Current Affairs

Keep your eye on the ball

/ The Pastor

I read a good blog post yesterday titled Distracted.  It addressed a distressing distraction that has been going on this week; something that has (and is) drawing people’s attention away from what is ultimately important.  Do you know what that distraction is? It’s…

…the Supreme Court discussing and considering a ruling about (so-called) same sex marriage.

And in a show of support on Facebook, people have been changing their profile pictures to a red-ish/pink-ish equal sign (meaning marriage equality).  As I browsed through Facebook this week I saw a ton of those pictures and a lot of status updates defending “marriage equality”…and all of this in the midst of Holy Week.

The blog post gave kudos to Satan on his brilliant scheme to distract people from the glory of this week.  And I have to agree.   All of the discourse I read on Facebook was about gay marriage and condemning those who would hold a different view.  I read these and I was sadden.  But what saddened me even more was that as I look back on this past week I too was drawn in.  My thinking was caught up in this distraction.  I didn’t post anything on social media indicting my view but I was thinking about it…and being distracted.

So I am here this morning confessing my sin and repenting of my actions.  This week is Holy Week.  Yesterday was Maundy Thursday where we celebrated the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples and then walked to the Garden of Gethsemane to see Jesus arrested and then beaten, mocked, spit upon and tried.  Today is Good Friday where we will walk to the cross and see how our Lord and Savior died to save us from our sins.  He will be buried, but on the third day rise that we may have eternal life.  But instead of pondering what our Lord and Savior did for us we have taken our eye off the proverbial ball.

This is Holy Week.  Look to the cross.  See how Jesus took OUR sin and destroyed the grip of death.  See how Jesus defeated Satan and won the victory for you and for me.  We are ALL sinners…worthy of punishment and condemnation, but through the grace of God we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  Let’s keep our eye on the ball people and give glory to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen!

From the Heart of a Pastor -|—

Children of the Heavenly Father

/ The Pastor

On Sunday I said some words in response to the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT.   It was difficult to talk about this but I knew that something had to be said.  I shared the hope of Christmas, that God entered this world of suffering and overcame this world in Jesus Christ.  I shared words of peace and Good News.

Following the sermon I asked my small country congregation what hymn they would like to sing next.  And…without missing a beat, someone immediately said, “Hymn #781, Children of the Heavenly Father“.  I had to fight back tears when I heard that.  Here are the lyrics:

Children of the Heavenly Father safely in his bosom gather;
nestling bird nor star in heaven such a refuge e’er was given.

God his own doth tend and nourish, in his holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things he spares them, in his mighty arms he bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord his children sever;
unto them his grace he showth, and their sorrows all he knowth.

Though he giveth of he taketh, God his children ne’r forsaketh;
his the loving purpose solely to preserve them pure and holy.

We are indeed his children who are wrapped in God’s loving arms.  Evil, sin and death may cause havoc now, but they have ultimately been defeated through the cross.

Praise be to God!

The pastor -|—

Rewrite

/ The Pastor

There come times in a pastor’s ministry when a sermon needs to be scraped and completely rewritten at a moment’s notice.

Yesterday was such a time for me (and I would guess most pastors across this land).

The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT has left many people in a state of confusion, sadness, fear, anger…and a list of other emotions.  People have been asking that all too difficult to answer “Why?” question.

Knee-jerk responses have been offered.
Political statements have been made.
Rumors have circulated.
Theories have been postulated.

All of which have not been too helpful…but they are natural responses to a horrific event.  But as a pastor, I need to respond in a different way.  I need to share the light of Christ in the midst of darkness; hope in the midst hopelessness; life in the midst of death; peace in the midst of chaos; Good News in the midst of Satan’s reign of tyranny.

We can not remain silent (even though I was not planning on preaching at Salem this morning).

You see…today is Christmas program Sunday at Salem (Belmont has their program on Saturday).  It’s a Sunday I usually don’t say too much because the kids “preach” the sermon.  I usually only offer up a couple words at Salem (preaching a full sermon at Belmont) and that’s it.

Not today

So as I wrote yesterday afternoon I found my fingers hi-jacked by the Holy Spirit as words flew across my lap top screen.  My faith was poured out into words as I reflected on the Christmas story; realizing that everything fit perfectly.  I was not deviating from the message the kids shared; for this is a season of hope.

For you see…Jesus was born into our world of suffering to bring hope.  Death and sin and evil do not have the last word…God does in Jesus Christ.  And that’s where I find comfort in the midst of such tragedy.  There are so many questions to ask and so many answers to seek.  But what we need to cling to is the love of God that was shown to us at Christmas and through the cross.  This world doesn’t make sense but praise be to God – God has overcome the world.  Find strength and healing in God through Jesus Christ and not in knee-jerk, worldly “answers”.

Blessings to you this day as you grieve and mourn with the hope of the resurrection. Praise be to God!

Have a Merry Christmas!

The pastor -|—

Jesus is the answer

/ The Pastor

As I sit here in my nice, comfortable living room; safe and sound; praying and thinking of those who are mourning the death of loved ones in Connecticut, I find myself speechless (or wordless).  I know there are many people out there that have so many questions.  And as a pastor, part of me feels that I need to come up with some wise answer and response to this senseless shooting.

Why did so many children have to die?
Why did anyone have to die?
What could possibly possess someone to walk into a school and start shooting?
What were they thinking?

So many questions
So much fear
So much anger
So much confusion

But the fact of the matter is this ~ We can’t make sense of this.  One thing we can conclude is that this is a sin-fallen world, but even that statement does not bring any healing.  Actually…it might even offend someone who is mourning. So we can’t just say that and stop.  That would be irresponsible.  It would be no different than how many people have tried to explain tragedies and natural disasters in our past.  Some have even gone so far as to say that God ordained such an event as a way to communicate something or announce judgement.  That too would be irresponsible on our part.

So what can we say now?

In the face of tragedy the only answer we have is Jesus.  That’s it…and that is all we need.

Jesus

Jesus came to us in love
Jesus announced forgiveness
Jesus died on a cross and rose from the grave
Jesus has won the victory and that victory is ours through faith in him

That’s what is comforting me right now, but I am still sad.  A tragedy like this will do that to a person.  So in the mean time I will just run to God.  Running hard with open arms.  Running hard with tears of sadness and tears of joy.  Conflicted but victorious through Jesus Christ.

Don’t try to come up with an answer.  Don’t try to make sense of the senseless.  Run to God and listen.  Run to God and know healing.  Run to God and find hope.  Jesus is the answer.  Alleluia!

Loving and gracious God, our hearts go out to those who are mourning the death of loved ones but our hearts are also mourning and breaking.  Please bring us healing and hope that we may find strength in you to share healing and hope with those who are hurting.  Help us to see the victory over this world that Jesus won and gave to us through faith.  May we run to you and not to worldly wisdom.  Loving God, we worship and praise you in and through this storm.  Amen.

The pastor -|—

CHRISTMAS tree…a pastor’s rant

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

The pastor needs to rant a little bit today so I hope this is worth your time to read:

I saw a post on Facebook today that said the White House, for the first time this year, has referred to the Christmas tree as a “Holiday tree”.

Here we go again…

This bugs me to no end.  Our country’s leadership is trying to be politically correct by saying “holiday tree” when all the awhile they are being oppressive to Christians.  They are trying to be inclusive of all faiths all the while they are excluding Christians.  Our leadership is doing everything possible to respect and honor other religions but refuse to honor Christianity.  Apparently it is O.K. to recognize other faiths but heaven forbid we recognize Christians. I understand the separation of Church and state, but there is a point where that is taken too far.

Now…I totally understand that Christmas trees are not biblical but this renaming of the Christmas tree is just one more reminder of how our government is doing everything they can to do away with anything Christian related.  You see…the Christmas tree tradition was created to celebrate Christmas, not New Years or Hanukkah or any other holiday.  This brightly lit and beautifully decorated pine tree is meant to help us celebrate Christmas, so don’t call it what it is not meant to be called.

Be proud and bold in your Christmas traditions and let’s not let those in power try to take those traditions away.  Say “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” and not “Happy holidays”.  Be full of Christmas cheer and remember the reason we celebrate this time of the year.  Be sure your actions reflect the love that God first showed the world through the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s Christmas…plain and simple.

There…rant done 🙂

Have a great day and a blessed Thanksgiving weekend.  Be safe.

edh -|—

Sandy

/ The Pastor

The pastor’s heart goes out to those being affected by Sandy; that massive storm hitting the east coast.  I have bee watching the Weather Channel this morning and seeing reports of what is going on and then the reporters saying the worst is yet to come.

Scary

High winds
Flooding
Rain and snow
Power outages
Storm surge

So many people are going to be affected; not just on the coast but way into the mainland; as far in as Ohio.  A large mass of area feeling the effects of Mother Nature’s fury.  And in the midst of such chaos it is easy to lose perspective and become despondent.

I believe Satan uses such weather events in an attempt to drive a wedge between people and God as every year Mother Nature proves to be a formidable foe.  But not even Hurricane Sandy can stand up to the sovereignty of God.

So…

Please be in prayer for those being effected.
Please be in prayer for those relief workers.
Consider giving to relief organizations.
Don’t lose faith.
Don’t stop praying once the storm passes.
And remember…

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
[Psalm 46:1-3]
We have an awesome God.  May God be praised even in this massive storm.
edh -|—

ADDITION:
Please remember and pray for those who were affected by this massive storm before it hit the U.S.  The people of Haiti, Cuba, etc.  Lives were lost and property destroyed.  A friend of mine brought this to my attention which shows how biased the media is when it comes to these natural disasters.  I never even considered where this storm came from.  For that I repent.

A great day…but don’t forget

/ The Pastor

I began my day by sitting on my patio this morning:
I heard the birds singing.
I felt a gentle breeze.
I drank my coffee.
I read scripture.

…and I gave thanks to God for a beautiful day…and for freedom.

What a great day…Praise be to God!

Today is Memorial Day.  Many people will attend parades, programs and spend time with family and friends.  Grills will get fired up.  A grave site or two will get visited.  A day off work will be enjoyed.

But through all these activities remember a couple things:
(1) Remember and thank those who have served this country in the armed forces.

(2) Remember and thank those who currently serve (remembering their familes as well).

(3)  Remember and thank GOD!

We enjoy many freedoms in this world because of those who have made incredible sacrifices for our freedoms…and they should be remembered and thanked.  But don’t forget the freedom we have through Jesus Christ.
~ Without the cross the freedoms we have in this world life would be truly meaningless.
~ Without Jesus’ sacrifice we would have no hope.
~ Without God’s love we would not be truly free.

Give thanks today…but don’t forget to give thanks to God (today and everyday); for through Jesus we are truly free.

Praise be to God!
Thank you, God!
Bless those who serve this country!
Bless all your children!
Amen!

edh -|—

 

Preaching forgiveness

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

I am thinking and praying about forgiveness this week.  The text providing the backdrop is one I have always struggled with…

Matthew 18:21-35

This is the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.   It deals with God forgiving us such a large debt and us not being willing to forgive the debts/sins of people in our lives.

In the parable a king’s servant amasses a debt of 10,000 Talents (a debt that the servant could not even hope to repay even though he says he will).  The king threatens to sell him and his family into slavery but after some pleading for time, the king forgives the debt.

Wow!  That is grace!

Immediately after the immensely gracious act, the servant finds a buddy of his who owes him a few dollars.  When the buddy can’t repay, the servant throws him into prison until he can repay the debt.  The king then gets word of this ungracious act; becomes angry; restores the previously forgiven debt and hands the unmerciful servant over to the jailer to be tortured until he can repay (which he won’t be able to).

Jesus then ends this teaching with “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Ouch!

I can understand this response from God.  I mean, after all, who are we to think that people hurt us more than we hurt God.  Who are we to think that our debt to God is insignificant and not important.  True ~ if God forgives such a large debt that we have incurred through sin, then we ought to forgive one another.  But how does one preach such a message ~ without attempting to tip toe around God’s Word in an effort to avoid offending people.

The other interesting tid bit in all of this is that Sunday is the 10th anniversary of 9/11 (like you didn’t know that).  I didn’t choose this text but rather it is the one “assigned” in the lectionary.  Does preaching this message of forgiveness sound insensitive on the anniversary of such a tragic event?  What preaching points would you use?

Just throwing some thoughts and questions out there for consideration.

edh -|—

Wrestling with justice and death

/ The Pastor / 10 Comments

I have been doing a lot of wrestling today over the events of the last 24 hours or so; the killing of Osama bin Laden.  My wrestling will continue but I wanted to write down what I have been mulling over so far.

Throughout today I have been keeping an eye on Facebook and Twitter to see what others have been saying.  I have also watched some news reports and read a few articles.  As I reflect on everything I have seen and read I find myself dealing with a tension.

First off…I am proud of our military and of their sacrifice.   Those men and women have made great sacrifices in the war on terror and in their hunt for bin Laden.  There is a part of me that is glad that this terrorist is gone.  There was a part of me that felt relief last night when I heard the official word of his death.  Will the world be a safer place…I doubt it.  But has justice been served…Yes.  So this part of me is happy and glad.

But now here’s the tension…

…as a Christian how are we to respond to the death of an individual who was created by God.  That’s right…Osama bin Laden was created by God…it’s hard to believe sometimes but he was.  So the question is this:  Is it a proper Christian response to cheer, celebrate and party over the death of a human life…no matter how evil we may think they are?  That is what I am struggling with…and the struggle feels even worse considering that it is bin Laden; a man responsible for the deaths of thousands of people and for changing our lives forever.  But another problem I am having is if it is alright to cheer this person’s death where do we draw the line?  It seems to be a slippery slope and one I am not willing to approach.

Another theological issue arose this morning for me.  I received a phone call from a parishioner who asked me if Osama is in hell.  I know what they wanted to here but I was forced to respond with a very difficult phrase:  “I don’t know…only God knows“.  This person wanted me to do better so we talked about the fact that we are not God and that God is the only true judge.  We also discussed that it is a dangerous business to get into; trying to determine who is going to hell and who isn’t.  “Do not judge lest ye be judged“. (Matthew 7:1)

So where I am at now is the fact that I live in two different worlds.  I am a citizen of the United States of America and a citizen of the Kingdom of God.  These worlds are in tension with one another but it is a tension we need to learn to live with and respond to.  Maybe the challenge for all Christians is to follow what Jesus commanded us to do…pray for our enemies.  That can be a tall order sometimes.

I am not going to mourn bin Laden’s death but I am going to try to refrain from celebrating it.  So in the mean time the wrestling match is going to continue…and maybe that is a good thing.

How are you responding to Osama bin Laden’s death?

-edh-

Priorities

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

This morning as I was watching the news I became very irritated…both with the news agency and with myself for not noticing earlier.

For the past few days the thoughts and prayers of many people in the world have been with the people of Japan.  The stories and images are heart wrenching.  I sit in my comfy home as I watch the homes of other people get swept away like toothpicks.   I see the faces of people who have had their lives washed away and I feel helpless.  I see the utter devastation and I am in awe.  The power of the earthquake and tsunami is absolutely incredible.

This is not what irritated me this morning, though.  Even though I don’t like what is going on over in Japan I am growing more and more irritated with how some media outlets are reporting this (i.e. Fox News).  As I was watching Fox News this morning it dawned on me that I hadn’t heard Fox News say much about what was going on over in Japan.  Rather…the focus was on the United States:  Are our nuclear reactors safe?  How would we fare in an earthquake and tsunami?  Will this bring gas prices down for a while since Japan won’t be demanding much gas for a while? Etc, etc, etc…

Really?  Are we really that self absorbed?

Maybe those questions are important but let’s keep some perspective.  I don’t like seeing those images from Japan but I need to see them. I need to see them so I won’t forget.  When was the last time you thought about Haiti?  We don’t see or hear much about Haiti anymore and therefore it is easy to think that everything is going well.  Then a news story appears talking about Haiti and I am quickly reminded that life is not back to normal (as if I thought it would be).  But you know the old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind”.

But as for the current crisis, I really don’t care right now what the status is of our nuclear program.  I really don’t care how we would hold up in an earthquake.  (and believe it or not) I really don’t care what this crisis will do to gas prices.  What I care about is the people in Japan and what we can do to help.

I may be only one person but I can still do something.  I can pray, I can text some money to a relief organization, I can give to a special offering in worship and…I can remember.

Let’s not focus solely on “what-if” scenarios and self-centered interests but rather let’s keep our attention on our brothers and sisters in Japan.  Let’s not forget and grow complacent.  Remember…after hurricane Katrina Japan was one of the first nations to come to our aid.

God, may your glory be revealed through all those who are helping in various ways in Japan.  Bless their efforts, O God.  We know that you are not distance but right there in the midst of this crisis.  Knowing that you are with us gives strength and encouragement as we face an incredible worldly force. May your name forever be praised.  In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

-edh-