalo’s Turner Gill will be Kansas’ next football coach"

*Former Sooner Coach, Barry Switzer referred to teammates Turner Gill, Mike Rozier and Irving Friar as the 'triplets' because of their equal level of lethality against opposing teams.

The Barna Group - Report Examines the State of Mainline Protestant Churches

Another interesting article out today. Although Barna generally lumps the LC-MS in with evangelicals, there is much anicdotal evidence that our denomination's experience parallels that of the "mainline" denominations.
The Barna Group - Report Examines the State of Mainline Protestant Churches: "Report Examines the State of Mainline Protestant Churches"

The Alban Institute - 2009-12-07 Is E-mail the New Parking Lot?

An interesting article which encourages churches (and members) to be more discerning when it comes to what will and won't be discussed/decided via e-mail.
The Alban Institute - 2009-12-07 Is E-mail the New Parking Lot?

"The Awful German Language" by Mark Twain

"The Awful German Language" by Mark Twain: "The Awful German Language
by Mark Twain"

Also, A little long, but a hillarious Observation of the German Language by one of the most brilliant, and humorous Writers in American History. Zug, Schlag. (click the linkabovewhichtakesyoutothearticle link to makeyourgutbustinglaugh)

The things you find on Wikipedia--Quote from Daddy Buffett

Howard Buffett - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Even if it were desirable, America is not strong enough to police the world by military force. If that attempt is made, the blessings of liberty will be replaced by coercion and tyranny at home. Our christian ideals cannot be exported to other lands by dollars and guns"

This quotation was spoken by Warren Buffett's Father on the floor of Congress when he served as representative from the district in which Omaha resides. He served two terms in the forties and one in the fifties.

Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

The "Holy" Family

Yesterday was the deadline for the December newsletter.  Here's a preview of what I'll be writing to the congregation:

The “Holy” Family

Matthew 1:18 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

“What a way to start a marriage.” If it were not for the fact that this is beginning of the familiar Christmas story from Matthew, that might be our reply upon hearing of a young girl, engaged to an older man, who has found herself to be pregnant by—according to her—the Holy Spirit. Yet, that’s the truth and we behold this truth as beautiful and honorable and even holy because of the rest of the story as we know it. We know that this is the story of our Lord and Savior Jesus and just the beginning of his trek to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. Because of the outcome, the unsavory has been made beautiful. The less-than-ideal has been made “holy” in our memories. (Take a minute to read verses 19 through 25 to hear how Joseph responded to this “unfortunate” news. It’s especially inspiring for husbands and fathers)

On the other hand, it’s interesting how some of the other traditions surrounding Christmas have been transformed away from the scriptures which inspire them. We’ve removed the smell from the stable, the itch from the hay, the spiders from the hay mow, the flies from the manure and replaced them with haloed parents visited by guests who glow in pristinely washed and beautifully adorned clothing. We forget that shepherds were dirty, unsavory fellows who could get no other work and that the “Three Kings” were travelers in a time when traveling was also a dirty, messy affair. Yet, as unkempt the guests, as unsanitary the crib, as irregular the situation, this family was indeed Holy because of God’s presence and choice of sending them his Son.

Each of us is found in some sort of a family. Whether that family is headed by a single parent or two parents, whether it has five kids or no kids, a full nest or an empty nest, or even if we find ourselves alone after many years together with another, we are part of a family somewhere, somehow; either the family we come from, the family we started, or the family of believers we have in the Church.

However, all families are comprised of people who sin. Thus, families are full of sin as well and we can’t help it but to have rough patches from time to time and not every person in that family will always fit the mold or be in line with the rest of the clan. The Christmas season is one in which many families try to gloss over that sinful nature with pretty bows and packages, rich food and drink, fancy clothes and festive decorations. We try to do for our own families what Christians have done to the Holy Family in the Christmas story for years because we only want to experience the joy of the season and ignore the reality we live in.

But the ultimate reality in which we can all find joy is that God didn’t just bless Mary and Joseph on that Holy Night. When he sent his only son to be born of a girl who was engaged to another man, he began the process of redeeming all families and making them holy once again. Adam and Eve were the only humans who know what it was like to live in that holy state of one man and one woman, made for each other, for eternity. When they sinned we lost that knowledge and experience.

The Good News is that through Christ, we may experience what a holy family is again one day when we are raised on the last day to a new heaven and a new earth and live the life we were created for. But, until that time, we have Christ and his bride the church. As part of this holy union, we have a family which, though still containing sin, has been forgiven and lives in the grace of the bridegroom, Jesus Christ—warts and all.

This Christmas, as you find yourself stressing out over making the proper decorations, buying the perfect gift, baking the perfect dessert or roasting the perfect turkey, don’t be afraid if the decorations sag, the gift is returned, the dessert flops and the turkey is as dry as the Sahara. Christmas isn’t about perfection or hiding the rough edges. It’s about the one who came to make we, who are inherently imperfect, perfect in the eyes of the one who made us. Revel and bask in the glow of HIS holiness this Christmas, just like the shepherds, and angels, and kings.

A Blessed Christmas to all,

Pastor Sukstorf
Assoc. Minister of Family Life.

Do You Trust Me?

Do You Trust Me?                                 Matthew 19:16-30

Consecrated Stewards        11/15/09 St. Paul, Leavenworth, KS

As you already know, I am not Pastor Mease.  As some of you may know, Pastor Mease could not be here this morning and has asked that I fill in for him today.  Because I am wearing a robe and stole, you probably assume that I too am an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  Those of you who have been here the last couple of years also probably remember me from previous Consecrated Stewards programs of which you took part in 2008 and 2007.  Still others might know me from my work with the KC Crossroads Zone of the LWML.  My name is Perry Sukstorf and I am an Associate Pastor at Redeemer in Olathe.  Now knowing all this, it is my hope that you have enough information to trust me to come before you and preach God’s word of love and grace today.  So, I will ask, “Do you trust me?”  Good!  Because in the text we have before us today, one of the main lessons we hear concerns our trust in Jesus and I want to be sure that you trust me so that you can trust the message I am bringing you today from Jesus.  And his message is that he wants you to trust in him.

The man in our Gospel lesson is perhaps like us or perhaps not, but he is important to know and understand if we are to learn the manner in which salvation, good works and our treasures are all weaved together in the tapestry of life.

Like us, the man seems to want to do what is right and also like us, he believes in eternal life and wants the assurance that he will have it.  But there are a couple problems with his understanding and his approach.  Problem #1 is that he thinks these two points are compatible; that to have eternal life there must be something required of him to do to achieve it.  Well, he is correct and he is wrong at the same time.  He is correct in that the righteous shall have eternal life.  He is wrong in asserting that he is righteous based upon his own actions.

To be righteous one has to do right things all the time and can not have ever done anything wrong.  While anyone can do a good thing, or even several or many or hundreds of good things, no one is inherently good nor do they have the capacity to thwart evil throughout their entire lives.  In fact, we all began our lives in sin as we were conceived and born into it because of the sinful nature we inherited from Adam.

Problem #2 is that this man is not fully prepared to hear and live with the answer to his own question.  He begins on bad footing by the way in which he asks his question.  He assumes the way to eternal life is a matter of doing—in fact, he even assumes it is only one thing which needs to be done; “What good deed must I do?” are his very words.  He’s asking Jesus to give him the scoop, the insider’s track into heaven.  “What will it take? How much does it cost?  What do I need and I’ll take care of it?” might be other ways we could rephrase his question.

As we learn at the end of the account, the man had many possessions.  The idea of eternal life intrigued him, and he thought, surely, he, of all people, would be able to get there.  As a man of means, surely he had the resources and skills needed to gain heaven and if it required him to roll up his sleeves and do a little work, well, that was ok too.  After all, he didn’t get to where he was in life without a little blood, sweat and tears along the way.

And then Jesus answers him—“keep the commandments”—PLURAL!  Now, maybe the man really thought it would only take one commandment, but I doubt it.  If he were a fellow Jew, as we assume he was, he would know that all of the commandments are to be kept.  But, then again, maybe he was trying to just narrow things down a bit and get to the “important” commandments which would count toward heaven.  Perhaps he thought Jesus would let him off the hook easy.  After all, anyone can keep at least one of the commandments, can’t they?  But deep down, just like you and I, I suspect, I think he knew that it wasn’t gong to be that simple.  Jesus then lists the commandments in the 2^nd table of the law—those concerning our neighbor.  “Yes!  All these I have kept.” He replied, “What do I still lack?” He asked.

Now, why he asked the 2^nd question, we do not know.  He had just affirmed he kept those commandments, yet he asked what he lacked.  Did it mean he wasn’t sure of his salvation yet?  Did he want the satisfaction of hearing Jesus affirm that he was already heaven bound?  We don’t know, but regardless of the reason, Jesus knew his heart; that though he may have followed the letter of the law, he did not heed its spirit, to love his neighbor and to love his God.

You see, all of the law is about love; love for God and love for others.  Every single one of the 10 commandments speak to this love.  The law was never meant to be an achievement test or a merit award.  Because of our sinful nature, and our own inability to keep the law, it was designed by God to show us our sin, realize our hopeless state and drive us back into his arms of love—the only arms which could do the heavy lifting the law required.  The rich man wanted to feel comfort in his own works, ability and generosity but Jesus wanted him to know that salvation is not found in the self.  At the very beginning of their conversation he said “there is only one who is good.”  And if this man was to see that One—Jesus—he had to take his eyes off of himself.  That’s why Jesus told him to sell everything and follow him.  What he asked the man to do was not one of the commandments; but if he followed Jesus’ instructions, it would lead him and his heart to where Jesus knew he needed to be.  He wanted the man to be selfless and rely only on Jesus.

Jesus wishes the same for you and me today.  Jesus wants each of us to stop relying on ourselves and rely on him—in ALL things.  When we don’t understand why things happen to us, we can rely on Christ’s protection.  When we seem to fall into sin over and over again, we can rely on Christ’s forgiveness and grace.  When we feel alone and afraid of what lies ahead in our lives, we can rely on his strength and comfort to keep us calm and moving forward in service to him and to one another.  When we truly examine our lives in light of our faith and our Savior, we see what’s really important—our relationship with our God and the forgiveness and grace which is borne out of that loving relationship.

This relationship is the most important relationship we have.  Job in the Old Testament knew that.  Even when all of his other relationships had been removed from him, his faith in God did not waiver.  Surely, he questioned God; he cried out to God and asked, “Why are you doing this to me?”  Sound familiar?  To which God replied,

[Job 38:4-13] ⁴ "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.  ⁵ Who determined its measurements- surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?  ⁶ On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,  ⁷ when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?  ⁸ "Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb,  ⁹ when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,  ¹⁰ and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors,  ¹¹ and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'?  ¹² "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,  ¹³ that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?” 

Basically God was asking Job, “Don’t you trust me?  Don’t you think I’ll take care of you?  Do you really think I’ve forgotten about you or will just let you suffer and die alone?”  After hearing these words Job was greatly humbled and then reaffirmed his earlier confession of the faith for the One who created him and in whom he had his salvation.  At that earlier occasion he said,

[Job 19:25-27]  “²⁵ For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.  ²⁶ And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,  ²⁷ whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

Once he could look beyond his present concerns and issues, and once he turned over all his problems--even his very life--into God’s care, he quit feeling the pressure of needing to remedy those issues by his own power or strength.  Once he totally commended all he had, which at this point was virtually just his weak, frail body, Job found peace.  Once he quit worrying about what he had lost or what he might lose in the future, he was restored.  He regained his health, he continued to live a long life and for his faithfulness to God, his wealth was even restored two-fold.  The man in the Gospel lesson today could not do that.  He couldn’t follow Job’s example, which he surely knew if he was indeed a Hebrew.  He wanted to follow Jesus, but couldn’t trust him to lead.

Trust is earned.  We don’t give anything to any person or cause in which we don’t believe or trust in.  We give to the Kiwanis club because they help kids.  The Lions Club has a track record of helping those with vision problems.  We donate to politicians when we believe they will stand up and vote for those laws which we feel would be helpful to rule our country, and we give to charities for the good they do in our community.

We give as a way of supporting and enabling those activities which we ourselves are incapable of doing on our own or to leverage our efforts in a greater capacity with or through others.  And we only give that support where there is trust.  Even in our daily spending, we make decisions based upon which brands or companies have gained our trust to provide a good product at a fair price.  Whether it’s going to certain restaurants, buying a particular tooth paste, hiring a certain tax accountant, or choosing which gas to buy, we make decisions to trust and to put our money where we trust.  Consequently, where our money goes, we go.

As Christians we have a leader who is far more trustworthy than any social service organization or charity.  We have a God, who has a performance record that shines far brighter than any product or service we might be loyal to.  We even have the benefit of knowing the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection AFTER it happened, unlike the man in our Gospel who spoke to Jesus before those events.  Yet, we find ourselves in a place where even we just can’t let go and say, “Jesus take the wheel” , as a popular country song puts it.

As each of us lives our lives of faith, Jesus asks us too, “Do you trust me?”  Sometimes it might be a scolding like Job got, but more often than not, it’s a loveing invitation to rest totally in his care.  From the moment our head was raised from that baptismal font and we were washed of our original sin and made members of the Body of Christ, Jesus said, “Trust me.”  Each time we come before him and ask for his forgiveness and receive his absolution Jesus says, “Trust me.”  Every time we go to this altar and receive his body and blood in the bread and wine of Holy Communion he says, “Trust me.”

He’s proven himself time and time again, in both word and deed.  He makes the invitation to us over and over again, “Follow me and I will give you rest.” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” “Knock and the door will be open to you.”  And to follow Jesus, is to trust Jesus and let Jesus lead you in every aspect of your life.

Those of you who are members here will be given the opportunity next week to trust Jesus in a way which expresses your trust in him in the financial realm of your life.  You will do this as you consecrate your stewardship before God by making a financial commitment to his Church.  You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your trust in his care for you in this life, as well as the life to come, as you consider what portion of his blessings which you will return to him as first-fruits offerings of thanksgiving. This is a spiritual matter and as such is to be given the same prayerful care and concern as all the other aspects of your faith.  I would encourage each of you to take time this week to enumerate all the blessings he has showered upon you, not just this past year, as we so often do at thanksgiving time, but throughout your entire life, including your eternal life which you have yet to enjoy in heaven.  Take stock of all the times you put your trust in the Lord and he did not let you down.  Recall all of the times in your life when you did not trust in the Lord and he cared for you anyway and made sure that even in the bad times, good came out of that which Satan meant for harm against you, all because you love God and he loves you.

Our Lord and Savior is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving.  But he also deserves our total trust in him, for he has never let us fall in the past.  He has always shown himself to be faithful to his promises and trustworthy in his deeds.  And we know that regardless of our future here on this earth, there is nothing which can separate us from the love he has for us in Christ Jesus.  And because of that, we trust him when he says in John that he is now preparing a place for us in heaven.

Lord Jesus, let us always trust in you for our provision, our life and our salvation.  In your Holy Name we pray.  Amen.

November 6, 2009 ~ The Church and the Fall of the Wall | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

November 6, 2009 ~ The Church and the Fall of the Wall Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

The Sermon on the Mount as Peaceful Revolution--20 years after the Wall came down.

November 6, 2009 ~ The Rev. Christian Fuhrer Extended Interview Religion & Ethics News Weekly

An interesting interview with Rev. Christian Fuhrer, pastor at St. Nikolai Lutheran Church in Leipzig describing the peaceful demonstrations which eminated from his church and eventually led to the fall of the Berlin wall a month later.

Interestingly, it really all began with public and weekly prayers for peace beginning in 1981 & 1982. Only in the church was free speech able to be expressed.

While Rev. Fuhrer's comments posted here do not give a clear witness to the gospel, he shares some insights into occations when such witness did occur. I suspect the PBS based webpage had something to do with the "sterile" nature of his God-speak.

I think his last paragraph is quite poinient, however, in helping us understand the proper relationship between Church and the non-Christian:
"The role of the church did not diminish, at least not here in the Nikolai Church. It continued. Huge protests against the war in Iraq, peace prayers involving many people to save jobs…It continued, but under different social circumstances. However, there are always certain peaks, unique times, such as October 9th. It was a peaceful revolution which was a unique process. You cannot expect that it will go on like that every day. What this revolution aimed to achieve was indeed achieved, and then people stepped back. The important thing to remember is that we did not do that to get people to join our church, but because it was necessary. That is what Jesus did as well. When he provided help, he never asked if that person went to the temple or if that person said all his prayers. He just realized that this human being needed help, so he helped. That is exactly how we did it. We never said “but you must return the favor,” the way it is done in politics and in the world. We created something, and the blessing continued for the people. The most important thing is that the church has to remain open. Whenever people need the church again, in everyday life or in very specific situations, they should find the church open. The church should be there for the people, the way Jesus intended. An inviting, open church without the expectation that people join; an inviting, open church offering unconditional love, just as Jesus did, and [we must] act in this spirit."

E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Dr. Paul Manz, well-known musician, dies

"E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come"

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Dr. Paul Manz, well-known musician, dies

The church on earth has lost a great man, but the saints heaven are blessed by his presence. His famous "E'en so..." is one of the earliest pieces I can remember learning as I sang with my "adult" choir as a teenager in Fremont, NE. I also remember our Pastor's wife (and organist) was a huge fan of Paul Manz and played his organ pieces regularly.

I also remember a "Pipe Dreams" episode on public radio in which he was featured and interviewed. During that interview he gave witness to the fact that God continued to bless him--even at an advanced age--with the gift of playing the organ. As one reads the obituary (linked above) one can't help, however, but to be reminded of the divide in our church which occured in the 70's and effected so many people. His funeral will be an an ELCA church and a celebration of his music will be at an LCMS college where he served for a few years before the split.

Of course, where Dr. Manz is now, there are no denominations, no quarrels and no voters meetings; only praise and honor and glory to God. Until that time we toil. "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me[Jesus]. Night is coming, when no one can work." John 9:4 "E'en so Lord Jesus quickly come." Rev. 22:20

Man shot in Olathe gunfight with federal task force - KansasCity.com

Man shot in Olathe gunfight with federal task force - KansasCity.com

Only a mile from our house in the burbs...scary.

Losing it all to gain everything.

Another great devotion from Os Hillman.  I know I struggle with this.  How about you?  I'll let you read it for yourselves and then feel free to comment.

God Is Not About YOUR Success

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
11-02-2009

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:24-26).

God is all about your death so that HIS success can be realized through you! This is why the Church is having such little impact - there are too many believers who have not yet died to their old nature so that Christ can live fully through them. When believers come to the end of themselves they will lose their lives to Him and live through the power of the Holy Spirit and begin to see the reality of a living gospel that impacts lives, workplaces, cities and nations.

"Much of modern Christian enterprise is 'Ishmael.' Born not of God, but of an inordinate desire to do God's will in our own way - the one thing our Lord never did," said Oswald Chambers. The psalmist describes what it means to live in our own strength:

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves" (Ps 127:1-2).

How does one die so that Christ can be our all and all? It usually takes a crisis of significant proportions for most people to relinquish the control of their lives. It means we come to the end of ourselves and our striving to control the events in our lives and we finally come to the place where we can say, "Lord, I surrender. Please take full control of my life."

Have you come to this place with God in your life? Let go and let God make you a success His way.

A great devotional for all us working stiffs.

One of the many daily devotions I receive in my in-box is one called "Prime Time With God" and is geared toward Christian men and women in the workplace.  I highly reccomend it for everyone--regardless of vocation.  It comes from a group called Ephesians 4 ministries who focus on helping congregations administer spiritual gifts inventories so that each member might live out their faith to the fullest.

As a Lutheran, I'm familiar with Luther's writings on vocation which I think is one of his greatest contributions to the church.  However, I think we sometimes have a hard time translating it to our own lives.  Perhaps we don't try too hard, perhaps we don't teach it enough.  Whatever the case may be I encourage everyone to become familiar with Luther's teachings on this topic as it really speaks to how each one of us lives as little Christ's in every aspect of life and the great impact that can have on others; both temporally and spiritually.

Today's devotion from TGIF (Today God is First) really illustrates the disconnect I'm talking about and shares some interesting ways in which various congregations have tried to bestow this sense of Chrsitian Vocation upon their membership in meaningful, tangible ways.  Some are pretty good.  I would tie them to baptism some how as that is where our Godly vocations begin.
Enjoy!

Workplace Minister

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
10-28-2009

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col 3:17).

Over 70 percent of our time is spent in the workplace, yet our training and teaching in local churches focuses on areas where we spend much less time. The workplace is the greatest mission field of our day and represents the greatest opportunity for societal transformation, yet we do not train workplace believers how to effectively integrate their faith life into their work life. The wall between Sunday and Monday still exists and most workplace believers do not understand that all of life is spiritual, not just life on Sunday.

Our studies show an alarming 90 percent of Christians do not feel they've been adequately trained to apply biblical faith in their work life. We have focused on the fringes rather than the center where most people spend most of their time.

God is removing the wall of separation by speaking to pastors and workplace believers all over the world. A pastor recently shared how his church ordains their workplace believers for their calling to the workplace. Another pastor described their church's commitment to integrating training for their workplace believers on the theology of work. Another told how they began a workplace ministry within their church for their workplace believers, and even integrated Sunday school programs specifically geared to help workplace believers understand their calling in the workplace.

We are entering a new era in the Church when workplace believers are seen as a remnant of the Body of Christ who need to be mobilized and trained for the work of the ministry to their own mission field?the workplace. We are changing the 80/20 rule in the 9 to 5 window from 20% of the people doing ministry to 80%.

Are you one of the men and women God is raising up for this task? Pray that God will help local church leaders understand and affirm this calling, and that they will respond by training their people for their own ministry in their workplaces.

The Alban Institute - 2009-10-26 Waltzing to the Eternal Rhythms

When a pastor follows the lectionary, its not because he's lazy; he's using an ancient pattern of teaching and preaching which keeps us focused on the Trinity and our relationship to that same Triune God. Alban's weekly article has a very cool spin on this which I haven't heard before where it considers the lectionary as a dance--specificaly, a waltz. As a person of German lineage, my ears perk up when I see the world Walz.

I think this article will help me better prepare myself as I prepare my hearers this upcoming church year to hear the blessings brought to us in each of the three major festivals; Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. Read it for yourself and let me know what you think. The link is below.

The Alban Institute - 2009-10-26 Waltzing to the Eternal Rhythms: "Waltzing to the Eternal Rhythms"

Senate Democrats: Discussing Moral Issues | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

Senate Democrats: Discussing Moral Issues | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly
Please note: I am not endorsing either side of the Healthcare debate.
Thought this was kinda crazy. I thought the "obstructionist" Repubs were just trying to make sure unethical stuff didn't get in the health care bill. Now the Dems are saying that going slow is immoral.
The funniest part was the last paragraph:

Stabenow asked faith groups to help legislators get “past the noise” and “beyond the rancor” and “call us to a higher moral authority.” If they don’t take up the cause of health care reform, said Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, religious communities will be called on to do more than they already do to meet the needs of the elderly, the poor, and the disabled. “I talk about this as a moral issue all the time,” said Cardin. “That is very much what this debate is all about.” (emphasis mine)

Oh No!!!! If we don't pass the health care bill the Church will have to love MORE people?!?! What will we do??? How can we do it? I just thought this article was quite humorous in just how clueless some congresspersons think people of faith must be. It seemed a little patronizing.

Calling All St. Louis Grads--who's blogging?

Brothers!
I've managed to catch up to a few of you, but I'm looking for more of you.  If you blog let me know and I'll put you on my blogroll.  Maybe you would return the favor as well.
Blessings to you in your preaching this week.

Commercials - Frontier Airlines

I used to love these commercials when we lived in Colorado. They're still fun to watch. Enjoy!

Commercials - Frontier Airlines: "television commercials

View some of the highlights from our TV campaign.
Still The One
Still The One (over 60 cities)"

Cyberbrethren » Banishing the Dead from Their Own Funeral

For my pastor friends... An interesting commentary:
Cyberbrethren » Banishing the Dead from Their Own Funeral: "Banishing the Dead from Their Own Funeral"
I've found that if you take the lead, the family will let you. Don't let the funeral homes take the lead in logistics or program, even if it might be easier. They aren't anti-church, their just looking out for the bottom line and what is easiest for them. Most funeral directors I have met appreciate it when I have a preferred way of doing things and guide them by it. Their whole business is based upon mitigating discomfort and if you take the lead in this it makes their job easier as they can then focus on flowers, grave sites, traffic, etc.

The Alban Institute - 2009-10-19 Stewardship and Simple Thinking

This excerpt is from the very end of a very good article. A good read for clergy and laity alike. Read the whole article before you judge it. It may stretch you a bit, but there are excellent points made in it.
The Alban Institute - 2009-10-19 Stewardship and Simple Thinking:
"If you are a clergyperson reading this as you prepare a fund-raising sermon, or a lay leader getting ready to make the fall pitch for money, I suggest you go ahead and pander. Tell them God rewards a generous giver (to your congregation) and that all your problems will be solved (with money).
But next time—or this time, if you have a few months' lead time—gather some of those wise heads and ask yourselves what challenges (other than a lack of dollars) face your congregation. Look beyond the need to maintain real estate, meet payroll, or continue customary programs: what changes in the world are gradually rendering your ministry irrelevant? What are the glimmers of a new ministry that need attention? What fresh ideas are your structures of decision-making squelching? What human needs cry out, and how could you respond?
By raising such disturbing questions early, with the right people, and at the right speed, you might find yourself, next time you prepare a fund-drive message, less tempted to take refuge in the simple answers and more willing to call on people to join in addressing the real challenges of stewardship."

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - New Family Ministry Logo

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - New Family Ministry Logo: "New Family Ministry Logo


The LCMS District and Congregational Services is pleased to reveal a new signature logo to promote Family Ministry.The logo is the creation of LCMS member, Jason Brauer, a professional graphic artist from Minneapolis, in consultation with Dr. Steve Christopher, Interim Associate Director for Children's and Family Ministry.
The logo spells out the word Family in flowing cursive letters giving a sense of forward movement, symbolizing that families are often in motion and moving toward the future. Each letter in the word family, if you look closely, is separated just a little, indicating that while a healthy family is united; they are made up of individuals living their own unique lives, yet connected with other family members.

The focus point of the logo is the cross, which dots the “i” and is in the color blue, representative of Christ as the focal point in the Christian home, rising up and drawing us close to him. The color blue is a reminder of Baptism, by which all of us become members of the holy Christian family, united with each other as the church on earth and with our Father in Heaven."

How do we keep 20 somthings in the church? Please comment!

The following was included in an e-mail from our church body today.  What are your thoughts?

FINAL THOUGHTS . . . Seems like every day there are new numbers to ponder as we consider how to respond to the challenges of youth and young adult ministry. And, it's really not a pretty picture. In the book, Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It, the authors note George Barna's finding that "six out of ten 20-somethings who were involved in a church during their teen years are already gone." They note that nearly 50% of teens in the U.S. regularly attend church - related services or activities. More then three-quarters talk about their faith with their friends. Three out of five attend a least one youth group meeting at a church during a three month period and one-third participate in Christian clubs at school. Yet, most disengage from active participation in the Christian faith after high school. Youth and Young Adult Ministry simply present a huge challenge to the church. What are we doing for them? What do we have that will keep them engaged? How are we encouraging them in the faith? What are we doing to support them? What do we offer that would attract them to our Gospel message? Sometimes we seem to simply assume that they'll be back when they get married and have children. While that might have been true in the 50's and 60's (last century) it's no longer true when young adults marry and have their children in their mid-to-late 30's. The fastest growing segment of church programming is for Baby Boomers and older adults. I'm thinking we need to seriously rethink that and recommit to ministry with children, youth and young adults. To quote my favorite words from C.F.W. Walther, "You cannot use your time to better advantage than by serving well the young people of the congregation." Perhaps those words, said more than 100 years ago, need to guide our efforts today.

Some people are just too cool for words

You have got to see this amazing video.  Have you seen the extreme runner/jumper guys in Russia?  Well, this is an extreme bicycler in England.  You won't beleive the amazing places he "rides"* his bike.  He uses a bike which he can pedal forward as well as backwards and the tires are the old baloon type.  In addition he has an amazing sense of balance.  Its also fun to watch the reactions of people when he rides off of bridges, walls, etc. into what would seem oblivian, yet, he just keeps on riding.  Enjoy!

* "Ride" is a relative term as he has no seat on this bike.

St. Luke the Healing Messenger

On October 18th we get to celebrate St. Luke the Evangelist on a Sunday. His is the example for us as we apply the balm of the Gospel to heal broken lives. The following excerpt is from a longer commemoration on the LCMS web page.

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Saint Luke, Evangelist: "One commentator writes: 'In St. Luke's Gospel our Savior is pictured as the merciful Physician of bodily and spiritual ills. It has, therefore, been called 'the Gospel of mercy and love.' The beautiful passages of God's loving-kindness touch us deeply, for example the parables of the prodigal son and the Good Samaritan, the account of the penitent woman, and the good thief on the cross. Of inestimable value are the first two chapters on the incarnation and childhood of Jesus. Here Luke preserved for us the three precious canticles…the Benedictus, the Magnificant, and the Nunc Dimittis' (Pius Parsch, The Church's Year of Grace, Vol. 5, Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1958, p. 295)."

Hi, Ho, Silver!

Susan and I just celebrated 20 years in May. Here is a great perspective on marriage from Steve Gruenwald in the Fall, 2009 issue of Better Health:

Hi, Ho, Silver!
By Steve Gruenwald

I used to think that any husband buying something made out of silver to give to his wife after 25 years of marriage was being predictable and unoriginal. I changed my mind, however, after becoming a bit more educated about silver. What I learned about this soft, white, lustrous metal is that it is both ductile and malleable. Yup, I had the same catechismal thought that perhaps you’re having right now: “What does this mean?”

Those highfalutin words simply mean that silver can deform under tensile stress (it can be stretched into a wire) and it can also deform under compressive stress (it can be massed together in a bar or column). Either way, the important understanding is that silver has tremendous, forgiving qualities that allow it never to snap or break whether it is lengthened or squeezed together. Those qualities are quite symbolic and fitting of any marriage that has reached the 25-year milestone! For a marriage between two imperfect, sinful human beings to endure and grow through a quarter of a century – perhaps with kids added along the way – it’s an understatement to say that the marriage has endured its share of stress.

Yet despite getting pulled and compressed every which way for a quarter century, the union has endured: to God be the Glory! Oh, I’m sure there may have been moments along the way that have tarnished the sheen. No marriage is perfect and no couples are perfect; but thanks to God’s grace and forgiveness, couples can also forgive one another. So regardless of the obvious blemishes (perhaps only noticeable to the couple), the core of the union is still strong and still shining brightly. Ultimately, however, it’s not simply the quantity of twenty-five years that is a testament to the marriage. Instead it is the essence of the relationship after that length of time that is a more reliable showing of the true mettle of the marriage. If the marriage is solid – bonded with Christ to make a three-stranded alloy, as it were – the core is better equipped to withstand the corrosive elements that have the potential to deteriorate a marriage over time.

While reaching the silver plateau of 25 years is just one of many markers along the marriage journey, it is certainly not the end. In fact, were we to apply another metal analogy, we know that for many couples, silver is not enough: the higher goal is to shoot for the gold! May God continue to guide and strengthen all marriages – whether paper, bronze, silver, or gold – so that they may continue to be a witness to His love, grace, forgiveness, and peace.

(permission to re-publish received from the Author/editor of Better Health)

Oh, that I were 90!

Yesterday we celebrated Dorothy (Lemke) Sukstorf's 90th Birthday. All of her kids and most of her grandkids and great grandkids were there (excepting those at home with H1N1 or who had to work). It was a great party, even if we spent 8 hours in a car to get there and back.

Grandma was told many times over the past month that we would be honoring her on Sunday but, due to her memory issues, when she was brought into the party room and saw the tables decorated and the cake and some of her family who had begun the festivities, she was overcome with emotion and brought to tears of joy. She was especially pleased that me and my family had made the trip up from KC.

I got to thinking, what if each day were so new that we could only see the joy and opportunities that were unfolded before us? What if we were capable of forgetting all the hassles and pains of yesterday and to see each day as a blessing and each and every person we meet as a gift to treasure and behold.

I think that might be kind of like the vision John had when he wrote to the churches in Revalations. (see below) Pastor Reinke in his sermon Sunday talked about fixing our eyes on Jesus and on his second comming as we seek the Simple Church. I know that Grandma has her eyes fixed on Jesus, and for some reason, he has seen fit to ensure this through memory loss of the short term stuff. Perhaps each of us would do well to try to emulate the same sort of knowlege--forget about what happened yesterday or the day before and, instead, remembering the faith we received so long ago, look forward to the day when we will all see Jesus and live our lives toward that end and that goal.

My prayer for each of you today is that you too might forget the past and seek your future in Christ Jesus--whatever that is--which he has in store for you.

Peace,
RevnPadre

Revelation 21:1-7 NIV
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Keeping Priorities Focused in the Right Direction

Receive Others, Receive Jesus, Receive God Mark 9:30-37
Proper 20B, Pent 16 Sept. 20, 2009 Redeemer, Olathe, KS

When studying God’s word it’s really easy to become detached from the stories we read because of the great distance and time which separates us from the personalities we find in the Bible. As we quickly read our Gospel text we might be inclined to ignore those bumbling disciples, who, once again, just don’t get it. They can’t seem to understand what Jesus is saying and then we move on to the meat of the story, Jesus using a child to make his point, whatever we decide that is. But the point we make at the end of the passage can’t really be made until we really understand what is leading up to that point. For that reason, I’m inviting you to go with me on a little field trip this morning, but we won’t leave our seats. I would, however, like each of you to transport yourself, in your mind of course, to the year 33 AD and pretend you are one of the 12 disciples of Jesus and together we are listening to him teach. I hope you come along with us on this journey.

Right now it’s just the 13 of us. Jesus, you, me, and 10 other disciples and you are pretty much paying attention to every word he is saying just as you have since the day he called you two years ago or so. You know him well. You love him like a brother. Some of you might even love him like a father. You also know that he is the Messiah—whatever that means, and, indeed, it means something a little different to each one of you. Jesus knows that about each one of you too, so this meeting is important because he’s trying to tell you how things are all going to play out in the near future.

Here’s what he has to say to you. (Mark 9:31) "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise." The color now drains from your face. This is the second time Jesus has told us this and we know that when he says “The Son of Man” he’s talking about himself. But what is he talking about? He’s the Messiah! He’s the one who will save all Israel! How in the world can he save God’s people if he’s dead? You look around and no one is saying anything. The last time Peter tried to refute this notion Jesus commanded Satan to leave him and to stop such talk. You decide to say nothing. Better to be confused and quiet, than speak up and be embarrassed or scolded or told that Satan has a hold of you!

Evidently your fellow disciples have made the same judgment and no one speaks up or questions Jesus on this point. But now it is time to move on down the road. We have to get to Capernaum tonight because we’re on our way to Jerusalem. But our failure to our leader is immediate. As soon as we begin our walk Jesus takes the lead out front and we start to lag back a little bit. We want to chat with the others to see if they understand any better than we do what Jesus was talking about. What we all finally deduce is that Jesus is convinced that he will be killed for what he has been preaching and for the miracles he has been doing. A lot of influential folks who have been around these parts for a very long time and who run things at the synagogues are really upset and there seems to be a plot stirring to get rid of him.

All of this talk about Jesus getting killed though makes you nervous. Around here, guilt by association is just as punishable as doing the deed yourself. But on the other hand, if we do manage to survive any plot to stop Jesus’ teachings, what will happen to us? Who will lead us after our teacher leaves this place? Who will help us learn and understand what God wants us to do next? Is it John? No, he’s too nice. All he talks about is love and kindness. Our movement will never get anywhere if he’s the leader. Yet, Jesus seems to really appreciate and trust him. There’s Peter. He’s a natural born leader, even if he is a little pushy. And, even though Jesus has to reign him in from time to time, he really seems to see something special in Peter. Matthew might be good at greasing the skids with the Romans, but our Jewish brothers and sisters all see him as a traitor. I don’t know. Who’s the best among us? Who will be our great leader after Jesus is gone? We’d better keep it down though. He might hear us. Besides we’re almost to the house where we’ll be staying.

Ok. Let’s take a break from our field trip and examine what just happened. As we put ourselves into the situation, it made a little more sense and gained a little more meaning didn’t it? As you placed yourself as one of the disciples, it doesn’t seem so preposterous to go the direction they went does it? When faced with a problem to which they didn’t understand for which they had no answers they filled the void with their own ideas and solutions. They reacted to what they saw in the way they best knew how based only upon the information they had at the time. Now, as you place yourself among the 12 again—as we go back out on our field trip--who could blame you (one of Jesus’ 12, trusted disciples) for coming to the conclusions and the answers you formulated given the circumstances before you? Yet, they were still wrong because you didn’t understand and you didn’t ask Jesus to help you do so.

So, we’re at Capernaum now and we’ve found the address of the folks that are putting us up for the night. We’re out of the public eye again and Jesus then asks us, (Mark 9:33) "What were you discussing on the way?" You don’t say a word, but you’re thinking, “If we wanted you to know we would have included you in the conversation!” But, we should have known better. Of course we know that Jesus seems to know what people are thinking. He’s done that many times before with the Pharisees and even with us when he would ask us why we doubt him. Sometimes I think he’s just really perceptive, but not this time. This time you can tell. He knows exactly what we talking about. Without our telling him what we were arguing over he answers our question and says, (Mark 9:35) “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

Boy, do I feel stupid. Here we were, arguing all the time about which one of us was the greatest so that we could take his place. All the while, we should have considered how he led us! Did Jesus ever lead us by force, power, or intimidation? Did he ever try to make a scene or get noticed? Did he ever show off or make any of us feel inferior before any of the rest of the group? No! He was always the humble one. He was the one who always helped others. He never pushes to the front of the line or talks louder than the rest so that we notice him. He has led us by the relationship we have with him, not because of what he can do or the influence he has on others!

As we’re all seated around Jesus, kind of in a circle I guess, Jesus calls over a child who I guess must live in the house we’re staying at. Maybe she’s a neighbor kid. I don’t know, but Jesus has noticed her watching us from around the corner and calls her over to where we are. She comes over to him and he scoops her up and sits her in his lap. I don’t know if they’ve ever met, but she sure seems comfortable there. Jesus now says, Mark 9:37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me." And at that moment we finally begin to understand, but we have so much more to learn.

As our field trip comes to an end we must now head back here to 21st century Olathe. We have lots to ponder and think about. We thought we were going to have a problem which we had to solve. But Jesus made it very clear that its not ours to solve because its not about us, or about our group, or even about the church. Its about “receiving one such child”. Whether we are on our little field trip, or sitting here in this church, we have a tendency to make ourselves the focus of Jesus’ ministry. And when Jesus spoke of that child, he was speaking in terms of the kingdom of God and our role as the church. Just as a child has no influence or power to do anything to save itself in this world outside of its parents, neither does an unbeliever have any power to bring themselves to eternal life. We must show them the way and bring them to Jesus. That’s what we are all about. .

As we think back to the first couple of verses of our Gospel lesson, and the confusion of those disciples, we must consider our own confusion at times when we hear God’s word—especially when its something we don’t want to hear. But Jesus has things he tells us which are just as difficult to hear as what the disciples heard that day. Things like: Love one another. Bear each other’s weaknesses. Honor the Sabbath. Do not kill. Do not lie about your neighbor. Lift up one another in prayer, and many more. And just like the disciples when we don’t like or understand what we hear we take it upon ourselves to rectify the situation.

And , just like the disciples, when we try to “fix” God’s word to make it more palatable, we are doing a very grave thing. John cautioned that nothing is to be added or taken away from God’s word and that if we do, we must be prepared for a punishment of plagues in this life and eternal damnation in the life to come. Likewise, if we, like the disciples, seek to help God out by taking charge of things in which he has not given us charge of, he will put us in our place, just as he did with the disciples when he told them that in order to be first (as they supposed they needed to be) that they must put themselves last, and therefore, not be in the running at all, because only Christ is our leader. We always follow him and receiving the babes in the faith are who we are to focus on if we are to truly receive him and thereby receive the Father.

Knowing how to navigate these waters of faith is not always an easy task though, is it? We experienced that when we put ourselves in the shoes of the disciples; when we ourselves allowed ourselves to stumble into the same error they did. We might say, “Yes, but they had Jesus right there with them? How could they be so blind?” Ah, but don’t we have him as well? We have his very word here. In addition we have his body and blood before us in the bread and the wine, just as he himself said he would be. We are no better or no worse off than the 12. And so, we must learn from the lessons Jesus taught them, even when they were not model disciples.

When faced with difficult situations and painful, incriminating evidence of sin in our lives or in our midst, do we just hush up and talk quietly amongst ourselves as if Jesus can’t hear us, or, do we seek the wisdom of Jesus in his Word and seek his absolution as we confess our sins to God and to one another? When we face a transition or lack of leadership in our churches do we seek to find the solutions for our church in ourselves and our own abilities or ideas? Or, do we look to Jesus?

In our Gospel lesson today, it’s pretty clear what we must do. We must look outside of ourselves and let Jesus take care of the rest. All we have to worry about is receiving others so that they might come to Christ and through Christ we will receive the Father. Perhaps a little baseball analogy would be helpful. When the bases are loaded with two outs, the fielders know all they have to do catch the ball and the inning is over, regardless of the score. You don’t have to worry about stolen bases, or double or triple plays. Just receive the ball in your glove and the rest will take care of itself.

May each of us be given the strength to keep our eye on the ball and focus on receiving others, letting Jesus take care of the rest so that we will all one day see the father in heaven. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Encouraging Words--favorite Bible verses

I've been trying to catch up this morning on a daily e-mail devotion our church subscribes to. It's called "e-dibs" (electronic daily bible study). Each one only takes about 8 minutes which is just about the right amount of time for me to take a nugget of scripture and ruminate on it for a while.

Right now Pastor Paul is walking us through 1 Timothy. I'm caught up through Sept. 10th as of this AM and have been blessed by the encouragement that Paul gives to Timothy. I too have had a tough few weeks and so this study comes at just the right time in my life.

My question to you all is this: What scripture verses pick you up or encourage you when you are at a crossroads? What word or words from God do you hang your hat on when you are contemplating the next big crisis in your life?

That's all for now. I hope to post yesterday's sermon tonight. Some thought it was profitable for hearing. Maybe for reading as well.

Kierkegaard on why we can't follow God's Word

Reflections from an Ecumenist, a Charismatic, and a Philosopher — Lutheran Forum:

Sorry for the (1,2,3,4...) Fifth-hand passing of a quotation, but this is a good one.

It's found in this excellent article from Sara Wilson and the gang over at the Lutheran Forum which quotes Larry Christianson, writing in Micheal Root's blog and ends with this quote from Soren Kierkegaard (as any good Scandihoovian would!) It sums up the reason why major church bodies can pass "statements" and "policies" which are clearly against God's word by showing how we as individuals do it all the time in our own lives.

"'The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any word in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?'
(Cited from Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard, ed. Charles E. Moore [Farmington, PA: Plough, 2002], 201.)"

Forgiving and Forgetting

Forgiving and Forgetting

as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12 (ESV)
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
The Sixth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer

“Forgive and forget.” That’s the old saying. Its been taught to us for so long that we have passed it down to our children. If we truly stick by those words and fully implement their intent, the world would, indeed, be a much more grace-filled place. But, as imperfect humans so often will do, we get the words twisted around—even if there are only three of them—and just make matters worse.

Somewhere along the way we began equating forgetting with forgiving. Instead of forgiving someone first, we just move right to the forgetting. We try to forget their error or, worse yet, they themselves. When we or someone we know has been wronged, instead of confronting the offense, we try to just forget about it. When a problem arises we say, “Just leave well enough alone, you’ll only make it worse.” Sometimes we try to rationalize our behavior by saying, “Oh, just ignore him/her. If you confront them you’ll only encourage them.” While great ways to avoid confrontation, these are not good ways to “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34 NIV) In fact, many people who have never resolved conflict with another wait their whole lives for “the other shoe to drop,” wondering when the other party will get even or bring up the conflict as a way of bringing hurt and pain to the other. “Forgetting” before forgiving almost always guarantees that NO ONE will forget about it.

This month I’d like to challenge the wisdom of the ages and ask you to venture with me into two very important passages of scripture we know very well so that we might get a grasp on what true forgiveness is. The first is Psalm 103 and the second is from the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. In each of them we see that forgiveness is an act of love between God and us as well as between you and me and you and your neighbor.

Psalm 103 gives us the reassurance that in knowing our sin, God can make sure it is far removed from us. That was the whole point of sending his Son into the world; to be the largest wedge there could possibly be to separate us from our sin. By being sinless and then dying the sinners’ death, he became our sin so that we would no longer be identified by or with those sins. When God sees us he has not forgotten our sins, for they cost him dearly. He knows exactly where they are; on the crucified body of Jesus, far-removed from any of us. We are here on earth, while our sins are on Jesus who awaits us in heaven. If Christ had not been sinless, our sin would not be at the opposite end of the universe as the Psalmist posits but, rather, would still be clinging to us. Give thanks today that God knows exactly where your sins are; away from you and on Jesus.

The Lord’s Prayer continues this line of thinking as our Lord is the example by which we are to treat one another. As we pray to our Father to be forgiven, we realize that out of his great love and compassion he has already done so by Jesus’ death and resurrection and has fulfilled what the Psalmist prayed for in Psalm 103. In this prayer our Savior instructs us to extend forgiveness to our fellow brothers and sisters, for it is by His forgiveness that they are saved, just as we were.

By paying attention to God’s word in these verses we avoid the trap of forgetting without forgiving. To not forgive another is to say that they are less worthy of forgiveness than we. By doing this we say that our sin is not nearly so bad as theirs and that while Christ’s suffering and death was sufficient for us, it was not for our brother or sister. This diminishes our Lord's suffering and death. An inability to forgive others also tempts us to place ourselves above God as we become our own god, judging who shall and shall not receive grace; grace that isn’t ours to give.

If we are to truly receive AND REJOICE in our forgiveness we must forgive one another of our sins against each other, whether that is a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor or a fellow church member. But before we can forgive and be forgiven, there must be repentance; otherwise we are just forgetting our offenses in hopes that they’ll be forgotten.

This month, let’s all pray Psalm 103 and the Lord’s Prayer with new vigor as we seek and extend God’s forgiveness which is found in Christ Jesus. Pray that your heart will be open to repentance where you have offended others and pray that you might be willing forgive when others repent to you. This is the way in which God reconciles us to him and it’s the same way that we reconcile with one another. And when the Body of Christ lives in God’s grace it’s a beautiful and bountiful thing.

Righteous Dude!

A couple Sundays ago we attended the opening worship service for my daughter’s high school. As it turned out, one of my life-long friends was there to witness his cousin’s installation as a teacher at the school. He reminded me that 25 years ago we were starting our senior year at Fremont Senior High—Go Tigers! Anyway, that (and Facebook) brought back a lot of old memories of what life was like back in “’85, ’85, eighty, eighty, ’85.” One of the favorite movies of that day was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in which the principal’s secretary, while listing all the different cliques in the school, proclaims that they all think Ferris is a “Righteous Dude.” In the eyes of his peers he could do no wrong.

This morning I picked up a book I had started reading a while back and then put down due to various distractions in my life and ministry. The book is “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer; in particular, I was reading chapter 8, The Righteousness of Christ which describes the relationship of the Law to Christians and unbelievers based upon their relationship to Christ. How I wish every Christian could read this book, and especially, this chapter.

We Lutherans are so often accused (wrongly) of being antinomian, that is, unconcerned about the Law because of the grace of Christ which forgives all sin. Moreover, because that grace comes only through Christ (Eph. 2:8-9) we tend to shy away from Good Works which might give the appearance that we are trying to effect our own salvation (forgetting about Eph. 2:10) Though I know this is not what I was taught and not what we believe, I understand how we collectively have become phobic of “works righteousness” and its place on the slippery slope to perceived antinomianism.

What Bonhoeffer does in his book is show, through the Sermon on the Mount, that the Law does not cease to be God’s plan for us as his creatures, but rather, through Christ, our relationship to it does. Before we believed, the Law was a roadblock between us and God, a real burden to us and the source of the schism between God and people. After we believe, the law is still God’s plan. He still wants us to follow it. We don’t just get a free pass (in respect to the Law) because God still has the same expectations of us before and after we receive faith. The difference is in the calling.

When the Holy Spirit brought us to faith we were called by Christ to walk with him (as the blessed in the beatitudes). And since no-one can come to the father accept through Christ, we are totally dependent up on him for life and salvation (by the gospel). By our attachment to Him we are of course credited with his righteousness and therefore the law is no longer held between us and God, because the law has been kept by Christ. Because of Christ the relationship is restored in perfect holiness and obedience. Christ calls us to faith, we cling to Christ in faith, by faith we inherit his righteousness and are saved.

But to prevent this grace from becoming cheap Bonhoeffer demonstrates how the call to follow Christ is inherently tied to our response which is demonstrated by our actions. Christ affirmed the Law as God’s rule and plan when he said to love God and love one another. If we are trusting in and following our Lord in the calling he has extended to us, then we will do what he says. The closer we follow Him, the better we will keep the law. Our righteousness still does not come from ourselves, it comes from Christ, for without our following his call and living out our calling in Christ, the Law is once again placed between us and God, instead of upon Christ’s shoulders. Whenever we place the burden of keeping the law ahead of the gospel of Christ, we take the Law from Christ's shoulders and place it between us and God.

Clearly, Mr. Bueller’s antics were anything but righteous as he broke nearly every school rule there was and yet, the other students thought he was a “good kid.” Their judgments of him seem to be based on something other than the rules they were all to follow. Perhaps because of his ability to talk or sneak his way out of any and all trouble; maybe because he was so smart and used that intellect to help others skirt around getting in trouble, they deemed him as righteous? Of course his sister and his principle knew the real Ferris Bueller and tried to catch him as he played hooky for a day.

I see parallels in real life. We look up to people who seem to be able to skirt around the tax code and "stick it to the man". We let the behavior of those around us determine what is acceptable. We like to romanticize the renegade or maverick who breaks the rules to help out his friends. And we do the same with our own behaviors.

We rationalize the things we do which we know are wrong. We make excuses for not doing what we know to be right. We distance ourselves from getting too wrapped up at church or bible study because that’s what the bible thumpers do. That’s what the hypocrites do. And so we keep on living our lives like we always have; maybe we are a little better than the next guy, but not too good. We keep Jesus at a safe distance so that we can keep a balance in life and not go off the "deep end." If this is a good descriptor of how we are living, perhaps it’s time to examine ourselves.

If we are afraid of being “too good” or not concerned with how “bad” we are, are we taking seriously our calling as a child of God? If we are not seeking to do the will of God and asking for his strength to do so are we hearing the voice of Christ who says, “ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you.?” In Christ we have strength and comfort to do all things and those things are what he has called us to do—without fear, embarrassment or regret.

You and I may never have the panache or charisma of Ferris Bueller, but in Christ, each one of us is certainly a Righteous Dude. To quote another iconic 80’s movie, “Party On Dude!”

In Christ,
RevnPadre

Every Day a Sabbath

Every Day a Sabbath

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” The Third Commandment

Wouldn’t it be great if every day were Sunday? What if every day we could sing our favorite hymns, and hear God’s word spoken and proclaimed; to hear of the forgiveness of Jesus extended to us each and every day? Not only that, but what if each and every day could be a laid-back day of rest and holiness as our God showed us by example by his rest after creation? What if each day was a day in which we simply could reflect on our Lord, his gifts and our response?

What’s holding us back from that dream? Well, certainly our sinful condition, inherited from Adam and Eve dictates that each of us must work for our living, or go to school so that we can prepare for that eventual life of work. Most of us simply cannot spend every day in God’s house giving him worship and praise. God knows that and that is why he sets aside one day of the week for focusing on him.

But this commandment is not just about showing up on Sundays, it’s a commandment teaching us also to “remember” the Sabbath, in addition to keeping it holy (set-apart from the rest of our days). By now, school has started for most, if not all of our families, and you might be feeling the time crunch as you juggle schedules, and perhaps you haven’t gotten back into the Sunday worship routine, let alone home devotions or personal Bible study. But this is precisely the time when this commandment is helpful to us. Luther’s comments on this commandment are very helpful for us in this regard.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

In this short instruction Luther is encouraging each of us to go beyond being in the presence of the word (Sunday attendance in church), and instead hold it up as something special. God’s Word is not just words. It is the very lifeblood which gives us eternal life and when we have that perspective we cannot help but seek it out and desire to learn more about it.

Now you might be saying to yourself, “But Pastor, reading the Bible is so boring and bible study is so dry and I have so many important things to do.” To which I ask you, “have you really tried to ‘hear and learn it’ as Luther teaches us?” I would guess, (from personal experience) that most of us haven’t. There are lots of things in life we know we should do, but we lack the discipline to do it and Bible study often tops our list of things never followed through on.

We know that losing weight would make us healthier and live longer, yet we don’t do it. We know that going to bed at a regular time and getting a full 7 or 8 hours of sleep will make us a better, more productive employee, but yet studies show the average American is only sleeping 6 hours a night. We know that our kids are very vulnerable to un-godly images and ideals on the television each night, yet we continue to watch shows with them which are not healthy for their spiritual and emotional welfare.

The third commandment is not one of the “Thou shalt not do X” commandments. Rather, it is a command to “do” something which is necessary for our faith. But more than a command, its God’s free gift to us to spend time with him in his word, to learn more about him and grow in our relationship with him.

We no longer live in a society which expects a 6-day, 12 hour/day work week. We live in a time when discretionary time for the worker is at its highest. Yet, we say we have no time for God’s word in our lives. I would like to challenge each of our families and each of our members to discipline ourselves to seek out God’s word as often as possible and to do our best to remove all distractions from that time with our Lord. Whether you decide that your time in the Word is weekly, bi-weekly, daily or twice-daily, make sure your time with God is consistent, free of distraction and that you are open to his calling, because it is only through the Word that the Gospel can change lives; whether that life be yours, mine, or another’s.

My prayer for each of you this month is that we would all make every day a Sabbath day by remembering God’s Word, reading his Word, and applying that Word to our lives for that day.

Your fellow bond-servant for Christ, the Word made flesh,

Finding God

"Finding God" was the theme of our Bible study at camp last week. Basically, we took a crash course through a portion Luther's Small Catechism (CPH edition). Specifically, we looked at the Apostles Creed. The approach of "Finding God" was couched in the initial question, "Where is God in this broken world?" We looked at such topics as "God is not lost," "God has not lost us," and "God charts a path as we looked at the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The week culminated in having the attendees see that God is now at work through them as part of the Communion of Saints as we had a talent show in place of devotions on our last night in camp.

In speaking with some of my wife's family who were there, I found their comments afterwords quite interesting. It seems that many of the attendees, most of them Lutheran, had never spoken of God as we did last week. While there were many challenging questions from the group, and many long conversations over the nature of God, there was no angst or drama, even when we didn't all agree. One comment I heard second hand was, "That was hard. We don't talk about that stuff at church or in our other bible studies."

Now I would never consider to say that any of the campers had bad pastors or that they were in the dark about the creed. But the comments I received and the positive reaction to the topic really opened my mind on the idea of finding new formats for discussing the catechism. Unfortunately, we only had 6 hours to discuss what I usually take a whole semester to teach my eighth graders in confirmation. Naturally I skipped most of the questions, and that may have added to the difficulty. But I think the difficulty was not a bad thing. It made us really think about things. We got to contextualize the creed into our every day lives and that's what makes the lightbulbs click in people's hearts.

Its also not very often that any group of beleivers gets the opportunity to meet together each morning for an hour over coffee, the scriptures, and the creed, all whilst looking out on the Blue Ridge Mountains. But that's what bible camp affords and we were blessed for it. Although I probably spent more time preparing the study than we spent "doing" it, I learned far more interacting with my "students" than I ever imagined.

Later this weekend I'll try to post the study in its entirety in case others would like to use it. Its not perfect and its not complete, but it's one way to use the creed to touch a life for Jesus.

Back to work--back to no work.

Ok. So I've been gone from the office for 10 days (not the office of the public ministry, just the room where my desk sits with a phone on it). When I return I find out we have no internet or e-mail. AT&T hasn't a clue and we have to make an appointment to get it fixed. Sr. Pastor is on the phone with them all afternoon and they say they will have to call again tomorrow AM. Very frustrating.

However, I did get the opportunity to visit one of the saints in the Hospital on what might be his final trip there. I felt quite useless until he asked for prayer. We prayed for peace for him as well as the family who are caring for him. God works in mysterious ways and at times when we least expect. The Spirit did all the heavy lifting today. It is God's work, after all. Why we should expect our efforts to matter is really quite silly. Today was God's turn. Maybe tomorrow he'll pass the ball to me. I hope I'm ready if he does.

Finding God On--and Off--the Mountain

Finding God...I didn't know he was lost!
This is the theme for camp this week where we will see that God actually found us, but that he makes himself known in the world around us in so many ways and through all three persons of the Trinity.
My family and I are going to camp--yep, all five of us--and we're meeting up with all of Susan's family and others for a total of about 70+/- souls in all. The Berghel's have been doing this each summer since 1968 and it's a great way to end the summer in Christian fellowship. I have the blessing of being their spiritual guide for the week. They call me "Dean". Below is the sermon I plan to preach on Sunday. If you are reading this and will be at camp stop now and wait for Sunday. I hope to deliver it with far more animation than the written word can convey.

Finding God On—and Off—the Mountain Exodus 3:12
Family Week 2 August 2, 2009 Camp Linn Haven, NC
Exodus 3:12 “He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.””
We go to camp for many reasons. We come to escape the heat of the low country. We come for the quiet time; away from phones and the e-mail. Even if that’s harder now with Wi-Fi and better cell coverage. We come to have some quality time with our family and our kids. Probably the one reason that sticks out in everyone’s mind is the beautiful location. We come here to get away from it all and hope to find something else, something refreshing, something that recharges the batteries, something that renews us before we go back to school or back to work and begin another year’s activity…until we return again next year
But, deep down, I think we come for another reason—to find God. We could go to lots of other places which would be just as fun, just as relaxing, just as beautiful. But, we chose to come to this place, nestled so beautifully in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Most of us already know God in our heart and minds, but we seem to misplace Him in our lives from time to time. We get so busy we push him aside—he seems to get lost in the shuffle. And, so, we come to Camp Linn Haven, knowing we will find him again.
When we see the beauty of the Blue Ridge, we see the hand of God at work so clearly. We see his majesty in the rock formations of Grandfather Mountain, and the great power he has placed in water at Linville falls. We experience the comfort of fellowship as we gather around a campfire for devotions or up on Flat Rock as the sun sets over that far-distant ridge. We even might find a quiet moment or two to pray and meditate as we walk the trails or sit quietly in a swing while others are sightseeing, or playing ball, or napping.
Mountains, historically, have been very good places to find God. Throughout the Bible we see God interacting with his people on mountains. God gave the 10 commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Solomon built the Lord’s temple on Mt. Zion. Jesus preached and gave his most famous sermon—the Sermon on the Mount—on an unnamed mountain in Galilee. He was transfigured on Mount Tabor and he prayed on the night of his passion on the Mount of Olives. In each of these instances God invited his people to follow him and meet him there in order to teach, instruct, and pray.
We also hear of other mountains in the Bible on which God was not found. In the days when they did not follow YHWH, the Israelites set up altars on the hilltops and mountains all around Israel dedicating them to a whole pantheon of gods, hoping to win their favor. When Israel split from Judah, the Samaritans built a temple on Mt. Bethel, seeking to please God there, hoping he would move his residence from Jerusalem. Even as far back as Genesis, we hear of early human attempts to approach God and even become his equal when they built a giant tower to heaven in a place we know as Babel.
But what about today? Where do we find God? How do we know him? How do we feel and experience his presence? How do we know he cares about us and our lives? Where is God when:
. We lose our jobs?
· We suffer the loss of a child?
· Our marriages are a mess or even dissolve?
· Our kids can’t seem to stay out of trouble or just don’t live up to the potential we see in them?
· Other people malign and hurt us with their words and actions and even destroy our reputation among others?
· Fellow Christians treat us in ways which are far from Christ-like
At times it just makes you want to scream, “WHERE IS HE?
What those latter attempts at Bethel and Babel all had in common with our vain attempts to find God was that they went looking to find God on their terms—and so do we. But finding God isn’t our job—He isn’t lost! No, instead, he comes to us and finds us! With the apostles and the patriarchs it was a very personal invitation, either by his own voice or by Jesus himself, or he would send an angel on his behalf. God found others through his prophets and judges in the Old Testament and through the Apostles and early evangelists in the New Testament. Through these hand-picked, human messengers he spread the Good News of his salvation to all who would listen and the Holy Spirit planted faith in those who would let him into their hearts. As these new believers then came together, united under the God who had saved and redeemed them, they became Israel (in the Old Testament) and the Church (in the New Testament).
In fact, God finds us in all sorts of peculiar places. Jesus found the woman at the well—at the well, doing one of her many chores for the day! He sent Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch at a roadside rest area. He sent the apostles to their jailers in their cell block when an earthquake opened the bars which held them in. He came to Jonah by sending a fish which preserved him for three days until he repented and did as the Lord had initially asked. He comes to us in similar dire straights; he comes to us in the depths of our sorrow. He comes to us in the throws of agonizing pain and the height of our many crises.
But God also make sure that he is near us in the ordinary as well. In fact, the only means by which he bestows his forgiveness and grace upon us are by his Word and the Sacraments. And the symbols he uses for the sacraments are simple: water, bread, and wine. But there are other ways in which God gives testament to that grace even if those other things do not themselves provide saving grace. Each and every time we offer him a portion of that with which he has blessed us it is a testament to the great and abundant love he has for each of us, that he would send his son Jesus to die on the cross and raise him from the dead so that we could be redeemed from sin, death, and the power of the devil. In service to others we demonstrate that love in meaningful ways which have a temporal impact in the hope that it will make an eternal difference in someone’s life. We offer up prayers to our God; words formed by his very Holy Spirit and which He places in our hearts, even before they are formed on our lips or we are able to utter them from our tongues.
Historically, though, the Church, as a gathering of Christians, has always struggled with making such a complex God fit the simple, child-like, faith he gives its members. It heaps tradition and certain practices up in mounds around her. She builds large, expansive churches, rich in beauty and splendor, in which to worship Him. She has even taken the most simple symbol of his greatest gift to us—the cross—and made it out of gold, encrusting it with gems, layering it with tracery, filigree, lace, and bric-a-brac until the central core of what he did on that cross is lost in all its finery.
We here today are no different. Each of us has our own preferences for worship, prayer, offerings, service; things which make us comfortable, things which make us feel safe. But if our goal is to make ourselves feel safe, how are we different than Israel who wanted God to Come to them at Bethel, or those at Babel who wanted to make a name for themselves by being the first to climb a literal “stairway to heaven?”
Despite our selfish desires, God still wants us and he still seeks us. He is the one who created us and this earth. He is the one who redeemed us by the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the one that continues to make us holy in his sight through Christ by the power and work of the Holy Spirit who also joins us together as the Communion of Saints and bestows upon us the gifts of forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.
Camp Linn Haven in Linville, North Carolina is nothing special to God, yet it is of most importance to him. Jesus never set foot here, yet through him it was created and he redeemed it when he redeemed the rest of the world along with each one of us here today. Jesus did not die here, nor was this the site of the Resurrection. Yet, we have his simple, wooden, cross as evidence that his death and resurrection was for each of us gathered who are gathered here to thank and praise him. Jesus was not baptized in the waters of the River Linville, yet we remember his baptism as we remember our own baptisms whereby we were adopted into the family of God and by which we are washed clean of our sins and made holy again in his image.
And so it is, that here in this place and on this mountain that God’s prophesy to Moses is once again fulfilled. God is here. God is with us. He has given us his sign as is evidenced by our souls being brought out from our own little Egypt, that is, our sinful nature, carried across the Red Sea of life which was accomplished through the blood of Christ on the cross by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we may come here to our own little Mt. Sinai and serve God here on this mountain.
We have not found God, he has found us. This will be our theme for the week. And so I invite you to join us each morning at Bible study and each evening at devotions as we look at different ways in which God has come to us, and continues to reside in and through us, as we deconstruct the three persons who make up the one God we call the Trinity. In this holy name, Amen.