We get to

/ The Pastor

I heard a statement yesterday that I hate to hear ~ but I also love it hear it:
“Eric has to preach tomorrow.”

“Has to”?  Really?

My response was immediate:
“I get to preach tomorrow.”

I hate to hear that phrase because it makes what I do sound laborious and tedious and that I really don’t enjoy it; that I would rather be doing something else.  But I love to hear that phrase because it gives me the opportunity to share my faith and the excitement I have in preaching and leading worship.

“Have to”?  Not even close.

Of course people smile and nudge me as soon as I correct them as if to say: “That is what I meant.” But part of me doesn’t believe them.  Even so…I had an opportunity yesterday and I am happy to say that I took it.

Don’t get me wrong though.  I am not trying to say that my job is any better than yours.  I am not trying to imply that my job is more honorable than yours.  I am certainly not saying that your job doesn’t matter as much as mine.  Sure…I get to stand in front of people and proclaim the Gospel in what I hope to be no uncertain terms.  But then again…so do you.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
[1 Peter 2:9-10]

We are ALL called to be ministers.
We are ALL called to proclaim Christ’s saving love.
We are ALL called to witness to the resurrection.

It’s just that my “job description” is a little different from yours.  We ALL have holy and important callings.  For God has placed each one of us in the vocation we are in for a particular purpose…so make the most of it.  Instead of saying (or thinking) “I have to go to work”, say instead “I get to go to work and share my faith with others.”  That is a holy and important work. Imagine the impact we could have on the world if we looked at our “jobs” as mission outposts for the sake of the Gospel.

God, please help me see myself as an instrument for your glory.  Help me to see my place in life as having a specific purpose.  May you be praise through my “work”. Amen.

edh -|—

Achy heart

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

The pastor’s heart is feeling achy because of some pastoral care situations.  I can’t go into details because I value confidentiality but all I can say is this world is messed up in so many ways.

Disease
Brokenness in relationships
Sin
Hopelessness
Pain
Suffering

…they are all around, and I wish I could wave my magic wand and make it all go away (by the way I really don’t have a magic wand).  I wish I could take away the hurt in people’s hearts.  I wish I could heal broke relationships, take away cancer and put hope into sad hearts.  I wish I could relieve suffering.

[That’s not too much to hope for…it is?]

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
[Revelation 21:1-4]

Wow!

Honestly…when I started writing this I wasn’t thinking of Revelation 21, but I should have been.  I can’t take away the hurt that is all around me but Jesus has.  And because of his death and resurrection we have Revelation 21 to look forward to.  I guess instead of a magic wand I need this hope amplified in my heart.  Yes…that will do it.

Thanks for letting me vent for a while.

God…grant me strength. Amen.

edh -|—

The End :)

/ The Pastor
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
[Mark 13:32-37]

In just over a month we will know for sure if the Mayan calendar will do what calendars are supposed to do…start over for a new cycle.

Mayan calendar

That’s right…Dec 21, 2012 is coming up and that is the date the Mayan calendar ends and the date some have falsely predicted that a cataclysmic event will end the world.   I for one don’t think the Mayans had some special revelation from God about the “unknown day or hour” Jesus talked about in Mark 13, but if they did…GREAT!  Bring it on 🙂

What I find intriguing, though, is the number of people that are concerned about this possible end of the world.  And some of these people are Christians.  Why are you worried?

As a Christian this should not be scary but rather exciting.
As a Christian you should not fear the end but rather embrace it.
As a Christian you should not ignore the end but watch and wait.

[Once again…I believe I will wake up on Dec 22 and finish Sunday worship prep]

You see…the essence of our faith in Christ is that we will be reconciled to God and live in Paradise for ever.  Jesus died and rose so that sins would be forgiven and all of creation be restored.  But for creation to be restored, this one must end.

Scripture tells us over and over again that Jesus will be returning to bring us home.  Revelation tells us of a place where tears, sorrow and death are no more.  And if the end will bring an end to death and sin…then bring it.  I can hardly wait.  Our hope is centered on Jesus who will return us to where we are meant to be.

So in the mean time wait with hopeful expectation, share the Good News and praise God always and forever.

See you later…one way or another 🙂
edh -|—

Giving

/ The Pastor

Today I am preaching on Mark 12:41-44 ~ “The Widow’s Offering”.

It is a story that always hits close to home as it challenges me how I give back to God.  It is so easy to focus on budgets and worry about income and bills; so  much so, that we often times cut back on our giving in order to get by.  But what if we actually believed that everything we have belongs to God (which it does).  How would that direct our giving?

Hmmm…

You see…giving is a matter of faith.  Do you actually believe that God will provide for you?  If you don’t then you don’t have much motivation to give.  If you DO believe God provides for your needs then faith tells us that in order for God to provide for others God needs us to provide for them.  God blesses us so we may bless others.

What a novel idea 🙂

When you place your gift in the offering plate you are:
~ Praising God for is abundance
~ Thanking God for His blessings in your life
~ Blessing others
~ Showing trust
~ Worshiping God

The offering is not just part of the worship service, it IS an act of worship.  May you know God’s blessings so you may bless others with the love of God.

We give thee but thine own, whatever the gift may be;
all that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from thee.

May we thy bounties thus as stewards true receive,
and gladly, as thou blessest us, to thee our first-fruits give.

The captive to release, to God the lost to bring,
to teach the way of life and peace — it is a Christ-like thing.

And we believe thy word, though dim our faith may be:
whatever we do for thine, O Lord, we do it unto thee.
[Evangelical Lutheran Worship book #686]

Praise be to God!

edh -|—

Crossing over

/ The Pastor

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
[2 Timothy 3:12-15]

It seems to me that this verse is becoming more and more true now than ever before.  Sometimes it feels like I am fighting an up hill battle in this world.  When you watch the news and TV shows one can quickly see the downward slide.  Gone are the wholesome family shows like The Cosby Show or The Brady Bunch.  Now we have shows that highlight alternative families, violence, vampires, evil, etc.  The “dark side of the force” is being promoted as glamorous with more and more people crossing over.  This pastor’s heart is aching at what it is seeing.

Wow…how I miss the good ole days.
[Sigh…]

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed…”

I need to remember, though, that God is sovereign and I am not.
I need to continue in the faith I was raised in.
I need to continue to drink from the living waters of Jesus Christ.
I need to stay close to Christ in prayer and scripture.
I need to maintain Christian fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I need to stay hopeful ~ diligent ~ prayerful ~ persistent.

The pastor’s heart may be aching in this world but Christ brings healing through the cross.  In the mean time we need to keep up the fight and not cross over to the dark side.  Let the good in you shine forth to the glory of God our Father.  Remain hopeful, for Christ is returning to bring balance to the force 🙂

[Sorry for all the Star Wars references]

Praise be to God!

edh -|—

Pray, pray, pray

/ The Pastor

God is in control!

Jesus IS King!

God WILL BE glorified!

So…

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
[1 Timothy 2:1-2]

Enough said 🙂

Praise be to God!

edh -|—

Romans 8 moment

/ The Pastor

This morning I found myself blown away (once again) by God’s mercy and faithfulness when I was at a loss for words.

I was speaking with an individual yesterday who is going through some very difficult stuff in their life.  They were in utter despair and didn’t know how they could possibly go on.  Throughout the course of the conversation my heart was breaking as this person struggled to speak through their tears.  I kept asking in my heart:

“God, please help them.  Please do something.”

I was pleading for them as I listened to them.  It was one of those times where words would have gotten in the way; they just needed someone to listen.

Finally…

…I offered to pray with them which they happily received.  I don’t remember what I said.  I think it was one of those times that Paul talks about in Romans 8:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Following the prayer they thanked me and I promised to follow up with them tomorrow (which is today).  I then proceeded to the sanctuary and continued praying.  Once again…I do not remember what I said.

Another Romans 8 moment.

I called this person today to follow up (as I promised).  As soon as I heard their voice I knew things were different.  They said they were having a much better day.  They seemed a little more optimistic even though they still have some trials  ahead of them.  Then this person said they thought maybe God was grooming them so they could help someone else out.  Wow!

After the phone call I returned to the sanctuary in utter amazement.  I didn’t know what to pray for yesterday but God was faithful; God was glorified.  In the end I guess all we need to do is just throw our hands up in the air and say…

edh -|—

Real victory

/ The Pastor

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.
[Proverbs 21:31]

Prosperity theologians like to proclaim that victory is something we can claim through a right attitude.  They claim that if we can think correctly about ourselves or look at our situations in the right light we can claim victory or “favor” [ as one particular and misguided prosperity theologian likes to say].

But the author of Proverbs is saying that we can only prepare ourselves for battle but when it comes to “victory”…well…that belongs to the Lord.  And this is a victory we are given through faith in Jesus Christ.

Prosperity theologians don’t like to specifically mention the name of Jesus because that would give Jesus the power (which Jesus already has). To acknowledge that power takes power and control out on one’s hand.  The thing is, we have no victory (or favor) in this life without Jesus.  We have no future without Jesus.  We have no life without Jesus.

So prepare your horse for battle but don’t get too cocky.  Remember who’s in charge.  Any victory you win is from the Lord.  And favor?  Yup…through faith in Jesus Christ we have that too ~ the cross is proof of that.

Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[1 Corinthians 15:54-56]
AMEN!

edh -|—

Waiting and patience

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

imageWhen I need to get away and pray, one of my favorite spots is the sanctuary at Salem Lutheran Church (one of the congregations I serve).  Last week I found myself there; staring at these stained glass windows.  The room was dark but the sun light was pouring through these colorful windows.  Even through I was squinting my eyes I couldn’t seem to look away as I poured out my heart to God.  It may sound like a cliche but it seemed like God was pouring himself out upon me through those windows.  It felt comforting during a time of chaos and impatience in my life.

Impatience?

Yup…impatience.

My wife and I are in the adoption process and I am growing more and more impatient as I wait.  We are excited about growing our family…and we want to do it now.  We have filled out the adoption paper work and now are filling out grant applications.  We are doing what WE need to do.  The faith issue I keep having is that I expect God to follow though…NOW.

I need patience.

So I find myself in the sanctuary (a number of times); away from my phone and email, staring at those windows ~ praying.  I am asking God to:
~ Calm my heart
~ Strengthen my faith
~ Increase my trust that God has a child out there chosen for us

I know God’s timing is often not my timing (which is hard) but God knows what God is doing.  I keep thinking that God is molding and teaching Connie and me.  I just wish I knew what God was up to ~ but I guess that is where the praying comes in.

So the waiting continues…

and…

the prayers for patience continue…

God…continue to pour your light and love upon Connie and me as we wait.  We look forward to meeting the child you have chosen for us.  Strengthen our faith that you may be glorified in all we do.  In Jesus name, Amen!

edh -|—

Reading material

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

image

Every bathroom needs reading material but you got to love it when a business puts a Bible in their’s.  You also should have seen the expression on my wife’s face when I walked out. “Did you just take a picture in there?!?”  I can about imagine what was running through her head 🙂

In any case…this picture is screaming for a caption.  What do you suggest?

edh -|—