The Fame of Anonymity

And Jesus sternly charged [the leper] and sent him away at once, and said to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.' But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, to that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people where coming to him from every quarter. Mark 1:43-45

In my life and ministry, I have typically attempted to keep as low a profile as I could.  I have rarely aspired to be anyone of importance.  I have no desire to hold offices.  I even shy away from the thought that people might want to look up to me as a role model or anything like that.  Sure, it's an honor when people encourage their kids to look to me as an example, but what I am saying is that it is not something I aspire toward.

To some extent, I have come to see Jesus in a similar light.  Quite often we find accounts in the Gospels like the one above, where Jesus does some act of kindness or compassion toward someone, and then tells them not to make a big deal out of it.  Over the years, I've heard various reasons given for this.  Some say that He knew the best way to get them to tell others would be to tell them NOT to talk about it, but that hasn't sat right with me, as it makes Jesus out to be intentionally misleading people.  Others say He didn't really mean it, but that would then devalue what Jesus says, which we only do at our peril.

I've rather come to think that Jesus actually didn't want attention drawn to Himself when He would show compassion and care for others.  He didn't want the left hand to know what the right hand was doing, or to have His actions done for the praise of man.  Instead, I have come to see Him much more in the light of what He spoke in Matthew 5, where He said to let your light shine before others, that they may see your good and give glory to the Father for what they have seen.

I have come to deeply believe that, when you do good for others, such as showing care and compassion, and you don't do it to be noticed, that it will get noticed.  Yes, God notices it, and truly, that is all that matters.  Any good that we do should really be done for an audience of One, that of the Father.  Yet, when people realize that you aren't doing good to them simply to show how good you are, they will respect that, and will inevitably let others know that you are one who is trustworthy.  As people who have been the recipients of your care and compassion connect with one another, suddenly what you have done builds.  Again, not so much for your benefit, but that God is glorified through what you have done.  Yet, in the long run, it will cause you to be more noticed, and perhaps even asked to do more, or to show more compassion.  That is what we eventually see with Jesus, just like Mark points out at the end of his first chapter.

So yes, show your care and compassion toward others, and do it abundantly.  Don't do it to be noticed, and don't do it so that others will talk about what a good person you are.  Do it because your Father sees it and rejoices over Christ shining in your life.  But also don't be surprised if you then start to witness what I am calling the Fame of Anonymity. 

Who is your Thorn?

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:7

No one likes to have negative or sinful things about them pointed out.  Sure, we may say that we welcome correction or reproof, or that we are open to learning more of our weaknesses and shortcomings, but deep down, it really is something we resist.  We not only fail to go out of our way to find those who can point those out to us, often we actually shy away from anyone who would share those sins, weaknesses, and shortcomings with us.

Yet, there are few things more valuable to our growth as Christians than to have someone lovingly point out a sinful action or behavior, or a habit that we have that hinders others, or a weakness that we may not want to consider.  When such things are pointed out to us, we have the opportunity to address that issue and to grow from it.  I know personally that I have benefited from having this done for me any number of times, sometimes on matters of minor importance and at other times on matters that deeply affected me and others.  Each time, I have grown in my Christian faith and in the living out of that faith because of such encounters.

Truth be told, having someone do this for us is much like a thorn in the flesh.  To be honest, I made use of the verse above because it somewhat fit what I was looking for from a Bible verse for this post, rather than being the specific thing that Paul was talking about.  However, I do believe that we would tend to look at someone bringing a word of correction or reproof as a thorn.  It's something to avoid.  It keeps us from becoming conceited.  It may or may not be of Satan, but it does serve to remind us of the humility that God looks for in His people.

So the simple question tonight is, who is your thorn?  Who is that person that could address a sin issue, a weakness, or a correction, and that you would be open to their words?  Some might say it's your spouse, and there is something to that.  However, while it's good to be open and honest as a married couple, you usually want to focus on building up and strengthening each other.  Yes, at times that means addressing issues, but I would suggest that you don't necessarily want the person who is your thorn to be your spouse.

Consider, though.  Who is that person who can address that sin issue in a firm, yet caring way?  Who is there that you know who could correct something that you have done, and you won't build up a wall of pride to prove them wrong (or, at least, not too high a wall)?  Who could poke you in a way that hurts, but that serves to draw you to humility and care, and so the pain they inflict is something that you are thankful for?

If you don't have such a person in your life, perhaps it's time to look for that.  WARNING: doing this WILL be damaging to your pride and ego.  You are not perfect, and you will have some holes punctured in you.  Yet, when this is done in a caring way toward you, you can start to address these areas and grow as a Christian, which benefits you, the whole Body of Christ, and ultimately all of your neighbors as well. 

Self-Awareness and Reflection

For a moment, I want you to do something that is a little strange sounding.  Think back to the last real difficulty or challenging moment that you had.  As you think back to it, I want you to consider a couple of things.  First, what were the specific challenges that you faced?  In what ways were you prepared for it?  In what ways were you unprepared?  What could you have done differently and perhaps seen a different result?  As you think through these questions, perhaps even close your eyes and re-imagine the situation, or write down your reflections upon it.

I have come to believe that reflection is something that we do not attempt nearly enough in our lives.  We go through a situation, we quickly brainstorm an idea or two, or simply do the first thing that pops to mind.  Then, once the situation has come to its conclusion, we move along to the next one.  What's lacking in all of this?  Taking time to reflect.

If we take a few moments to reflect in the midst of the situation, we will likely come up with another direction or two that we could take.  Further reflection can even provide us with an opportunity to see how each of these different approaches could lead to different results.  Just a little reflection in the midst of the situation not only provides alternative avenues, but even the chance to consider if the avenue we are taking will lead in a direction we would like.

Additional reflection at the end also lends itself to bearing fruit.  When we look back, we can see the various points at which we could have gone a different direction.  We can reflect on if we made a good choice, a bad choice, an informed choice, or an uniformed choice.  We can also take that opportunity to reflect on what we learned and what the situation has taught us for the next encounter we have.

Several recent studies I have read show that taking time to reflect is actually one of the best ways to ingrain what we learn from a situation.  This is, for example, the power of journaling.  We reflect and write down what happened, what our thoughts were, what our reactions were, and what we could have done differently.  In doing this, we learn so much more than if we didn't take the time to reflect.

Taking this reflection approach also permits us to become more self-aware, to know who we are, what our strengths and weaknesses are.  Reflection can also allow us to learn what our "trigger points" are.  When we are struggling with a sin, reflection can help us learn of how we react leading up to the sin, and perhaps can serve to give us clues on how to battle against that sin in our lives.  Reflection also permits us to confess to God, knowing that He assures of us our forgiveness in Jesus, and to come to a greater awareness of our sins, faults, and flaws.  In doing this, we come to a more realistic picture of who we are, and I am convinced that doing this will also grow us in appreciation for God's gift of Jesus and our baptism, which connects us to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

Building this habit into daily life is not easy.  I have tried and, while I do it quite often, I also find many times where I fail to reflect well.  In the end, my times of reflection have served to grow my appreciation for God's Law and will, as well as to more fully understand the depths from which Jesus has rescued me.  I pray that taking time for reflection may do the same thing for you. 

Does God Repel People?

"After this, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him."  John 6:66

As we journey this season of Advent to the manger and celebrate the birth of Jesus, one thing we often see is that a lot of people come to celebrate the day in worship.  Typically, there are two times of the year when quite a few people who claim to be Christian will attend worship: Christmas and Easter.  Two big days, to be sure, and when you think of it, these are two days where we celebrate big things that God has done, the first in sending His Son into the world, and the second, when the Son wins the victory of death and the grave.

Yes, we love to hear those kind of themes.  We love to hear that God loves us, which is probably why John 3:16 is the most well-known Bible verse.  And it is an undeniable fact.  God does love this world, and especially His human creation. Yes, it is significant that God's Son was born in the manger in Bethlehem.  Yes, it is extremely significant that God's Son rose from the dead.

Yet, God would also have us know that there is much more to Him than those three things we've hit on so far.  In fact, I would actually encourage you to read through the whole chapter of John 6 to get an idea of why the verse quoted above came about.  Jesus taught some hard things.  He taught things that don't make sense to human ears.  And in this, He very much shows us His nature as God.

There is much that God chooses not to explain to us.  If you ever read through the book of Job, one thing should stand out in the end: God doesn't explain why the things that happened to Job happened.  When Jesus encounters the man born blind later in John's account of the Gospel, Jesus says that the man was born blind to demonstrate God's glory (think for a moment about being born with a significant handicap, so that Jesus could demonstrate who He is by your healing.  For many of us, we wouldn't really want that, right?).  Throughout the Scriptures, God says that His people are going to suffer, and many even die, for being His people.

That kind of thing doesn't exactly serve to draw people closer to God, at least on the surface.  In fact, it would seem to be the kind of thing that, if you focused exclusively on it, would repel people.  Shoot, even bringing it up will repel a lot of people, who don't want to think that God might use hard times, trials, and even suffering and death to advance His message of Good News.  Is it that God wants them repelled?  No, but He also knows that His will and design isn't going to be universally adored, sadly.

Does God repel people?  Well, yes, if you think that some people are always going to be repelled by the truth, and by having high standards.  Yet, that is the God who reveals Himself to us, but who holds Himself to that high standard, as He redeemed us through the Son's life, suffering, death, and resurrection.  Thanks be to God for that!

The Church and The State

Okay, today I'm going to change gears a little bit.  I dearly love digging into the Bible and unearthing the things that God says in there, which we did a little bit yesterday.  I honestly believe that we Christians actually don't get the severity of God's commands, will, and design often enough, and therefore, we have a lessened understanding of just how amazing God's grace is.  But I will dwell on that a little more in a couple of future posts.

But for a moment, let's change gears and think about something that I honestly believe gets highly confused in our nation and in our day and time.  As Americans, one of the sayings that is consistently brought before us is that there is a separation of church and state.  The state (i.e., the ruling authorities) cannot dictate what people are to believe.  The church (i.e., the gatherings of all religious groups) does not rule according to their particular tenets of faith and belief. 

Now, I put this before us for this reason.  If we truly believe that there is to be a separation between the church and the state, then that means that the law of the land may not necessarily be in line with what a faith gathering believes.  As an example, I lived for a good amount of time in Utah, where there are many who belong to the Mormon faith.  This particular emphasis on the difference between the church and the state affect many who adhere to that particular faith.  Mormons, at least traditionally, held to the idea of polygamous marriage (that is, a man having more than one wife).  However, the state in the past has only recognized the union of one man with one woman.  While this stance may have had an impact on the legal definition of marriage for those of the Mormon faith, there are those who held that their particular beliefs meant that a man could marry additional women, but only one would be recognized by the state.  The others would be practiced in the context of their religious union.  What the Mormon would believe would be contrary to the law of the land, and would have an impact on how they legally live in the land, even if they would find alternatives to live out their faith in the context of the state.

What I want to put out here for us to think about today is simply this.  If we truly do believe that there is and should be a separation of church and state, then that means that we shouldn't be overly concerned when the state defines things differently than the church does.  Yes, it may have a great deal of impact on how we have to do certain things, but because there is a separation, we honestly should not get too up in arms when the state changes how it views certain matters.  Yes, we pray that the state will see the wisdom of God as He outlines things.  Yes, we pray that the state would work to preserve the value of life and protect its citizens.  Yes, we pray that God will work to influence the state in positive ways.  We do all these and more because we are citizens of the state, even as we realize that we are only temporary citizens here.

As we think about the state re-defining what constitutes marriage, we realize that it will affect us personally in some form or fashion.  We also realize that the state is not mandated to hold to the particular beliefs of the church (even while we would hope and pray that they would see the wisdom of doing so).  They are, after all, two different entities.  So if the state changes the way something, such as marriage, is defined, we realize that there will be an impact on us, but we don't lose heart.  After all, our hope is not in how the state defines things, but in the fact that our God has forgiven us and given us a permanent home through Jesus.

Significant at Every Moment

Each of us can look back and recall times where others have been highly influential in our lives.  They are the kind of moments that stand out to us.  The pat on the back that a father gave to us, which boosted us on to bigger and better things in life.  That professor who used something of ours as an example to the class, which made us strive for more.  That person who spoke well of something we did, and we happened to overhear or hear secondhand the good that they praised in us.  These moments are highly influential.

As we think about our lives as Christians, we recognize that Jesus has touched us with many significant moments.  Though I was baptized as an infant a mere month old, I still look upon that great gift from God as a highly influential event.  A simple word from my mother, who, upon me saying that I was thinking of entering the ministry, told me that a lot of people that I had grown up with wouldn't be surprised at that.  A college student who mentioned that our time together in God's Word was really causing him to think about his life, right and wrong, and who he was as a child of God.  All of these have impacted me in such a way that I wanted to continue growing, so that others would benefit.

The thing is, as Christians, every interaction with others is an opportunity to bring something significant to that moment.  We carry God's eternal Word, His saving truth, and His light and forgiveness with us.  Just think what kind of influence that means that we can bring to every moment of our lives.  Sure, we could be a bit overbearing if we tried too hard to bring that significance in, but if we approached each encounter with another with the humility in recognizing that God could use us to influence that person right then, we might be surprised just how influential we really can be.

Sadly, like you, I have missed a great number of those opportunities in my life.  That is why I am also so thankful that I have forgiveness from a Savior who not only saves me from the bad/evil that I do, but also from the good that I leave undone.  And my prayer is that the Spirit opens my eyes to those opportunities, so that I can be influential for our Lord in those moments.

Being Renewed

During the early part of this week, I was at a convocation for church workers.  While these kinds of things are basically required, I always enjoy the time I spend at them.  I always manage to take some things away from them, even if they are on topics or subjects that I am already well-versed in.  So this convocation, with the title "Renewal from the Inside Out", held a great deal of promise. 

Of course, as Christians, we find that God begins are renewal within us when we are washed with the water and word of Baptism.  That's when God first takes a sinful person and extends His promise to them.  He forgives them of the inherent sin that is within all humankind, and puts His Spirit within that person.  New life is given to that person, eternal life with God because of what Jesus has done.  That truly is renewal that starts on the inside.

As Christians, we are thankful for such renewal in our lives.  We can rest secure in that gift of grace.  The problem is, too often we simply rest in that gift of grace.  What we fail to realize is that, as God gives us those gifts of grace, He also makes us into a new creation.  That new creation is one that sees God's will and design, that which we would call His law or His commands, and wants to live according to them.  That new creation wants to love God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength, and wants to love neighbor as self.

The problem we face is that we far too frequently also don't want to do such things.  In some respects, that old nature, that sinful nature, seems far more appealing.  We are thankful for God's renewal in the spiritual sense, but in our outward, physical sense, we fail to demonstrate that renewal.  We fail to honor God and love Him above all things.  We fail to love neighbor as self.  We don't want to live the new life that God is giving us.

That's when the call for renewal begins.  We are made right with God, and that is our reality inside of us.  We respond to that gift of grace by seeking to live a renewed life.  Sure, we won't ever get it perfect, but that's not the point.  The point is that, far too often, we simply fail to really try.  So renewal fails to take hold, at least in an outward sense.  And that is when we need the reminder that a part of the Christian life and faith is the actual living out of that renewal.  But more on that tomorrow!

Secular/Sacred: Necessary Distinctions

As a big time reader, I have seen that there are two significant words that repeatedly arise when talking about faith matters in our current day and age.  These two are secular and sacred.  Now, before we can really jump into the distinctions between them, as well as what is helpful, it's always important to actually know what we are talking about.  So let's start off with working out some definitions for these two.

When I make use of the word secular, it's typically in the sense that it is not something directly related to a faith or belief issue.  Okay, let me explain.  The driving of a car is a secular issue.  The Bible never refers to a car, nor to any rules governing the driving of a car.  From that standpoint, a car is a purely secular thing.  It has no correlation whatsoever in the biblical world.

Sacred, on the other hands, carries an implication of something that is set apart for God.  A chalice that is set aside for use in the celebration of the Lord's Supper is sacred in the sense that it is set apart for a purpose directly related to a faith action.  Because it has been set apart for that, there is a great reluctance to utilize it for something like the church potluck. 

These two examples seem pretty self evident.  The distinction between sacred and secular in these instances seems pretty cut and dried.  But, sadly, things are not always so clear cut.  In many churches, trying to figure out a system for organizing an approach to ministry seems to paint a gray area in the secular/sacred discussion.  Can a church adopt current secular research to create a system of managing the ministry which is set apart for service to God?  Is the use of management theory crossing the line of bringing something secular into something that should be sacred?  These are the questions that many are currently asking, and is being lively debated in many a pastors' circle.

This will not be an easily arrived at conclusion, and in fact, is probably one that differs from person to person, and from church to church.  We'll keep this discussion going, and I'll be bringing several different scenarios to the table for our thought.  As always, we will look at how the discussion can build up the body of Christ, rather than creating unnecessary strife, so if you feel compelled to comment, please be considerate of other readers who may have a differing point of view.

Demons in the Bible

Last night, I was part of an interesting conversation.  We had been studying Luke 11, starting at verse 14, and on through the rest of the chapter.  A couple of stories from Jesus' life are found there, starting with the healing of a man with a mute demon.  It then moves on to talk about what happens to an individual who may have a demon exorcised, but not subsequently filled with God's Spirit.

In the course of our conversation, a couple of things came out.  First, we talked about the apparent lack of demons and possessions in the Old Testament, which also led us to think about how often we encounter demon stories following the ascension of Jesus.  To our recollection, there weren't really all that many, either before the time of Christ, nor afterward.  And that got my mind to thinking.  Why would that be?

The one thing that jumped into my mind was that Jesus, being the one true God in human flesh and blood, can see that which we sinful humans simply cannot discern, spiritual realities that are beyond our vision in the form of demons.  That could be part of why demons are such an integral part of the Gospels, but not really all that common in the rest of the Bible.  Since we don't have the ability to see or discern demons with any sense of regularity, it fits that Jesus, being God, would not only be able to see them, but talk about them with His disciples.  But then, once Jesus ascended, we sinful humans still are unable to discern demons with regularity, and so things go back to the way they were before Christ's "arrival".

The other thought that came up was that Satan and his followers were extra busy while Jesus was walking the earth.  They would be unable to resist Jesus as a mere human being, since God would seem to be limiting Himself by becoming a human being.  Thus, if they could show their strength, perhaps they had a good possibility of foiling God's plans.

I'll state right out front that I don't expect any answers to this question on this side of God's eternal kingdom.  But it is something interesting to think about, especially in a day and age that either completely denies demons and spiritual forces of evil, or is overly fascinated by them.  But above all, it really reminds us that we aren't the ones who have power over demons and evil spirits.  That's God's job, and we're probably wise to let God handle those rather than taking on things that are beyond us anyway.

A Labor of Love

I remember someone once either saying or quoting to me something like this: do what you love, and find a way to get paid for it, and then you're getting paid to do what you love.  In a sense, if you can find a way to get paid to do the things that you most love in life, you'll always love your labor, and your work won't feel much like a burden.

I share these sentiments in some ways.  Actually, in a lot of ways.  I love the labor in which I am engaged.  I find joy in sharing what God has to say, in encouraging and exhorting people, and in teaching people what God says and what that means for their lives.  There is a great joy in that.  Sure, there are some parts of the labor that are a little more tough, like comforting people in loss, supporting them in sickness, or helping them to find solutions to the challenges of life, but really, I more and more believe that God created me with the desire to do that, and I'm very fortunate that it's part of the task to which I am called.

However, I do think that we, in our North American culture and society, have gone too far in one way.  We tend to think of our vocations as merely those places where we go to work.  In a simple, mathematical way, we think Vocation=Work.  And while there is some truth to that, I would argue that God's Word in the Bible displays a much deeper approach to vocation.

Think of it this way.  God doesn't really have a lot to say about the individual directions that we should go in regard to our work in this world.  Whether I work to install carpets, fight fires, stay at home with my child, or minister to people with God's Word, doesn't seem to make that huge of a difference to God.  Sure, He creates us with certain talents, abilities, and desires that tend to work better in one field than another, but overall, it sure doesn't seem that we can choose the "wrong" career in God's eyes.  (Of course, I should mention that any careers which are blatantly sinful would not be included in this category.  I'm sure you can think of a few on your own.)

However, there are a great number of "vocations" that God does say a lot about in the Bible.  Tomorrow I plan to touch on a few of these to show us that God really does have a much greater scope of the thought of vocation than what we tend to apply.  So stay tuned!

"Sticks and Stones"

After reading the title, you've probably already finished the rest of the little catchphrase that I made us of for today.  Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, or something to that effect.  Of course, we all also know that such a statement isn't true.  We tend to heal pretty well from the injuries of sticks and stones.  But sometimes the injuries of words remain for a lifetime.

That's the power of communication.  That imagined slight that someone sent our way sticks in our mind, turning over and over, festering deep inside.  Or, on the positive side, that good word that someone said to us or about us that rejuvenates us and motivates us to keep going.  In some ways, that simply doesn't make sense.  How can something so insubstantial as a word or a group of words have such a tremendous impact on us?

That's where I remember a few words that a man by the name of John wrote many, many years ago.  "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."  God chose to communicate to us human beings through His words, spoken by men like prophets, for a long time.  But the, when the fullness of time had come, God clothed His Word with our very own human flesh and blood.  Now the Word would not be something that merely touched our ears, but could physically touch us, just like the proverbial sticks and stones.

A significant part of the Christian faith deals with the impact of words.  Words tell us what God desires and commands from us, and also show us how we fail to do these things.  Words tell us how God has chosen to rescue us, and the form of that rescue, in His own Word becoming flesh and blood.  And that then gives a greater meaning to us when we think about how else our Lord communicates with us.  Jesus communes with us by giving us His own flesh and blood, to eat and to drink, in the holy supper we celebrate.  If words alone can touch us so deeply, how much more so when those words are connected to a truly physical presence as well?

God communicates with us.  The message He truly wants to communicate with us is that He has rescued us and made us fully right with Him.  Those are the kind of joyful words that give us hope and strength when we face the difficult road that lies ahead of us.

Dealing with Expectations

I've become convinced in the course of my ministry that one of the greatest challenges comes in the area of expectations.  To be very blunt about it, everyone has them, but they aren't often expressed very directly.  Usually, you only discover what someone else's expectation is when you have failed to live up to it, and that's when you face the consequences.  The difficult thing is, it's really hard to live up to expectations when you don't really know what is expected of you.

Individuals have expectations, and in congregational life together, congregations have expectations.  If you listen closely, you can sometimes figure out what those expectations are.  For example, if you go to a church, and they talk about how great their particular style of worship is, you can probably read into that kind of statement that changes to their worship aren't going to be easily undertaken.  The expectation is that they like what they are doing, and that it will remain as it is.

Now, as a minister, I would dearly love it if everyone had a true Gospel expectation to everything that we do as Christians.   But I also know human nature enough to know that the sinful nature is also at work when it comes to our expectations.  Sure, we may try to make it sound all nice and godly, but quite often, what we expect is guided by our sinful nature.  And then, when that expectation isn't met, we often convey that fact in rather ungodly ways, especially if we choose to berate the person who broke our expectation, or if we choose to tarnish their reputation without actually talking to them about it.

The thing is, I've also come to another conclusion.  A lot of us don't really even know what our expectations really are.  In a sense, we don't know ourselves well enough to know what it is that we are actually looking for.  And that creates a dangerous mix.  If we don't know what our own expectations are, we really can't expect others to know them, and then, if others happen to break our expectations (that we aren't fully aware of in the first place), we more often than not resort to sinful expressions of our anger.

As a minister, I frequently remind myself that I am dealing with sinful people on a daily basis.  I also remind myself that God has dealt with far worse expectations than what anyone will every expect of me.  That's why I'm so thankful that God can forgive in such great ways, and am thankful for the new creation that He is constantly working in me (and all Christians) on a daily basis in our baptism.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.

Taking Education Seriously

Every year, I get the joy and privilege of teaching young people about the content of their faith.  At the end of our time together, they get to confirm that they believe the faith into which they were baptized, and they also get to acknowledge that they are ready and willing to take responsibility for their faith life.  Mom and dad no longer are to be the driving force for their continued presence with God's people, and in coming with God's people to receive His grace.

One of the things that I have noticed over the years is the difference in how serious the parents take this education.  It probably shouldn't be that big of a surprise to see that the parents who took it seriously tend to have kids that are more prepared to take up the responsibility of their faith life.  Those parents who didn't take it seriously, or who just made efforts to drop their kids off and that was it, well, in the end, those kids tended to be the ones that wandered furthest away.  While there are exceptions to each of these, the general pattern speaks pretty powerfully that the commitment of the parents will tend to have a rather large emphasis on what happens with the kids.

In writing the Small Catechism, Martin Luther wanted to have the people of Germany become knowledgeable about their faith.  And in the writing of the Small Catechism, he makes it very plain that this knowledge is not to come primarily from the pastor or the priest.  It's the responsibility of the head of the household.  Each section begins with "As the head of the household should teach his family in a simple way", or something along those lines.  Parents who take the education of their kids seriously tend to have kids that also take their education seriously.

Sadly, in our day and age, Christian education seems to be simply one more thing among the many choices that are available for kids.  Even more sadly, more and more parents are letting the kids be the ones who do the primary choosing of these.  What becomes important is what the kid wants, rather than what the parent thinks would be most beneficial.  And what kid is ever going to choose a class over soccer, or baseball, or football, or whatever other activity there is?  The role of the parent is of the same importance that it always has been.

I'm always looking for good ideas on how to encourage parents in this, and to emphasize the importance of their say-so in their kids activities.  If anyone has any good suggestions, I'm always open to hearing them!

Daily Life, Part 2

Yesterday, I wrote a little bit about the life that is pleasing to God.  In way of review, we can see this God-pleasing life from two angles.  The first angle is that our life is God-pleasing when we are in Christ Jesus, who lived, died, and rose for us.  God is pleased with us when our life is found in Jesus.  The second angle involved the living out of our lives in this world, as we strive to live according to God's design and will.  Today, I want to expand on that line of thinking a bit.

For some reason, the thought often seems to arise in the minds of God's people.  If I'm going to live a God-pleasing life, I have to something, well, extraordinarily Godly.  I'm always amazed at the number of people that seem to think that a godly life involves some extraordinary thing like going on a mission trip to feed hungry people in Africa, or to take part in crusades in India, or to furnish smuggled Bibles into China.  When we start to think that a God-pleasing life takes place only when we do something like that, we really do make it out to be something that is extremely difficult.

I've started to respond to thoughts like that with a question.  Do you find that God calls for that biblically?  I have yet to come across the Bible verse that states that God is pleased with our lives when we go to another country to do some extraordinary thing.  Now, is God pleased with activities of that kind?  Of course.  I'm even convinced that He puts such things into the hearts and souls of many people, who gain much when they do those things.  But to give the idea that such activities are the norm for a God-pleasing life, well, I don't find much biblical support for that.

So what does constitute a God-pleasing life in Christ for the regular, every-day person?  For starters, I think a brief look at the Commandments gives a good starting point.  Not only from the standpoint of asking, Do I avoid the things that the Commandments say not to do.  There's also the standpoint that asks, what activities can I be engaged in that bring this Commandment to life?  And as a guide for this, I encourage people to look at the definitions from Martin Luther's Small Catechism.  There is almost always a two part answer.  The first part looks at what I am to avoid.  If I am commanded not to steal, then I don't steal my neighbor's stuff.  But that's not the end of it.  It also means that I am to help my neighbor to protect and improve the things that belong to him.  I don't just stand idly by while thieves break into his house, but help him to defend his home.  When I see him outside working to improve his home or his car, I offer to help him in that.

One thing this points out to us is that we will always be able to find more opportunities to engage in the things that are according to God's will and design.  Again, I encourage you to remember that this angle alone doesn't bring you into a God-pleasing life.  The life God gives in Jesus is the one that is truly pleasing to God.  And yet, God takes great delight when we, as His people, also strive to live according to His design and will.

The Door For the Spirit

As we read through the Bible, one of the things we learn is that it is God who draws people to Himself.  Sure, in our human way of thinking, we might want to believe that we read about God, or we heard about God, and then we chose to believe in Him, but from God's perspective, nothing happens in terms of faith without the Holy Spirit creating that faith within us.

So we believe that it is God who creates and nurtures and sustains our faith in what God has done for us through Jesus.  And yet, even though that is God's work alone, God still doesn't leave His creation out of the process.  As Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman Christians, faith comes from hearing the word of God.  To put it in a little bit of a different way, faith comes when we either read God's Word of the Bible, or when another person tells us about what God has done, as revealed in the Bible.

In other words, God works through some specific ways, or means.  God's Holy Spirit may be the agent that causes faith to exist, but that same Spirit links Himself to the reading or speaking of God's Word.  God links Himself to a physical part of His creation in order to make people His own.  Sure, God could simply choose to speak to someone without that means, whether through a bodiless voice or in a dream it doesn't matter, but God has uniquely tied Himself to this physical means of opening doors for the Spirit.

This places us, as God's people, into a unique position.  We are people who have received the gift of faith by God's Spirit.  Now, God's Spirit continues to work through us as the means of drawing people to Jesus in faith.  True, we aren't the ones who actually do the work of creating faith in those with whom we share the message.  That's the Spirit's work, and not ours.  However, we still would be wise to be thoughtful about the way we go about sharing that message.  While God's Spirit could still work through an person who shares the message, "God loves you and forgives you in Jesus," with a scowl and an angry voice, for some reason, that message seems more likely to make its way into that persons heart if it's spoken in a reassuring, caring fashion. 

In His wisdom, God has chosen to tie Himself to the spread of His message of Good News through the physical things of this world.  Thanks be to God that we get to be a part of that message.

The Accuser

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."  Romans 7:18-19

I hate speed limit signs.  I don't hate the idea of them.  I actually understand that they are there for the safety of the public, and I do want to keep the public safe.  But I hate speed limit signs.  I want to drive as fast as I feel I am capable of, given the circumstances.  Usually it's not all that much faster than what is posted, but just the thought of having a cap on my speed brings out the ire in me.

I also find that same kind of thing with many of the things that God says in the Bible.  That's why I relate so well with the words of Paul in the verses above.  I want to do things according to my thoughts, and not necessarily in the way that God designed.  And so, when I read about how God says to do things, or to approach situations in life, I often find the accusing finger pointed at me.

The things that God says to do are my accuser.  And the reason that they accuse me is because I have that "thing" within me that doesn't want to have to fit in with what God says.  In the Bible, that thing is sin.  It's the old nature that I was born with, that one passed down from the first man and woman, courtesy of their original disobedience in the garden.  When they chose not to do things God's way, but to follow their own minds and hearts, they didn't just get themselves in trouble.  They got the rest of us in trouble as well.

Because that's who we are as human beings, we find that the things that God says to do are always accusing us.  It accuses the old sinful nature within us.  In fact, it cannot help but do that.  The old sinful nature doesn't do what God says.  It doesn't like God's Law or restrictions, or whatever other word you may want to use.  And so, when our nature comes into contact with God's Law, we cannot help but be accused.  That Law always accuses the sinful nature.

That's where we need the Good News that God brings into our lives through our Baptism.  In that action, God brings to life a new creation within us.  That new creation is one that wants to do God's commands and Law.  It wants to live according to the design that God created.  The Law will always accuse the sinful nature.  But when the new creation springs into being, it looks at that same Law, and sees the kind of life that God designed us to live.  And it rejoices in that life.  It wants to do it, which is why Paul can say that He has the desire to do what is good.  That's the new creation at work in him, and that same new creation lives to do God's will.  And that's the same good news that belongs to all who believe and are baptized into the name of Jesus.

Doing Good And Fear

"For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer."  Romans 13:3-5

The Bible teaches us that God makes a new creation spring forth within us through the water of Baptism.  A new creation arises, one that is connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  This new creation is perfect, guided by the Holy Spirit, and has the gift of eternal life in Jesus.

This new creation lives to do God's will perfectly.  And I should mention that, if you have been baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you have this new creation life within you.  It lives to do God's will.  It wants to live in line with how God created us to live.  It doesn't engage in sin, but strives to be in line with living the way God designed us as His human creation to live.

The new creation does what is good and right in God's eyes.  Therefore it has no need to fear, either to fear God and His wrath and condemnation at sin, nor to fear human authority, as it seeks to do good.  For the new creation, things such as laws or rules carry no fear or terror, because the new creation does them.  That's its nature.  It does good, and perfectly loves God and our neighbor.

Part of our trouble in this world is that we possess this new creation, courtesy of God through the waters of baptism, but at the same time, we still inhabit the sinful nature that is ours courtesy of our first father and mother.  Tomorrow I'll spend a little time talking about how that old nature looks at things like God's will and the laws of this world.

A New Creation and An Old Man

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."  From 1 Corinthians 5:17, though please read 1 Corinthians 5:1-21 to get the whole context.

"Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God."  From Romans 7:4, though read Romans 7:1-25 to get the whole context.

Yesterday, I wrote about the new thing that happens when a person is baptized into the Christian faith (more accurately, into the name of Jesus).  From conception, a sinful person (from now one, the Old Man) was present.  But in the washing waters of baptism, a new person is born from God.  That new person is a new creation, the one spoken of in the verse from 1 Corinthians 5 above.

As we live as both a sinful "Old Man" and as a new creation, we have a struggle.  Both battle for supremacy in our lives.  And so we are guided back to the things that God has spoken to us over the ages (i.e., the Bible) to see what He has to say about this struggle.  And that's when something happens that can actually be kind of confusing to us.

We hear God speak words of comfort in many places.  It's good to hear those words.  We often find that we need comfort, since so much in life beats us up and wears us down.  But then, in other places, God speaks words that aren't so comforting.  He even condemns certain things, saying that they are not to be done.  And as we read through those different words, we wonder which one reveals the real heart and intent of God.

Actually, God intends both messages.  However, an important thing for us to know is that they speak to the two different "people" that we are in Christ Jesus.  As the "Old Man", we hear that God says we are doing things that we should not do, and that we are failing to do things that He created and commanded us to do.  As we realize our failing in this, we hear the word of condemnation.  We hear that our actions, thoughts, and words have consequences.  We even hear that we cannot escape those on our own.

But then, we also find times that God is speaking to the new creation.  God is comforting that new creation, letting us know that we may struggle now, but God has everything in His hands.  His will shall indeed be done.  And that new creation looks for guidance from God when it comes to living the life of faith.  It looks to God's Word to see what that new life looks like, and how it is lived out.  And guess what?  That new life often finds that the same words that bring condemnation to the "Old Man" serve to give guidance to the new creation.  The same words, yet very different application.

I'll continue to expand on this in future posts, but this one is lengthy enough already. 

I Struggle With Myself

Before you read on today, you may find it helpful to review the words of Romans 7:13-25.  (I believe you can simply scroll over it in this blog entry and read it.) 

There are times in my life where I find myself in a struggle.  It's the kind of struggle that I'm pretty sure most of us are acquainted with.  We know the good and right thing to do.  We even want to do the good and right thing.  But when the moment arrives, we don't do the good and right thing.  Our friend confides something in us, and for some reason, our mouth has a hard time keeping it quiet.  We see the lady whose groceries have just fallen out of their bags as she's loading them in her car, but we really don't want to be bothered to stop and help.  We know that others will not like the language that comes from our mouths, but we fail to put the filter into place and just allow those words to slip out.

I could add many more things to this list, some much more terrible than the ones I have already mentioned.  But that's a struggle we find ourselves in.  We know what's right, but we fail to do the right.  We know something is wrong, and we try not to do it, but we cannot keep it from slipping out.  It's not a unique battle to any one of us.  We all go through it.  And as we read these words, it should also be comforting to know that Paul went through the same thing.  (As a brief aside, I know we often tend to make the biblical people more holy than they really were in their lives, and sometimes think that they didn't go through the same struggles and doubts that we do.  Rest assured, there were not somehow more super-human than us.  They went through the same things.)

I want to do the right thing, the good thing, but so often I find the wrong thing, the bad thing, actually taking place.  It's the struggle that I have with myself, and that you have with yourself.  And for those who are Christians, God tells us that we shouldn't be surprised at this struggle.

When God made us His very own in the washing waters of baptism, we suddenly found ourselves in a new position.  The old, sinful self was still very much alive and present within us, as it had been since we were conceived.  But now, something new was present.  The new life, the new creation that we are in Jesus, came to be present within us as well.  And suddenly, we became a battle ground.  These two fight against each other.  As we live our lives, sometimes it seems as though one is winning, and then the other one seems to gain the upper hand.  It's kind of like the kid's game of tug-o-war.  One minute the Spirit and our new life seems to pulling harder, and then the next, our sinful nature seems to gain more strength.

Over the next few weeks, I want to spend some time reflecting on these two "selves" that we find within us as Christians.  Different parts of God's Word speak to one or the other, and sometimes to both.  We apply the things we read in the Bible to each one in different ways.  And so I intend to walk us through some of these differences, since there is a lot of confusion out there in our world when it comes to talking about our life in Christ Jesus.  As always, throughout these moments of me thinking out loud, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and questions.

Prayer and Intimacy

A number of years ago, I read a book with my wife and a few other couples.  In this book, it talked about developing a prayer life together as a couple.  I remember one of the assertions that the book made.  It said that there is nothing more intimate than developing a prayer life together with each other.  At the time, I struggled a little bit to understand what the author meant by that saying.  After all, saying a prayer together at mealtime doesn't seem all that intimate.  Neither does offering a brief prayer to God just before falling asleep at night.

As the years have gone by, I've grown to understand a little bit more about that statement, though.  I would be the first to admit that my prayer life has lots of room for expansion.  And as I think about that, I think I start to realize the connection between prayer in a marriage, and the intimacy that the author wrote about.

Imagine praying with your spouse (or, if you aren't married, your boyfriend/girlfriend, and as you read the rest of this post, when I say 'spouse', you can substitute boyfriend/girlfriend).  It's kind of easy, and not very intimate, to simply ask God to watch over you during the day, or to keep you safe at night as you sleep.  Doesn't seem very likely to build up your intimacy with each other, does it?  However, think about asking your spouse to pray for an area of sin in your life that you are struggling with.  That starts to get intimate.  After all, we often try to cover up some of our weaknesses or our sinful attractions from others, including our spouse.  It takes a great deal of humility to ask your spouse to pray for an area of your life that they may or may not know about. 

A part of intimacy is learning about the intimate secret spots that we each have in our lives.  As we start to pray about those along with our spouse, we truly are inviting a greater intimacy into our relationship.  We're baring our soul for them to see.  Truthfully, this is a difficult thing to do.  We don't always like what is hidden in our hearts and minds, much less want someone else to see it.  And yet, as we share those things with our spouse, and as we approach God in prayer with them, we invite closer intimacy with our spouse.

If you start thinking that your marriage or relationship could use some greater intimacy, how about thinking about this kind of prayer life as part of that growth?  It might be easiest to start with some smaller things, and then work to build up to those bigger things that may present more of a struggle.  I would highly suggest this, not only to married people, but to pre-marriage relationships.  What better way to prepare for marriage than in developing a prayer life together, as well as growing in your intimacy with each other?  I really do wish more couples would engage in such practices before they even start thinking about marriage.  I honestly believe that more marriages would be more intimate and lasting than what we typically find around us today.