Luther and the Devil

To Martin Luther the devil was real.  He was present in the Garden of Eden and he is present in your backyard as well, although Luther would have said that Satan prefers the bathroom.  Apparently the devil is closely linked to bathroom functions.  Vulgar language is useful in defeating the devil. Always, always, always be on your guard.

Now this may explain two phenomena I've observed.  First, Martin Luther should not be taken at face value.  There is much in Martin Luther's prodigious writing that 21st century people of faith should ignore.  Second, now I know the reason there is so much vulgar language during football games.  Apparently the devil occasionally takes the form of an official.

Happy Reformation Day.

In for a nickel, in for a dime

Do you know this saying?

It means, once you've decided to do something, there is no point in holding back.  Give it a good effort, a full effort. Do what needs to be done.  Spend what needs to be spent (penny wise and pound foolish fits here too).  If you're going to have fun, have fun!

Or, you could say.....if you are only going to spend what you aren't going to miss you'll probably end up with something that gives little pleasure.  In for a nickel, in for a dime.

This applies to being a servant of God as well.  If you are going to serve, serve.  Experience the power of giving more than just the leftovers, or the ends of the loaf of bread, or the broken cookies, or (my most famous example) canned peas.  Give.  Step out.  Risk that little bit more.  Serve.

When you are ready, let's sit and reflect on what it was like to give more than you planned, maybe even more than you thought was possible.  Good?  Too much?  Changed your perspective?  Left you exhausted?

What wonderful conversations these would be.  Let me know.

And the people of God say.....Alleluia

                             For what are we thankful?  How has God moved us to say Alleluia?

Couldn't help but notice that joy is a characteristic of Luther Memorial this past Sunday.  Lots of folks stood up and shared their answers with everyone and the whole congregation responded with an Alleluia.  All ages, all kinds of circumstances, all kinds of stories....lots of people wanted to say out loud that they have met God through Luther Memorial, or grown in their faith, or been cared for, or learned to pray.  New members, long time members, multi-generational members, young members.

This community, called together by the Holy Spirit is a vibrant, moving community.  God has called us together through the Holy Spirit, to worship, to be fed, to share and to serve.  God calls us beloved and sends us out to share that good news.  Isn't it time you invited someone to come and see what this God is all about?

How about this Sunday?

What does freedom look like?

"If you continually live in my Word....you will know the truth and the truth will set you free"  Jn8.31

Freedom.
To a 2 year old it looks like an open space where running is encouraged.
To a 14 year old it looks like a weekend without parental restraints.
To a 30 year old it looks like a job you like doing.
To a 45 year old it looks like no more college education to finance.
To a 60 year old it looks like retirement.
To a 80 year old it looks like a ride to the grocery store.

To a Christian it looks like the cross.  There we learn that God's love frees us from the crippling of sin in our lives and sets us totally free to be God's people everywhere, every time, and with every person.  We've got nothing to prove and God's love isn't going to run out.

Freed to be a child of God.  To love.  To serve.  To heal.  To forgive.  To share.

Lord, help me to live
as the person you know me to be.  Amen

What's in your treasure chest?

What is it you treasure?

Family
Friends
Health
The joy that reading provides
Meaningful work
Beauty in nature, painting, music

All this in a world where God holds me fast and calls me beloved.

My 'treasure' pays the electric bill, my health bills, my mortgage, the car.  All of these things make my life much more comfortable......but none of them is true treasure.

Take a moment and decide what is true treasure in your life....and then go about living out that truth.

Make me that leper

Boy are we embarrassed when someone calls us out....especially when we are caught being ungrateful.  Well, at least when we have failed to say Thank You for a gift received.  It's embarrassing because it is the mistake of a small child who hasn't learned the first lessons of human interaction.

So a Bible story that focuses on failing to give thanks.....most especially when it is Jesus himself that hasn't been thanked...has a tendency to leave us red faced.  We have a thousand blessings and we have failed to give thanks for most of them and most often we have failed to thank God.

Could we possibly drop the guilt and look for the gift?  Is it possible for us to look at the One Leper with longing?  Could we eliminate all the talk about the  trivial, day to day blessings of our lives and focus on One Big Thing:  one person who was lost in the land of in-between, who was not accepted here and not accepted there;  one person whose skin betrayed him, had no where to hide, with all his brokenness evident to everyone to see; one person who had been cast out for being the wrong race, religion, gender, nationality; that one person was healed.  He knew it.  He knew who gave him the gift.  Now he cemented the gift with thanksgiving.

I want to be that person.  I am already a leper.  My brokenness is evident to all I encounter.  I have been caught in the great divides of this society and  I've created some myself.  I have been cast out and have thrown myself into the dark places where evil lurks.  On my own I am unremarkable, living in a wilderness, wanting to plant a garden of grace and cultivating weeds instead. .

Now Lord, make me to fall at your feet in thanksgiving for the bountiful blessings of forgiveness and mercy and life which you pour upon me.  Let me not open my eyes to a new day without the joyous memory of the gift you have given.

I am already a leper.  Now Lord I need to learn  how to rightly give thanks. Amen.

Those bad, bad, bad lepers

It's the familiar story of the healing of 10 lepers.  Only one returned to Jesus' feet to give thanks for his healing.  Maybe it is just me, but my reaction to this story over time has been two fold:  1) you bad, bad, bad 9 lepers who didn't give Jesus thanks.  Didn't your mother teach you anything?  and 2) you must always give thanks to God.  Wow!  For those familiar with Lutheran theology, that was all Law, Law, Law, and Law.  No gospel to be found here.

Gospel means good news.  Gospel points us to Jesus.  Gospel is gift, mercy, grace.  Where do we find gospel in this story.....after the Law has helped us figure out how often we fail to turn towards Jesus to give thanks for the overwhelming blessings of our lives?

We find gospel at the feet of Jesus.  The leper fell to his feet to give thanks.  Makes sense.  When you realize that someone has forever changed your life; someone has called you from the outside and restored you to a community; someone has singled you out for a blessing to be found no where else; someone has asked nothing of you and yet healed you.....well, falling at their feet seems a logical thing to do.

And if that isn't gift, mercy and grace enough then consider this: there is no quid pro quo.  Jesus is not waiting with his hand out expecting equal value in return.  That is what gift means: this healing was given to you because God is that kind of God, and relationships based on healing is what God wants for this world.

What do you do now?  Having tasted mercy will you be merciful?  Having drunk deeply of grace will you be gracious to others?  Having rejoiced in the presence of God will you continue to give thanks?  Maybe, some days, not all the time.  It takes us a long time to live into the reality of this kind of relationship.

If you think that this was a story about healing the skin of a leper, well, you've only scratched the surface. The healing goes much deeper ....much, much deeper.  Come and find out for yourself.

No scolding here

When does telling the truth become scolding?
When the topic is giving thanks.

Yesterday one leper turned around and thanked Jesus for an unexpected, although requested, healing.  A blessing that fell right out of the sky, so to speak.  A blessing that, somehow, these 10 lepers thought Jesus was able to grant.  A blessing that moved them from the lost land 'in-between' (in that region between Samaria and Galilee; not in the city, not in the wilderness; not a member of their family but not a family on their own)....and restored them to a life they longed for and remembered from the time before.

And only one turned to Jesus to give thanks.  Why one?  Why him?  Why not the other nine?  I don't know.  I only know that the one who gave thanks was twice blessed.  This one forever cemented this blessing of healing in this world with the mercy of God for the whole world.  This one multiplied his joy by sharing the wonder of his healing with the merciful one who was the healer.

Why is it so many folks only hear scolding in this story?
Why does this story convict so many people of falling short of God's glory?
Perhaps because they see themselves too clearly?
Perhaps because it is speaking the truth of our lives, we are so lost in our own story that God is forgotten?

Isn't Jesus inviting all to experience the joy that comes from giving thanks?  Isn't Jesus inviting all to draw near to God, acknowledging with our thanks the blessing and joy that comes from the hand of a merciful God?  Why can't they hear invitation?  Why can't they hear the joy God shares with those who share their thanks with God?

Try it today.  Give thanks.  For one thing.  A small thing even.  See what happens.

Why God....when I've won the lottery?

No matter how you define, 'winning the lottery' I wonder how quickly God fades away once the prize is confirmed.  We are talking about when things are more than good, they are great! Why should I call on the name of the Lord?

You are going to pay off your mortgage.  Buy your mother a house.  (My mother doesn't need one but that is popular choice).  Buy yourself a bigger house.  Retire.  Give money to your kids. Buy a boat; a BMW; a new snowmobile.  Why would you need God?

Did you wonder if this (new money, great job, deal of a lifetime) was the great temptation that would finally push you beyond your faith zone? That a handful of dollars was all it would take to empty your faith of meaning?   In your previous life you thought of  yourself as generous and compassionate and far from greedy....and then all this wonderful stuff falls into your lap.  You don't 'turn evil' you simply make different choices; choices that, up until the Lottery Office called, weren't even possible.

Then a shadow appears.  You begin to avoid certain people because they expect a hand-out.  You fall out with certain relatives because they feel entitled to a 'gift.'  When you have coffee with your friends you are always expected to pick up the check and it gets a little old.  You are sure the church is looking at you like a hungry wolf looks at a lamb.  It seems everyone wants what is yours.

What happened to God?  You are willing to call yourself blessed but not even conscious that it takes someone to give a blessing....and who might that source of blessing be?  New York State?  What happened to your call to be the hands and feet of Jesus?

Generosity is a hallmark of a life of faith.  Love of God.  Love of neighbor.  Caring for the widow and the orphan.  Feeding the hungry.  Clothing the naked.  That wonderful prize that just fell into your lap is just another tool to faithfully life out the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.  Too much of anything often becomes the great temptation to turn away from the life of faith.

Need some biblical references to check this out?  Try the rich man and his barns (Luke12.13ff) , or the young man who seeks eternal life (Mark10.17), or that old camel trying to get through the eye of the needle (Matthew 19.23ff).  Not everyone gets it wrong; Joseph of Arimethea was a rich man who gave his tomb to Jesus for his resting place, although in 3 days Jesus didn't need it any longer.

Where is God....in the face of darkness?

Almost everyone, believer or not, turns to the God they cannot see in pain and grief and even anger at some time.  In our heart we are saying "It shouldn't be this hard' or 'What could I have possibly done to deserve this?' or 'I am at the very end of any strength I might have had.'

Crying out to God is not a sign of unbelief.  Go to the psalms and read the laments "How long, O Lord, how long?"  Crying out to God - even when you have no idea who or what or if God exists is fairly common.

The difference is this: believers turn to a God with whom they have a relationship while in the midst of some great darkness and when no explanation will make things right again.  They wrestle with God; sometimes for years. They turn towards a God who is hanging on a cross.  They demand an explanation; they demand some level of peace....they demand this from the God they know, not from a God they have imagined.  They demand this of a God whom they revere and who they unabashedly believe to be God.

They do this because they are people of hope, people of the resurrection.  When a believer runs into a brick wall she leans her head against it and says," Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy."  When he stands beside the graveside of his infant son he is looking straight into the darkness to find the God who has promised to be there.  She will still lose her house to foreclosure; he will grieve for years upon years...but they will not walk alone.  Trusting in God is hard work.

God is God of all things and at all times.  We like this when things are going well and are less sure the more things slide downhill.  Truth be told, we are often confounded by God when we look at the way things are turning out in this world.  God does not owe us an explanation.  God gave us the gift of Jesus, the incarnation of love for this world and when all else is darkness, it is to Jesus we cling.  The same Jesus who died on a cross.  The same Jesus who rose from the dead.  That Jesus.

Anything else you are clinging to is an idol - a false god - a god you have constructed in your own mind.  DIY is for Home Depot.  Don't go building yourself the god of your dreams only to wake up and find you've missed the God of the Universe.

Life @ the edge

#cant see tomorrow
#unwelcome everywhere
#hungrier than yesterday

Living life at the edge is, well, edgy.  Unpredictable. No safety net.  One foot in the world of 'socially unacceptable' most days. On other days it means you have already fallen into the abyss.

Jesus was not afraid of life on the edge...in that territory occupied by the sick, the possessed, foreigners, women, children.  In fact, as much as Jesus understood their experience of living on the edge they understood his acceptance of folk no one else thought worthy of their time or effort.  A crippled woman unable to stand straight; a servant girl who was dying; a man living among the dead who was possessed by demons; tax collectors; women of the night.....and lepers.

Jesus was not afraid of those who others thought unacceptable, who didn't fit the social or religious norms, who were too poor, too ignorant or too worn out by circumstance or illness to pay attention to the finer details of observing the law.

These were the ones for whom Jesus came.  When John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus to ascertain whether Jesus was truly the Messiah, Jesus said, "Go and tell John...the lepers are cleansed"  (Lk7.22)

Do I believe this?  Do you?  Do I believe that Jesus standing in the margins of our world can bring wholeness and new life to those who reside there?  On good days, yes.  On bad days, I am afraid of the edges of life.  Which is unfortunate, because that is where Jesus is most likely to be found.

See Luke 17.11-19

Where is God? Part 2

Lots of folk ask this question.  There are a good number who believe God is no where - just doesn't exist.  If they ever feel anything like a connection with the divine they call it something else.  Although I have a very limited experience of atheists, I'd expect they do not conceive of a life force larger than the individual.

So, I'm not talking about those folks...the ones with a consistent, thought out approach to the truth of God.  They do not change their tune when they get cancer, or their child crashes the car in the early hours of the morning or when they are mugged at gunpoint.  None of this has anything to do with God and they would not take their complaints to any God nor expect some kind of explanation.  This is not to say that these folks have no interest in justice or mercy because that's just not true.

I'm talking about the folks who are closet 'experts' on God.  They are in the closet because you'd never guess they had any serious thoughts about God until one of the above disasters enters their life. They have pretended that your faith or faithfulness are better left undiscussed.  They have not sought enlightenment from any of the world's religious teachings about God.  They have not participated in a faith community who gains its identity from God.  They have no relationship with any God beyond the requisite "you are in my thoughts and prayers" (even when they don't pray) or the famous icey road prayer, "O God deliver me!"

Then comes disaster and they become experts.  God should have....where was God when.....what good is God if this happens....   On and on it goes, often concluding with "I can never believe in a God who allows ....to happen."

So, it's just at these moments, when 'the cross' is so unavoidable, when the darkness of this world threatens to overwhelm, that we who are children of this God are critical.  We are God's presence in the midst of their loss.  We carry the light of God's tomorrow into their prison cell of fear and sorrow.  What we say and do at these moments reflects powerfully on the God in whom we believe.

So, think twice, pray three times and most of the time say nothing.  Don't make promises you cannot fulfill.  Don't claim to know what God is thinking, or doing.  In word and deed, let them know that Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb and God weeps with them.  No self-righteousness allowed.  No trying to soften the sting of death.  Just the truth of God's deep love for them especially in this time of loss.

Because, you see, that is when your relationship with God began: when the darkness threatened to devour you and the love of God gave you something to which to cling.  Bring that God into their presence and then depend on the Holy Spirit to lead you and them into new life.  Be a little Christ to the other so that the other may seek Christ through you.

Mustard seed faith

Some days being faithful, a 'good' Christian resembles running a marathon:  most of us know that 26.3 miles of running is beyond our ability.  Even as we honor our Lord Jesus and want to be transformed by him, we are acutely aware of how often we fall short.  We, like the disciples in Luke 17, cry out, "Lord, increase our faith."

David Lose, a professor at Luther Seminary, helps us gain a more balanced perspective:

"Faith, as Jesus describes it, is just doing your job, just doing your duty, not because of any sense of reward but simply because it needs doing. Faith, in other words, is doing what needs to be done right in front of you and this, Jesus says, the disciples can already do. Folks who feel daunted by discipleship need to hear that sometimes faith can be pretty ordinary. That’s what Jesus means, I think, by saying that if they had the faith even of a mustard seed, they could uproot and move a mulberry tree -- that it really doesn’t take all that much faith to be, well, faithful." **

You have heard Jesus teach; you have been anointed by the Spirit in your baptism, so you treat others with grace and mercy.  You keep reconciliation and forgiveness as first (rather than last) options.  You pray for those in need and share your bounty with those who have not.  You honor your spouse and care and guide your children.  You look on the folks you meet (sometimes more, sometimes less) as neighbors and children of God.

You don't these things perfectly.  You know you fall short....and yet you fall forward, following Jesus, striving for that day of transformation when you are made whole in Jesus.  

You have faith the size of a mustard seed.  Continue to nurture and feed it on God's Word, on prayer and service to others, on worship and the Holy Supper.  Go into the world and whatever you do, do in God's name for the sake of your neighbor.  That's your call.  You can do it.

** read this and more of David Lose's wisdom at www.workingpreacher.org.

Where is God? Part 1

Boy does that question get asked a lot. The question generally implies that God is gone, on vacation, not here, never existed, not doing the God job properly.  Wrestling with this dilemma will help us talk about our faith life and God's presence in it.

The 'absence' of God argument, at first glance, has two variations.  First: God is not here (wherever here is).  Second: the God we expect is not here. We have some very clear expectations about God.  Most of them have to do with righting wrongs and keeping people safe and eliminating tragedy from life.

Let's start with #2.  Regardless of our religious upbringing or active faith life, everyone has opinions about what God should do.  We carry around some kind of job description, a mental list of qualities that any God should have, like justice and mercy.   Justice and mercy are generally high on the list although I am suspicious that they are mostly high on our list.  That is, God owes us justice and mercy.  When tragedy strikes; when we get the wrong end of the stick....well, even when evil crashes into our lives, we cry out to God and demand justice.  Our disappointment in God is obvious.  We are less disappointed when God fails to bring about justice or mercy for others, especially those we don't know....the great unwashed masses.

Which leads us back to #1:  God is not here.  In fact, what we are saying is "I don't experience what I conceive of as God here, now."  Not 'experiencing God', if you'll pardon the pun, may be due to our lack of experience and certainly  is a world apart from "God is not here."  Often our expectations of how God acts eliminates our ability to see or hear God.  We are looking for only one possible response from God and it has to look or sound like 'this.'  When that doesn't happen, we conclude that God is absent.

People of faith approach this dilemma from the other end of the tunnel.  We expect God to be present and when we cannot see or hear God, we expect the problem is with us, not God.  Carl Jung had this Latin phrase engraved on his tombstone  Vocatus atque non vacatus, Deus aderit.  It continues to be both reassurance and reminder:  Bidden or not, God is present.

The top 10 questions asked (by believers and non-believers alike)

1.  Is there a way to avoid the awful stuff that might happen to me or my family?
2.  When that awful stuff happens is there a way to make me feel better about it?
3.  Is God's list of 'You Have To Do This" shorter than the world's?
4.  If I drop my children off at church does that guarantee that they will turn out alright?
5.  What if the children and I go to church together?
6.  If I give lots of money to the church, am I guaranteed heaven?  How about roses?
7.  If I wear a cowboy hat to church and forget to take it off am I going to hell?
8.  All the sinners are outside the church and all the saints are inside.  Right?
9.  Since Jesus died on the cross there's nothing for me to do.  Right?
10.  God only loves the people in church.  Right?

The answer to them all is NO.  So what are the top 10 questions folks ask that have YES for an answer?