Why would anyone want to follow Jesus?!
Why do you follow Jesus? Some common answers to those questions are "Because that's the way we were raised, in a "Christian home". Or, "because we've always done it that way". Or maybe you don't like using the words "following Jesus". You'd rather call it something else. Like we are doing with this Lenten season, with the theme, "Gathering Around Jesus". The question is still the same: "Why Jesus"?" I'll let you answer for yourself. But here's how I'll start to answer that question. And I look forward to discussing it further with you as we have the opportunity. God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins. He did this because He (the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit) loves each and every one of us. Jesus gave the supreme sacrifice of His place at the right hand of God, to come into this sin-filled world. Jesus sacrificed His life, suffering and dying the most horrible way of crucifixion. And He knew it before it all happened, and still did it. Jesus showed His love and compassion and care for each individual in His ministry of teaching, healing and friendship with several examples as we find in the Gospels. Jesus promises forgiveness of all sins, and eternal life with Him. As He tells us in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth and the life; No one comes to the Father except through me." You and I can follow all kinds of other people and things. And we all know how modern society has a whole lot to offer. But the bottom line is that Jesus is the One to trust in and follow for eternal salvation! Blessings! Pastor Steve
0 Comments
What is today? Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras! They all point to the same day before the beginning of Lent (which starts tomorrow with Ash Wednesday).
On this day there is the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting and abstinence. Perhaps some of you have participated in special events on this day in past years. And maybe you are doing the same this year. Which is fine. I don't mean to wreck any customs or traditions you have. But I'm wondering if all these holidays and special events really are just a way to remember and commemorate what we can do EVERY day. For every day is a gift from God. Every day is a day to confess sins, repent, and to know that God forgives and gives us renewal and strength for another day of living in God's grace and love! As Psalm 118:24 tells us, "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." I want to follow up on the topic I wrote about in last week's blog, "What is a pastor? What does a pastor do?" And I want to especially focus on two things that I think are very important for a pastor to do: Praying for and with people. And, visiting with them. Let's look at this a bit closer.
I think it is said of Martin Luther, when asked about prayer, said that he began each day praying for an hour for people and his ministry. And when asked what he does when he has an especially busy schedule for the day, "Oh, then I pray for 3 hours." Whether that is a true statement of Luther or not, it still makes a point for the importance of prayer! No, I can't say that I pray for 1 - 3 hours each day for people and ministry. I wish I could. And I'm still working on this. Maybe when I get "older" I'll do better :). But consider how wonderful prayer is, and what an opportunity prayer is! To be able to go to the throne of grace with boldness (Hebrews 4:16) with every kind of petition and intercession and praise!! So whether we pray for long periods of time, or a short one word prayer ("Help!", "Jesus!"), whether alone or with one or two others (knowing Jesus is with you, Matthew 18:20) or with the whole Body of Christ, prayer is a powerful and easy tool for each and every one of us. Especially for pastors! A carpenter needs to have a good hammer, and a strong arm a good aim to nail together the house he's building. And a lot of things can get in his way: a thumb, a fly in his face, a distraction, and all of sudden he's in trouble (from hitting his thumb, bending the nail, etc.) So a pastor isn't using a hammer and nails (unless it's on his "honey-do-list", but then that's on my time off). So the problems and temptations as a pastor are a bit different, but still needing attention and focus. And prayer is an excellent source of all that is needed (and for carpenters too). And of course, it takes more than prayer to be a good pastor, or a good carpenter. But it's a good start for every day! And what is next in my list of importance as a pastor (and as a follower of Jesus)? I could say it in different ways, but here are a few that come to mind: being with people, loving all people, building relationships with people of a congregation and community, loving the people God has placed in our lives, visiting people (in person, by phone, emails, texts, and any other way that we can communicate). Oh, as a pastor I still need to spend time in prayer, study of God's word, reading about.all kinds of things: theology, ministry, and the news of the community, nation and world. I need to prepare sermons, Bible studies, blogs, weekly video messages, and for every area of ministry. I need to attend meetings, write emails, and work with the conference and synod that calls for work to be done. And I need exercise and rest. But more important than all of the above (except maybe prayer and reading Scripture) is the time spent with people. And with people I can also be in prayer, study of God's Word, and learn all kinds of things. So I have made it a priority to be reaching out to people. I make it a part of each week to spend time in emailing and calling people of the congregations I serve. i hope you already know this, but let me communicate it again: I am always ready and willing and will make time to sit down with every one of you to listen to your story of faith, to learn from you, to share with you in the love that God has for each and every one of you! That is a top priority for me in being a good pastor. So PLEASE: let me know if and when and where you'd like to spend even a few moments with me. I promise it won't be a difficult task. And I promise we can be an encouragement to one another. And hopefully spend at least a few moments in prayer together! With a promise to pray for and with all of you, whom God so dearly loves, Pastor Steve These questions comes to mind as we are in this time of transition. Recently we've been looking back at the history of RLC, and of course, the past pastors have come to our attention. And I've heard of some of the things they have done, and not done.
One comment that I usually bring to a congregation in transition, and to the Ministry Exploration Team and Call Team, is that your next pastor will certainly not be the same as the pastors you have had; meaning that each pastor is a unique individual. And none of us are perfect! (I am evidence of that truth :) This often comes to mind as I hear people saying what they want for their next pastor. And I'm thinking: "Wow! I know that none of us can do ALL those things that people want (for example, "we want a pastor who is able to relate to both the young and old". Yet a pastor is either going to be young, or old. None of us can be both :) So how do we answer these questions I've asked? Of course Scripture is the first place to go The word "pastor" comes from the Latin word that means "shepherd". So we could go to the passages that refer to good shepherds (Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, John 10, etc.) And we could describe a pastor as one who cares for and leads the sheep of God', always as those who are under the Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. We can go to such Scriptures as 1 Timothy 3, where the apostle Paul describes what "a bishop" needs to be, and understand the word bishop as a pastor of a congregation. I like the description given in 1 Corinthians 4:1, "Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries." And yes, in many ways, all of these descriptions also describe other people in the church and in our families. We can also go to the Lutheran Confessions where we see descriptions of pastors as "regularly called" and to "preach publicly in the church or administer the sacraments". We can go to Call documents where we read descriptions of pastors as a "minister of Word and Sacrament, in a mutual relationship and with steadfast commitment for the sake of our ministry in Christ's name in faithful witness to the Gospel...." There are also ELCA congregational constitutions which state that "Every minister of Word and Sacrament shall preach the Word; administer the sacraments, conduct public worship; provide pastoral care, and other responsibilities (see the constitution) But those are formal words that describe a pastor. If I were to put a describe what a pastor is, and what she/he does, I would say something like this: I think a pastor is one who has prepared and been called by God through a congregation, to walk with the people of both the church and community, leading them to faith and life in Christ. And that includes preaching and teaching from the Scriptures and about how to live a life as one who is a follower of Jesus. I think a pastor needs to love the people of the church and community, lead them in new areas of ministry, and change her/his direction when they are wrong or things are not working well. I think a pastor is one who prays for his/her people, both publicly and with them one on one, and in her/his individual devotional life. I think a pastor needs to continually work on his/her relationship with people, visiting with them, listening to them, praying with them. Of course there is more to these questions. And very sincerely, I would very much appreciate your thoughts on what you just read, and what you think a pastor should be and do. Let's talk about this! I'm still learning and growing. And I look forward to all that I can do to improve the work of being a pastor. And may this be my last word on what it means to be a pastor: I love it! I love serving and being with people, with you and all of God's people! Blessings, Pastor Steve Years ago I did quite a lot of fishing. That was when I lived up in northern Minnesota, where we had lots of lakes nearby. And yes, I've got some great fish stories! (But I'm in church, so I suppose I can;t lie, I mean: exaggerate.:)
Let's just say I loved a good walleye and perch fish fry. And I've had quite a few in my lifetime: the kind where I caught the fish, prepared them, and ate them with my family. So much more satisfying than buying the fish from a store, or sitting at a restaurant and eating whatever they served. In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus calls four fishermen to follow Him. As we read in Mark 1:17, Jesus says, "Follow Me and I will make you fish for people." What does "fish for people" mean? If we read on in the Gospel accounts, and in the rest of the New Testament, we see that it meant following Jesus, being with Him, learning from Jesus' teachings and eventually being sent out to others with the Good News of our Savior. This is sort of like fishing. Because just like fishing from the shore or in a boat, so with fishing for people--one never knows if or how many will be caught. That's why it's called fishing, not catching! With fishing for people, the catching is all up to God, as the Holy Spirit brings people to repentance and faith. Our job, or can I say the wonderful opportunity we have, is to bring the Good News of Jesus to all people. So Happy Fishing, and yes I mean both for people, and if you like, for fish! Pastor Steve Last Saturday was the Day of Epiphany. And now in the church year we continue in the season of Epiphany until February 11, when we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord. We’ll look later at what the Transfiguration of our Lord means. But let’s look now a little closer at this word “epiphany”.
Epiphany means “a manifestation; a moment of sudden revelation or insight; especially of a divine being”. The word is used for January 6 to commemorate the visit to the Christ Child by the Magi or wise men. As we read in Matthew 2, they came from the east, claiming they had seen a star that led them to “the child who has been born king of the Jews”. These Magi, or wise men, were probably astrologers, perhaps from Persia or southern Arabia. And so they were Gentiles. While a lot of mystery surrounds them, they may have read the messianic prophet in Numbers 24:17, predicting a ruler who would deliver Israel from their enemies. And now these Magi had come to worship Him. We recognize this as the first manifestation of the Christ to the Gentile world (of which most of us are all included). The message and season of Epiphany therefore becomes a message to all the world; the message of “good news of great joy for all the people” Our response to this Epiphany is three-fold:
God’s blessings to each and every one of you in this season of worship, discipleship, and witness! Pastor Steve This upcoming Sunday the Church Year celebrates the Baptism of our Lord. It also comes a day after the celebration of Epiphany, when we commemorate the visit by the Magi to the home of the Infant Jesus.
So what does all this mean to you and to me? Jesus was baptized. And he was made known to and worshiped by Gentile wisemen. The Scriptures invite us also to be baptized: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19) Most of us are also Gentiles, And we are told of the birth of the Savior of the world, and invited to worship and serve Him. But what does baptism mean? To baptize is to apply water. So it can refer to sprinkling, or immersion. And when done “in the name of” of the Triune God, it means we are placing the name of God upon that person. As the Heavenly Father said at Jesus’ baptism, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”, so at our baptisms, we are told that “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ…you belong to Christ.” (Galatians 3:27, 29) So we too are children of God, belonging to Him. And we are dearly loved by God! Our identity is in Jesus Christ. As Romans 8 promises, “as children of God, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” So the Heavenly Father looks at us now as brothers and sisters of His Son, Jesus. This means that all that Jesus has accomplished as Savior of the world is passed on to each and every one of us. The Magi traveled far and experienced challenges and dangers, to see and worship the Christ. What are we willing to do to see and worship and serve Jesus the Christ? It certainly is worth whatever we can give and do, as fellow redeemed children of God. Happy New Year! A year (as every year is) blessed by God’s presence and grace and love! Pastor Steve Time! We all have the same amount of it. We all use it in various ways. We all sometimes complain about not having enough time.
I had a friend who used to often say, “If only we had a 27 hour day”. But of course, none of us do. We all have the same number of hours in a day. It’s just that sometimes, we don’t use it in the most efficient ways. I’ve read articles of how time has been studied. But the fact is, no one can objectively observe and do research on time, since we all are in it. It would be like evaluating how a vehicle looks and the roads it travels, but only as a person sitting in the vehicle. Because we can never step out of time and look at it as an observer or research without being in it. Perhaps the best advice for all of us are these words of Scripture “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1) “Making the most of the time” (Col. 4:5) “My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:15) The Bible points to time as a creation of God (Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning…” would be when time began). And the Scriptures point when time has an end (with references to the “end times ) Certainly God has control of time (Psalm 31:15),So then it is well that we look to the Eternal God (that is beyond all time) and trust in Him. As we close this year, and look toward the new year, may God bless us in time and for all eternity!
And I’m sure we can all come up other situations when the sad and the ugly is transformed into joy and wonder. That’s the way I’m feeling as Christmas approaches this year. At RLC we have just completed a three week series on grief, and this Thursday we will have our service on the longest night, as we all look at the losses and deaths that surround us. And add to this all the other troubling and disturbing news and experiences that we all have in life. And all of a sudden, we are hearing the good news of Jesus’ birth! And one cannot help but smile, and reflect on the joy Mary and Joseph had. And the joy that led the angels to sing, and the shepherds and wisemen to go to see this Child in a manger. Maybe we sometimes think that the Christmas story is in a vacuum, as in separate from real life. But it isn’t! Look closer at this story. There are lots of unusual and unexpected and difficult experiences happening: demands of paying taxes, traveling while pregnant, questions about how the conception of Jesus occurred, and concerns about the welfare of this mother and child. Add to this all the social, religious, political, national and international crises happening at the time (as in our own times), and you have a lot of sad and ugly stuff happening. And into all of this, the Christ Child is born! To dwell with us. To be our Savior. So whatever you are thinking or feeling right now, pause and remember: Jesus was born, lived, suffered, died, rose, and is now living in and among you! As your Savior and Lord. May this cause you to smile and be filled with joy and peace and hope!! Last week’s blog focused our attention on repentance. Today I want to have us think about faith. Consider the various things and people that we have faith in, believing that
And we could go on and on with all the many things and people that we trust in our society. And not all of them are things that we can see. For example, we trust that the air we breathe (usually invisible, except maybe during the winter) has enough oxygen for us to stay alive. Or how about our internal organs (that most of us have not seen). Will my heart keep beating? Will my stomach receive the food I eat (well, if not, we all know what happens then!) We also know that all of these things and people sometimes fail, and our faith in them doesn’t stop them from harming us or others. When Jesus began His public ministry, He began with this sermon: “The kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:15) Repent…and believe! I realize that we no longer see Jesus. And His instructions lead to all kinds of things that are invisible (like trusting in the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life with God). So can we trust Him? It seems if we can trust our heart to keep beating, and that a bridge will hold up the weight of all those vehicles, then surely we can give God in Christ the faith to trust in Him! And God is faithful; he will always keep His promises. His gift of repentance and faith is promised! As we are asked to wait and watch for the Advent of the Messiah, may we call on God to give us the repentance and faith we need. And be assured: He will do what he has promised! |
AuthorUpdating soon Archives
April 2024
Categories |