A Word From Pastor Mike - The Love of God

The foundation of the Christian faith is that God is love. You heard it in our lessons today:

• The lord has set his love on you and chose you..... Deuteronomy 7:7
• The Lord loves you..... Deuteronomy 7:8
• The Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love to those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations..... Deuteronomy 7:9
• Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? ..... Romans 8:35
• No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.... Romans 8:37
• Nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our lord... Romans 8:39

It is there in the Old Testament. It's there in the New Testament. God loves us. God loved Israel. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

What's not clear? God loves Israel. God loves the world. Case closed, right?

Well, sometimes people don't feel loved by God for one reason or another, but the Bible is clear. God loves us.

This past week Sue and I were in Montana for my Aunt Eleanor's Memorial Service.  Eleanor was 101 years old, close to 102. She died peacefully in her sleep. The foundation of her life was the love of God.

Eddie and Eleanor Harmon were my godparents. Eleanor was there when Sue and I were married and when I was ordained. She made the red stole I wore for my ordination. She was going to make them all but found it was so hard that she gave the rest of the material to Sue and said, "You can do it."

I said the foundation of Eleanor's life was the love of God. I want you to know that she held that conviction throughout her life but it wasn't always easy for her. 

Eleanor was born in Norma, ND.  Her parents were in banking when the Great Depression hit the U.S. in the 1930's. Her family moved West. She had to live in a tent in Hogeland, MT for awhile until a house was moved to town. 

My Mom said that she thought that Eleanor would never marry but then Eddie Harmon came along. He was a great guy. They got married.

Later, when I was in grade school, Eddie died while driving the tractor. Eleanor relocated and eventually married Bill Bickel and moved to Hamilton, MT. Later Eleanor would have an encounter with breast cancer and survived.  Eventually Bill died.

The last years were difficult for Eleanor. She was in assisted living. It was hard for her to converse but she could listen. Even so, I would say that Eleanor lived a good life, held to her faith and now rests in God's peace.

Although life wasn't always easy for her, she kept faith. She kept her foundation, that God is love.

Alvin Rogness was the President of Luther Seminary and many years ago he wrote, "The Bible is God's love letter to you...From the Bible, the most important thing you learn about God is that he loves you and is trying to reach you. God is searching for you. He loves you and you can't stop him from loving you and from running after you. You can try running away from him but you can not stop him from staying on your trail."

The problem is not a deficiency of God's love. We've already heard John 3:16. In Romans 8:31-32, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will we not also with him graciously give us all things?"

The grand conclusion of this section of the Book of Romans and perhaps of the whole Bible is this, 

"Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So the problem is not a deficiency in God's love. The problem is sin, the devil, the world, our sinful self. We live in a fallen world. There will be struggles. Yet Paul reassures us, "For God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

When I listen to people like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer they say that people are always telling them that "God could never love me; you don't know what I've done." Then they proceed to tell them their list.

The problem is in us. The reality is God knows every bad thing we've done and still loves us. The reality is God is good at forgiveness. God is good at 2nd chances. God is ok with leaving the past in the past and starting over but we aren't.

One of the best things we can do is trust in God's forgiveness. "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The way forward is to build on the foundation of God's love, like my Aunt Eleanor and many other believers in the past. They knew they were not perfect but they confessed their sins and trusted in God's forgiveness and love.

Recently when I was back on our farm. I noticed this old building. It's listing now just a little bit. How much longer will it stand? I don't know, but you know what will remain even if the building falls? The foundation will remain.  You see it all over the homestead areas, the buildings may fall but the foundations remain.

How does Jesus end the sermon on the Mount?  With a story. "Everyone who heard these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock."

I started this sermon with a bunch of verses about God's love for us. That's our foundation. God loves us. Come what may, God loves us. The way forward is to build on the foundation of God's love, keep trusting. Then, like my Aunt Eleanor, we will die in peace and awaken to God's glory.

A Word From Pastor Mike - BEYOND DESPAIR AND MATERIALISM

This is a sermon Mike gave a while back...

Beyond Despair and Materialism

Rabbi Harold Kushner is best known for his book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, but he has written other books, too.  One of these other books used the Old Testament writing of Ecclesiastes 1 as its foundation.  The book is titled When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough. 

In one part of this book Kushner writes about a depressed man who came to see him in his study.  The man told the rabbi he had attended a funeral for a man from his office who had died rather suddenly. The man told Rabbi Kushner that they had already replaced the man at his office and his wife had moved out of state.  He said, "Rabbi, I've hardly slept at all since then.  I can't stop thinking that it could happen to me; that one day it will happen to me.  A few days later I will be forgotten as if I had never lived.  Shouldn't a man's life be worth more than that?

The Book of Ecclesiastes takes on the deep questions of life. "I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see all is vanity and chasing after the wind.  What do mortals get from all their toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is vexation. Even at night their minds do not rest.  This is also vanity.

Ecclesiastes is a thinking person's book.  It wrestles with questions of meaning and despair:

• Why am I here?
• What should I do with my life?
• Does it matter?
• Who will remember me?

Ecclesiastes is a book that raises a lot of questions, but it is woefully lacking in positive answers and hope.  It's not a good book to read when you are depressed but it gets you to think and take your life seriously.

Singer Paul Simon is a thinking man's songwriter.  He's written positive things like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" but he also seems to have a dark muse.  In the song "Slip Sliding Away" he writes, "God only knows and God makes his plans. The information's unavailable to the mortal man.  We'll work at our jobs, collect our pay...believe we're sliding down the highway when in fact, we're slip sliding away."

Despair lurks nearby for those who have never established a healthy center of life.  Despair can run people over when bad things happen.  That's why we need a firm foundation, a strong center, that we can return to when things get tough.  We need to hear the positive promises of God's word like, "Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."

The book of Ecclesiastes also talks about going after possessions to find meaning in life..."I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.  I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces...I kept my heart from no pleasure...Then I considered all that my hands had done...and behold all was vanity and a striving after wind and there was no thing to be gained under the sun."

I served a 3-point parish in Montana many years ago.  Every Sunday I drove past the Bair Mansion. The last member of the Bair family died sometime after we left the area and the home was opened for tours.  I went on one of those tours as we traveled back through and found out more about the Bair family.  Back in the 1800's a man named Charles Bair came out West with 14 cents and 7 green apples.  He came to earn his fortune in sheep and cattle ranching, as well as gold, coal and oil interests.  Charlie Bair knew how to make money and he could be very generous with his money. But, his money seemed to have a strange effect on him and his family.

Charlie would shear sheep and brand cattle in  his finest suits.  Why? Because he could afford to. So he did.

Charlie had two daughters but to him no one was good enough to marry them.  Charlie was afraid to turn his money over to a non-family member.  One day the oldest daughter, Marguerite, rebelled and eloped with the ranch foreman.  When they came back, Charlie still made the husband stay in the bunk house!

Alberta Bair was the youngest daughter and the last surviving member of the family.  A member of one of the congregations I served worked for Alberta.  I asked her to ask Alberta if she would like me to drop by since I was the only pastor in the area.  Her reply was, "No, he's probably after my money."

The book of Ecclesiastes tells us an obsession for possessions is a futile struggle.

Jesus tells us "One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions...Instead, seek his kingdom and all these things will be added unto you."

So, what are the alternatives to despair and materialism?  

Our second reading from Colossians 3 offers this advice, "Seek the things that are above - where Christ is...Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth."

The Christian faith provides meaning for this life and the life to come.  God gives us life.  God gives us gifts.  God gives us each other.  Got wants us to have an abundant life now, but also in the age to come when our lives are done.  Our hope, our meaning comes from God who loves us and sees each one of us as valuable.

Questioning is good and natural.  Good questions lead us to the discovery of a good God.  But, sometimes questioning can lead us to endless questions, despair or even anger.

Posessions aren't necessarily bad, but they don't always lead to happiness.  I look at the Bair family. Were they happy because of their wealth and possessions?  No, they seemed guarded and a little afraid of people.

Posessions and wealth can be a good thing.  They can bless you to be a blessing to others.  They can bring security.  But, they are not to be the primary thing of life.  Meaning and hope are found in the Christian faith, in setting our minds on things that are above.

I'd like to tell you about a couple of pastors in my life who reflected the joy of living with meaning in life, and a living faith.

Ermin Lunder was a retired pastor living in Issaquah, WA.  He lived in a retirement community next to the Lutheran Bible Institute where I was going to school.  He became a part of our "Life Group" on the LBI Campus.  He had his burdens to bear.  His wife of many years had health problems and the beginning of Alzheimer's Disease.  Still, he had a very joyful and encouraging spirit.  He knew the sufferings of this life were temporary.  He set his mind on things above.  The joy of the Lord was his strength.  He was an excellent example to young people of how to carry on in faith in spite of suffering.

Another pastor of influence was Lowell Satre.  He was my Greek Professor at Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary.  We didn't always know what to make of Professor Satre.  He had the most outlandish clothes.  He was the King of  Polyester.  We didn't know if this was his trademark, if he was fashion challenged or just poor.  But, we did know that he loved the Lord Jesus Christ.  He wanted us to succeed as pastors.  He wanted us to bring the good news to the world.  At the bottom of our papers he would write encouraging things and invite us to "Press On!"

There are things in life that are worrisome or depressing.  Things don't always go right or as we planned but we don't live for this life.

This life isn't about knowing all the right answers.  Nobody knows all the answers to the mysteries of life.

This life isn't a contest to see who can get the most possessions.  The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that's like trying to catch the wind.

Paul wrote to the Colossians, "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.  For you have cried and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory."

A Word From Pastor Mike - Patchwork of Sermons

I am so far behind on typing out Mike's sermons for you, I decided to do a medley of some to catch you up...

One sermon was about the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus from Luke 16.  Mike reminded us that it began with a certain rich man dressed in fine clothes and feasting lavishly.  A poor man, Lazarus was cast down at his gate. Lazarus was full of sores.  Lazarus was longing for even just the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table but he got none.

A great reversal occurs as both men die.  Lazarus is carried to Abraham by angels.  The rich man endured agony.

This sermon was about being a neighbor.  The rich man failed to be a good neighbor to Lazarus. He failed to care, feed or shelter him.  The point?  Be a good neighbor now. It will be too late to be a good neighbor later on.

Another parable sermon was from Luke 14:15-24, the Parable of the Great Banquet. In this parable a man was throwing a banquet and many were invited, but they all had excuses.  They were busy.  One just bought a field, another had to deal with oxen and yet another just got married.  When the man throwing the banquet heard of all these excuses he was angry.  Instead of cancelling the banquet, he sent out invitations to people who appreciated the invitation... the poor, crippled, blind, lame, etc.  He also sent out his people to bring in travelers, whoever would accept the invitation.  He then stated that none of the original invitees would taste of his banquet.

Lesson to be learned?  Respond to God's gracious invitation. Don't let excuses and busyness keep you from your relationship with God.

In another sermon, titled "Jesus the Gutsy", Mike told about Jesus' courage as he lived his last days before his death.  He knew what was coming but he went anyway.  He celebrated the Passover with his disciples.  He washed their feet and reminded them that they were called to be servants in this world.  He gave his disciples a new commandment to LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. He taught them about communion, so that we can always have him with us. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He was given a death sentence. On the cross he forgave his enemies, converted a thief and gave him the good news of eternal life.

When Jesus died a Roman Centurion gave the first confession after the death of Jesus, "Truly this was the Son of God."

Jesus' death was summed up by John the Baptist, who pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

Easter Sunday Mike talked about Jesus' life as a story.  That story included being conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, baptized by John the Baptist, tempted in the wilderness, teaching and doing ministry.  He was crucified, died, buried and resurrected...victory over death!

Mike spoke of our lives as stories as well. The question being, what kind of story will we each live? He spoke of how our stories bump into one another, and our stories bump into the Jesus story as well.  Our stories may include tragedy, all include struggle at some point.  We may be living stories of rags to riches, satire, thriller, or fairy tale (he told the congregation that was my story because I was married to him).

Mike stated that he wanted to leave a good legacy with his story, one that says that faith is important. He stated that he wanted to be a life long learner, immersed in God's Word, prayer, repentance and service.  He also wants to have some fun at times, to be a comedy.

                Mission accomplished.

A Word From Pastor Mike - Beginnings

The following was Mike's Christmas Eve Sermon this year but it is an important year round.  I think as you read, especially the last part of the sermon, you'll see that this is a great sermon for a New Year as well.

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered."  Luke 2:1

This is the beginning of the Christmas Story.  It is one of the world's great stories, Luke 2:1-20.  It's a great piece of writing.  It's got a little bit of everything:

a) Historical Figures - Augustus, Quirinius

b) Travel - Nazareth to Bethlehem, small town to small town

c) Humble Couple - Mary and Joseph - teenagers?

d) A Birth in Trying Circumstances - birth in a cow barn

e) The Natural and the Supernatural - shephers/sheep, angels

f) Announcement/A Sign - good news

g) Music - Glory to God in the Highest

h) Going in Haste - running shepherds (funny?)

i) Mary Pondering - Why am I a part of this great thing God is      doing?

j) Shepherds Praising God!

The Christmas story is short and compact.  It gets a lot of information out in just a few sentences.  This is the beginning of the Jesus story, of the Christian Faith.  "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered."

Author Stephen King wrost, "A first line of a story should say: Listen. Come in here.  You want to know about this."  God works through stories to call us to faith.  God wants to draw us in with the first line.  Listen.  You'll want to know more about this.

Consider how the Bible starts, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Wow!  You talk about jumping in with both feet!  Does that get your attention?

Here is some more of the world's great writing, Psalm 23.  "The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want."  This is telling us that God is guiding our lives, providing our needs.  God is closely involved in your existence, like a shepherd with his sheep.  Does that get your attention?

1 Corinthians 13 is an ode to love.  It begins, "If I speak in the tongues of mean and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging symbol."  Every beginning needs a good ending.  This is how 1 Corinthians ends, "So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  Does that get your attention?

The gospel, the good news about Jesus, has a surprising beginning, a humble couple, travel, birth, angels, shepherds.  What is not said here is said in John's gospel, "The Word (Jesus/God) became flesh and dwelt among us" or the paraphrase, "God took on human flesh and pitched his tent with us."

God is one of us.  In the life of Jesus, God experienced life as we know it, life with its joys and disappointments, with friends and enemies, eating, sleeping, working, birth and death.  God as one of us, that's a strange beginning.  It gets your attention.

The Christmas Story is a beginning.  It's a start.  There is something special about a new beginning, a new year, a new job, a new opportunity, a new season.  All these things give a sense of excitement.

Here is a story of new beginnings...  

In 1973 Ed Ryder was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn't commit.  (Does that first sentence get your attention?)  Ed Ryder was a 22 year old petty thief and sometimes heroin user.  He was in jail, in a holding cell, when three other men in the cell decided to get revenge on another man who had insulted them.  Ed Ryder was lumped in with the other men who had committed the murder.  Two of the other men later admitted that Ed Ryder had nothing to do with it.  How long did it take then for Ed Ryder to be set free?  5 years?  10 years?  Try 20 years!

When Ed was in prison he dreamed of playing trumpet in his own jazz band.  He never let go of hope.  He always believed he would get a new beginning.  In September of 1993 Ed Ryder was set free from his prison.  He started his own jazz band!  He was able to begin again.

The Jesus story has a beginning but it is also about beginnings for others.  When Jesus grew up, he started his ministry by reading from the book of Isaiah.  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me... to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and letting the oppressed go free to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

The good news of the gospel is that you and I get a new beginning with God.  Jesus lets people start over.

Jesus didn't give up on people.  He said to the woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more in this way."  You get a new beginning.

He said to the leper kicked out of society, "Be made clean."  You have a new beginning.

There was a paralyzed man let down through a roof.  Jesus said, "Your sins are forgiven.  Take up your mat and walk."  You have a new beginning.

Jesus didn't give up on Peter, poor impetuous Peter.  Peter wanted to straighten Jesus out of his ministry.  He wanted to walk on water.  He wanted to take on the Romans.  He denied Jesus.  After the resurrection Jesus came to Peter and told him he could start again.  He gave him a new beginning.

The Christian faith is all about new beginnings.  We are sinful.  We fall short of God's glory.  We miss the mark.  We make bad choices.  We need new beginnings.  We need to know that God doesn't give up on us.  He doesn't!

Every day is a new day.  It's a chance to begin again with God.  No one is too far away from God.  He gets our attention with a story, a story about a beginning.

Every beginning needs an ending.  Here's the end of the Christmas Story... "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them."

What is this story about for us?

There was a beginning to the life of Jesus on earth.

A savior and Lord was born for us.  That means Jesus saves us from our sins and teaches us through his Spirit and Word how to live a life that pleases God.

Jesus had a beginning.  He is the King of New Beginnings.  God has not given up on you.  You are not too far away from God.  God knows all about your life.  He loves you and he wants you to begin again with him.

This story, this day, this faith is God's gift to you.  Be a shepherd.  Glorify and praise God.  Let that be the beginning and the end of your faith story with God.

A Word From Pastor Mike - Generosity Allowed

excerpts from one of Mike's recent sermons....

Mark 12:38-44New International Version (NIV)

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

That's pretty intense.  Let's begin with a not-so-serious moment and look at stewardship...

This may come as a revelation to you but there are many churches in Las Vegas.  Not surprisingly, some people who come to church will put casino poker chips in the offering plate instead of money.  Since churches get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to cash in all these different chips.  The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan Monastery for sorting. From there the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in, then the cash is given back to the churches.  This work, this labor, is done by....

Chip Monks!  

Today, I want to talk to you about "Generosity Allowed".  In our gospel reading a poor widow gives everything, even though it isn't much. She gives everything to help others. Jesus doesn't stop her. He allows her to be generous, even though she was the one in need.

Generosity is a willingness to give more of something, more than is expected.

We often speak of people being generous with their money, but people can be generous with their possessions, talent, time, attention, compliments, help, encouragement, hugs, listening, advice and so on.

When people are generous, without fanfare or hoopla, they are blessed, whatever the gift. Generosity leads to blessings.

Beth Hughes, a stay-at-home Mom in Oklahoma, was about to pay the grocery store cashier for food for her family's Thanksgiving Dinner last November.  A customer tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Ma'am, I'm going to pay for your groceries."

The customer stepped in and swiped her credit card, paying the $214 grocery bill, and left.  According to KJRH TV, Hughes was so shocked that she can't remember if she said "Thank you" but she did share the story on Facebook and encouraged others to do the same.

What causes someone to be generous, especially without a reward?  Well, I suppose it has to do with one's heart, one's spiritual condition, one's willingness to listen to God's promptings, a willingness to bless others...In reality, we humans can be both self-centered and generous.

The opposite of generosity is greed.  Our whole lives we will struggle with our sinful self.  We will want to take care of #1.  We will hurt others, just so we can get our way.  We will pass up opportunities to be generous and act selfishly. Of course, we will have justifiable reasons for our actions.

But, we see in our gospel reading that Jesus is a people watcher.  In his teaching Jesus said "Beware of the scribes..." be he could have said "beware of your own sinful self." The flesh, that selfish part of you, needs to die everyday and a new God-centered self should arise to live in obedience to God and God's ways.

Jesus took the disciples aside and said, "watch this." It was an insignificant act, a poor widow putting in a penny.  Jesus, the people watcher, was telling the disciples, "I like this. This is the kind of person you were created to be. You are allowed to be generous!"

My life has been blessed by generous Christian people.  My parents were generous and giving people.  They gave to the church and the community and to their children.  My mother has said, "I'm giving you this money.  My parents did it for me.  I hope you do it for your children."

I had a friend by the name of Terry Jones. Generosity came more naturally to him than to me.  He was willing to share candy bars, pop, toys, etc. with me.

I have been blessed by generosity in the church. One of those generous people was Evelyn Muir  in Harlowton, Montana.  One day, before church, she grabbed me by the arm and marched me up to the offering plate at the front of the church.  Then she announced, "Pastor, I want you to know that I just won the lottery and I am giving 1/10 of my winnings to the church." Then, she placed a $1 bill in the collection plate and returned to her seat.  Evelyn was generous to the community as well.  Every year she bought a golf membership at the country club.  She didn't golf but she knew that it helped the club survive in a small town.

Dick Frier was the barber in Harlowton.  He took care of a man who had a drinking problem.  This man had burned bridges with friends and family. Yet, Dick gave him free haircuts, brought him groceries and checked in on him.

Our gospel reading is telling us, generosity is allowed, you were made for this.  God sees the core of us.  He knows we struggle with sin and selfishness but he knows our great potential. He knows that in each one of us is a generosity impulse. We are being told to go ahead and give in to that impulse. The world, and you, will be blessed by your generosity.

A Word From Pastor Mike - Humble Pie, Anyone?

Mark 9:35 "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

James 4:6  "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:10  "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."

Humility is a key value in the Christian Faith.  Jesus exemplified humility.  Our reading from James and Mark call followers to humility.

What is humility?  The word literally means "to be near the ground" or perhaps one could say, it means to be grounded.  

Here are some not-so-serious quotes about humility...

• "Oh Lord, its hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way." Mac Davis

• "My incredible humility is what makes me superior to everyone else."

• "I try not to laugh at my own jokes, But we all know i'm hilarious."

• And maybe the most outrageous quote of all, "Humility.  I've mastered it."

And that's the thing with humility.  You can't master it.  You can't win the humility championship.  You can't bestow the title on yourself.  The complete opposite of humility is lurking in the shadows.  That is pride.  Some say pride is the original sin; it's what caused Adam and Eve's fall from grace.

In the book of Mark, Jesus announces that he will be arrested, killed and 3 days later, rise again.  The disciples' response?  They did not understand.  The light did not come on.  Later, when they got to Capernaum, Jesus asks what they were discussing on the way.  They were discussing which of them was the greatest!

The disciples are us.  They weren't complete blundering fools but the Bible doesn't paint their picture with halos over their heads. They were people like you and me.  All human beings have their strengths and their weaknesses.  The power of sin is working on us but the Spirit of God also dwells within the faithful.

For some Christians, humility is a God given gift.  Other Christians learn to be more humble but then still sometimes struggle with pride.  We do some thing nice, some thing kind, and then we blow it by announcing to the world how kind and humble we are.  

Jesus took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

In Matthew's gospel, Jesus tells about the separation of people like a shepherd separates sheep and goats.  Jesus talks about being hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, in prison.  They ask him when did they see him that way.  Jesus responds, "As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

Mother Teresa, who worked with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India said, "Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces given us and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work."

In our society when the proud are brought down, when the arrogant are shamed, we say they have eaten humble pie. But this is really the encouragement of the whole Bible for Christians.  We SHOULD be feasting on humble pie.  Why is humility so important?  Because it keeps us grounded.  It keeps people connected and caring for each other.  Humility brings out the best in us.

Pride, in the bad sense of the word, can lead to arrogance, meanness, hard words and separation. Eating humble pie keeps us grounded, keeps us focused on what's most important.  The most important things are not trophies or awards but the kindness you showed others and how you helped those in need.

Jesus told his disciples that he would be arrested, suffer and die. The disciples didn't get it.  Later he would explain the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Jesus giving his life for us was, in part, an example of humility.

In the letter to the Philippians Paul would write, "Have this same mind among yourselves that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking on the form of a servant... he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

"Have this same mind among you."  Christ came to teach us to be humble servants.

Let us close by praying this Humility Prayer (author unknown)

Lord, I am far too much influenced by what people think of me, which means that I am always pretending to be either richer or smarter or nicer than I really am.  Please prevent me from trying to attract attention.  Don't let me gloat over praise on the one hand or be discouraged by criticism on the other.  Don't let me waste time weaving imaginary situations in which the most heroic, charming, witty person present i myself.  Show me how to be humble in heart like you.  Amen.

A Word From Pastor Mike - Bread That Lasts

I am way, way behind on passing on sermons from my husband. Here is one from awhile back...






John 6:27 "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you."

John 6:35 "I am the bread of life...Whoever comes to me shall not hunger."

Bread is a staple of life for most of the world. Here are some "fun facts" about bread:

• Bread is probably the one food that is eaten by every race, culture and religion.
• It takes 9 seconds for a combine to harvest enough wheat to make 70 loaves of bread.
• Each American consumes 53 pounds of bread per year.
• 1 bushel of wheat will produce 73 one pound loaves of bread.
• In 1997 Kansas wheat farmers produced enough wheat to make 36.5 billion loaves of bread, enough to provide each person on earth with 6 loaves of bread.
• Farmers receive approximately 5 cents for each loaf of bread.
• In 1995 a team of bakers from Wheat Montana Farms Bakery set a Guinness World Record.  They harvested and milled wheat from the field then mixed, scaled, shaped and baked a loaf of bread in 8 minutes 13 seconds.
• Breaking bread is a universal sign of peace and fellowship.

In the next few weeks our gospel readings from John 6 will focus on "Jesus the Bread of Life".  Here are some "fun facts" about bread in the Bible.

• We don't know if Adam and Cain made bread but they were tillers in the ground. God told Adam, "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread."
• One of the first mentions of bread in the Bible is in Genesis 14. Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought out bread and wine and blessed Abram after a victory over several kings.
• At the Oaks of Mamre Abraham received three visitors. He bowed before them and asked if he could bring them a morsel of bread.
• In Genesis 25 Jacob stole Esau's birthright with stew and bread.
• In Exodus the Jewish people were to bake unleavened bread for they were to leave Egypt in a hurry. They didn't have time for bread to rise.

In the Gospels, bread plays an important role in the life and ministry of Jesus.

The first temptation Jesus faces from Satan in the wilderness is to turn stones into bread. Man does not live by bread alone.

• The Lord's Prayer - Give us this day our daily bread.
• Feeding of the 5,000 involves bread.
• Disciples are sent out without bread on a mission.
• Disciples forget bread for one of their boat journeys.
• Jesus reminds Pharisees that David took the Bread of the Presence when hungry, teaching them that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus went to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He took the bread, blessed it, broke it and said, "This is my body..."

In the time of Jesus, bread was a fixture in the Jewish diet. If you had flour, you baked bread. Jewish women baked bread every morning and bread was consumed throughout the day. In the morning, bread baking started again.

In the Gospel Jesus took a common element from Jewish life, made a pronouncement, an authoritative statement, "I am the bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger." At that point a discussion about physical and spiritual bread began.

What we see in John's gospel is that people are often too literal. They don't understand what Jesus is trying to teach them. Their main concern was their next meal.

Here is a brief synopsis of what Jesus was saying to them: 

• God has sent me to nourish your spiritual hunger.
• If you believe in me, in my teaching, in my death and resurrection for you, you will never be spiritually hungry again.
• This bread, my life that I give to you, will lead you to eternal life.

Unfortunately, the crowd wouldn't understand this. Some would grumble, some would question. Some of his followers would leave. The teachings of Jesus were too hard. He said things like, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." Jesus wonders if the 12 disciples will leave, too. Peter responds with the great confession, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" and "We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."

We humans are interesting. We can be asked, "What is most important to you?" and then "How involved are you in what's most important to you?" How do you actually spend your time?

If an average American lives to 78.6 years, we will find that we spend: 25 years sleeping, 10.3 years working, 9.1 years watching TV-2 years are just commercials, 3.66 years eating, consuming 35 tons of food, 4.3 years driving, 3 months waiting in traffic.

An average person will walk 110,000 miles, 4 times around the world. Some will spend 1 year of their lives deciding what to wear and 8 years shopping, 1 1/2 years doing their hair.

On the other hand, when asked what is most important people will respond with:

1. God
2. Love
3. Family
4. Music
5. Health
6. Friends
7. Food and Drink
8. Happiness
9. Knowledge
10. Parents

But if God is most important, why does the average Christian spend only 15-30 minutes a week in prayer? 57% of Christians read the Bible 4 times a year or less while only 26% read it 4 times a week. Only 20-30% of Americans attend worship weekly. That is not a very good track record for us.

The truth is, we humans are mostly busy living our lives. The thing we do the most in life is sleep, but nobody except insomniacs puts that as the most important thing in life.

Invite God into your busy life. See the things you do, like working and cooking and cleaning, as spiritual things you do and not just tasks to be completed.

I don't think it does a whole lot of good to feel guilty about not praying, worshiping or Bible reading enough. Just start again, be positive and ask for God's help.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger.

God sent Jesus to nourish our spiritual hunger, our spiritual lives.

If you believe in me, in my teaching, in my death and resurrection for you, you will never be spiritually hungry again.

This bread, my life that I give to you, will lead you to eternal life.

God is calling us. God is drawing us to the Bread that lasts.

A Word From Pastor Mike

My computer is not healthy and it sometimes takes a lot of patience for me to type out a post on it. Today it is working fine, though, so I want to share an excerpt from Mike's Ash Wednesday Sermon. Lent is a time when we examine ourselves and it serves as a time to remind ourselves that we are sinners. His sermon also reminded us that there is HOPE!

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Lutherans teach that the Word of God is divided into two parts - Law and Gospel.

•      The Law tells us that we have sinned and our sin means a penalty must be paid. The wages of sin is      death.
•      The Gospel tells us that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin when we died on the cross. By grace you      have been saved, through faith, and this is not your own doing. It's the gift of God.

Christians live with tension. We are saints - We are sinners. We are capable of the greatest dreams and the worst nightmares. The Christian life is a balancing act. We need both law and gospel to keep us on the tightrope.

The Law has two uses.                                    

•    To restrain us from wrong doing such as you shall not kill.
•    The law is a mirror to show us that we have sinned. It also shows our need for a savior.

The Gospel is all about God acting for us. God forgives repentant sinners through Christ's death on the cross. Jesus opens the way to eternal life for all who will believe.

A new word that is being used quite a bit now is compartmentalize. That is, we have different compartments, or rooms of our lives. Some of the rooms in our lives need cleaning. Some of the rooms contain bitterness or gossip. In other rooms of our lives there is unforgiveness or selfishness. In still other rooms there is pride and arrogance. Who's going to clean up that mess? Or, are we just going to shut the door and pretend it isn't there?

Thank goodness we have a good maid. His name is Jesus. he can make the rooms of our lives clean and we can have a fresh start. Daily repentance, daily turning from sin, daily confession are all ways to stay in right relationship with God.

But, then we need to believe the Gospel.

•    Believe that God forgives your sins for Jesus' sake.
•    Believe that you are a believer.
•    Believe that heaven is your home.
•    Believe that God is not mad at you. Believe that God loves you.
•    Believe that you are God's good creation.
•    Believe that you can begin again even though you've sinned today.
•    Believe that you are not bound by your past, your weaknesses, your failures, your negative thoughts.
•    Believe that God is working in your life right now. God is making a new creation. God has good     plans for your life. You are forgiven and when your life here is done, you are going to live a new life with God and your loved ones in heaven forever.

A Word From Pastor Mike - Identity

Identity

Mark 1:11  And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased."

Mark's gospel doesn't leave us any surprises as to the identity of Jesus. 

        -Mark 1:1 "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God"... That's pretty clear.

        -Mark 1:11 Then the baptism, the Dove, the Holy Spirit, the voice.."You are my beloved Son."

There isn't much mystery in Mark's gospel. Jesus is the Son of God. That's his identity.

I started to think about the word, identity. We all have one, or maybe we have many identities.

Our identity, the way we see ourselves, is in part formed by us.  But then, we should also admit that people and things and circumstances form our identity, too.

For instance we have... 

     a)    a national identity. We are Americans and you would be different if you were born in South                 Africa.  

     b)   a cultural identity - cowboys/girl - What is Wyoming culture now?

     c)   a gender identity - male-female-confused

     d)   a racial identity - different shades of brown - human race

     e)   a social identity - the "we", the "they" cliques...the people who do this, the people who do that.

     f)   a religious identity - I am a Christian first. I am also a Lutheran.

Our identity is always in flux; It's always changing.

    a)   I look in the mirror and find that I am not a 16 year old boy with acne.

    b)   I see pictures of myself as a 1 year old.  That was me, that's not my identity today.

Sometimes our identity is...

    a)   bound up in the past (he showed a photo of high school football)

    b)   bound up in the future...here's how I will look when I get serious about my exercise program               (he showed a photo of Arnold Schwartzenegger during his body building days)

   

For the Christian, our identity is with Christ. What I am concerned about is our identity today, right now and into the future. I want you to have a positive identity of yourself as a follower of Christ. Things in your past may not be so good but with God "right now" is a new opportunity. God is good at forgiveness, new chances and moving ahead with a positive Christian identity.

You know Jesus had/has an identity, too. We are at the beginning of the season of Epiphany, as season in which the identity of Jesus is being revealed.,,

   a) Baptism - my beloved Son

   b) Transfiguration - my beloved Son, listen to him

   c) Jesus revealed as the Son of God

(I have to tell you that there were a lot of pictures shown as Mike talked about each point. The picture that went with an  ascension  point was of Jesus up high with people down below looking up at him. I was holding Elise and when that photo went on the screen she had several comments, "Why is Jesus in the sky? Everyone can see his feet!"  I just thought I'd share that with you.)

So, let's look at some aspects of the identity of Jesus. First, he had a national identity. Jesus was a Jew/Hebrew, a follower of the law. Jewish law established how you felt about men's and women's roles and how you felt about Gentiles.

Jesus had a cultural identity. Time and culture had an influence on who Jesus was. Some were scandalized that Jesus was from Nazareth of Galilee. Even one of Jesus' own disciples said, "Can anything good come of out Nazareth?" 

Jesus had a gender identity. Jesus was a man. can you imagine Jesus as a woman rabbi in that culture? What a shock that would have been.

Jesus had a social identity. He was a member of the carpenter's union. This didn't win him any "cool points" as he tried to esta

blish himself as a rabbi/teacher. The term of derision was, "Isn't this the carpenter's son?"

One of the most important pieces of the identity of Jesus is as Son of God. Throughout history that has been the struggle... Jesus, divine AND human? The confession of the scriptures and the church is unchanged, Jesus is God's Son,

However, Jesus more frequently refers to himself as "the Son of Man" which can refer both to his humanity and to a figure who will come at the end times.

Now, I want you to think of the identity of Jesus in a different way., in a way in which we can identify.  Jesus was part of a family. Families form our identity, for the good or for the bad, functional or dysfunctional.

Jesus lived under a foreign oppressive government. The Jews didn't like living under Roman domination. Some thought Jesus might lead a revolt against Rome. He didn't, but they did 66-70AD.

Jesus was a sage, a wise man.

Jesus was a social reformer. He was known to talk with women, blessing children and going into Gentile land.

Jesus was a sender. He told his disciples to go into the villages, go and make disciples.

Jesus was a compassionate one...they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus was an angry one. He cleansed temple, turned over tables.

Jesus was a non-violent one. "He who lives by the sword will die by the sword."

Jesus was a chastizer. He was especially hard on the disciples... "You of little faith, how long must I be with you?"

Jesus was an encourager, "Your faith has made you well...no longer have I called you servants, I call you friends...you are the light of the world."

Finally, we have an identity in this Christ, this Jesus, this Son of God.

Our identity as Christians is formed by the Word and the Holy Spirit. Who is God forming you to be today? We need to kick the negative stuff out of our lives. We can let the negative pastor form who we will be today or tomorrow. The devil, the world and our own sinful self may whisper that we are "no good" or "we failed in the past" but we can't listen to those voices.

God has a good place for you and a good future. With God's help, maybe you will be an encourager, a compassionate one. 

I don't know what the future holds but if we listen to him, to the beloved Son, well then, good things are coming our way. We are living out our true identity. We are part of God's family. God loves us, forgives us and gives us second chances. He knows our true identity.

A Word From Pastor Mike - "The Word"

It has been awhile since I snagged a copy of one of Mike's sermons. Here you go...

The Word

I want to see how good you are at recognizing great words, words that have shaped us as a people.  Here are some lines from great speeches. You tell me who said it.

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? 

For bid it, Almighty God!

I know not what course others may take,

but for me

give me liberty or give me death.

That came from Patrick Henry 1775, from a church pew when discussing whether to mobilize forces against the British.

Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth

on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

That came from Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. Critics said it wasn't a good speech because it was too brief.

It was we the people, not we the white male citizens, 

nor yet we the male citizens but we

the whole people

who formed the union

and we formed it not to give the

blessings of liberty

but to secure them not to the half of ourselves

and the half of our posterity but the whole people,

women as well as men.

That was from Susan B. Anthony when she was fined $100 for casting an illegal ballot in the 1872 election.

My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you.

Ask what you can do for your country.

That was in JFK's inaugural address in 1961. He was 43 years old, the youngest and first Catholic president.  It seems like words we need to hear again in a society that is more individualistic.

I am also amazed by great words in the scriptures.  Every time I read John 1:1-18, the prologue, or the first word in John's gospel, I am overwhelmed at the great words.  There is so much to chew on, to think about in these 18 verses. I had a seminary professor tell me that when he took "The Gospel of John" when he was in seminary, his teacher spent 80% of the class on these first 18 verses. Almost every line is a classic:

• In the beginning was The Word and The Word was with God and The Word was God.
• The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
• He was in the world and the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
• But to all who did receive him, who believe in his name, he gave the right to become Children of God who were born not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God.
• And The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son, from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• No one has ever seen God, the only Son, who is at the Father's right side, he has made him known.

Great, great words.  Let me see if it can be summarized in a few sentences.  By taking on human flesh, Jesus the Word comes into the world he created. The Word is the light of God that overcomes spiritual darkness and Jesus authorizes believers to become Children of God.  The only Son reveals God the Father to the World.

Words have great power over us. We are being bombarded by words on a continual basis. Those words, whether we realize it or not, are shaping us.

We are speaking words, and hearing words. We have words in our heads.

We get up in the morning and the words start coming.  Conversation, TV, radio, Kindle, words on my coffee machine, words on the packaging of my bread, on my cereal box...

As I write I notice words on my sweatshirt. It says, "2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals". Words are everywhere.

This year I have cut back on listening to/reading the news. This was hard for a boy who started reading the newspaper when he was in the 4th grade. The news was bringing me down. 

Every morning I listen to an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading and a devotional reading on my Kindle. I have a prayer time with God. That is, I speak words to God - confession, thanksgivings, words for others, words for myself, praise for God...

In his book he promises to speak over your life. Joel Osteen writes "Our words have creative power. Whenever we speak something, either good or bad, we give life to what we are saying.  Too many people say negative things about themselves, their families and about their futures. Here is the key. You've got to send your words out in the direction you want your life to go. You cannot talk defeat and expect to have victory.  You will produce what you say (or think)... With our words we can bless or curse our future."

When I read the words of John 1:1-18 I am encouraged.  It takes a lot of pressure off of me.  God created the world through The Word.  God continues to take care of the world, this congregation, my family, me.

I don't have to worry about salvation.The true light has come into the world that enlightens everyone. All who receive this light, believe in his name, are authorized to be Children of God.

Its a new year. I have no idea what will happen but I believe that God will take care of us.  I don't know about you but I am going to cast all my anxiety on God because he cares about me. I am going to make this a year of good words, of positive thoughts and positive proclamations. I know I feel better when I do this and I think you will, too.

Jesus is the ultimate good Word that God speaks to us. That Word is light and life. Go into 2015 with God's Word, Jesus, in the center of your life.