Love Christ Live Faith

Peace, Goodwill Among People

2011-12-24T17:30:00.011-06:00

Notre-Dame de l'Atlas Monestary, Tibhirine, Algeria

In the days of Emperor Augustus, in the era of peace through strength within the Roman Empire, the Prince of Peace was born in Bethlehem. He was born in a barn, and his first bed was a feeding trough for animals. This child would be called Son of God. An angel proclaimed his birth to powerless men, who watched sheep for a living. The Heavenly Host praised God saying: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, goodwill among people."

The promise of the Christ Child is peace. A new era has begun. The days are now numbered for the oppressive era of peace through strength and power through weapons. Jesus would rule through love and hope. When power, strength, and murder was used to destroy the Lord on the cross: he took our sins upon himself and defeated death forever through resurrection life.

I don't need to tell you that mortality still hangs in the air. I don't need to tell you that strength and power are still found in the hands of the wealthy and best armed. But I do need to tell you this. Because of the Lord whose birth we celebrate tonight, their days are numbered. Life eternal is the promise for all who belong to Christ. On Christmas, as much as any day of the year, this truth needs to be celebrated and embraced.

I recently have been deeply moved learning more about the details of an event with occurred exactly 18 years ago tonight. In a place, thousands of miles away, courageous disciples of Christ found themselves at the intersection of Christmas peace and terrorism's violence.

The Trappest Monks of Tibhirine

In the midst of the Algerian Civil War, between the government of the North African nation of Algeria and Islamic extremists, a group of French Trappist monks of Notre Dame de l'Atlas Monastery in Tibhirine were faced with a painful decision. Would they stay in their community, even as many European journalist and other foreigners were being assassinated? It would have been understandable if they chose to leave, but after careful discussion and many prayers they chose to stay. The Muslim community of their town wanted them to stay and though they were French, to many of these monks, Tibhirine was the only real home they had.

On Christmas Eve 1993, as preparations were being made for vigils and mass to be celebrated on the Nativity of our Lord, a gang of terrorists, who had only two weeks before massacred 12 Croatian Catholics, stormed into monastery. Father Christian, the head of the monestary, faced the leader of the terrorist gang, and insisted the thugs step outside. "The monastery is a place of prayer, no arms have ever entered in here. If you want to talk we must go outside."

Father Christian and the leader of the gang, Emir Sayah Attiya, stepped outside and with amazing courage Christian stood up against the terrorist's demands, not with weapons, but with faith and hope. "You have no choice." Attiya repeated over and over again. Each time Christian responded, "Yes, we have a choice." Finally, using his knowledge of the Koran, Father Christian appealed to the terrorist's faith by quoting a passage that required respect toward men of prayer. "You have come here armed just as we are preparing to celebrate Christmas, the feast of the Prince of Peace," Christian said." With that, Attiya responded, "I am sorry, I didn't know." And he and his terrorist gang left.

Father Christian

What an encounter, but an even more moving witness of the power of faith and hope and peace didn't come till after that terrible encounter. After the terrorists' departure, the monks didn't flee in horror, they didn't seek revenge, and didn't dig in for war. The monastery bell was rung and they went to church to celebrate Christmas Vigils and Midnight Mass, as if nothing happened.

In the days that followed the monks had many conversations about leaving Tibhirine. Some of the monks wanted to go, and they were free to do just that. But Christian and the majority stayed. The Algerian government insisted on stationing armed guards around the monastery. Father Christian flat out refused. They would not face terror with terror. They would not fight murder with murder. They would remain faithful to their calling as Trappist monks of the Cisterican Order. They would remain faithful to Christ and be agents of peace and hope.

The gift of Jesus Christ is the gift of peace and hope for the world! The world continues to be a place of terror and war. Strength is still measured by the amount of money and weapons you have. But we know, tonight, such worldly strength will not win. It's days are numbered. But you are warned... the world is not through yet. The Gospels tell it to us straight: if you stand for peace and hope, you will be persecuted. But if you stand for peace and hope, you will experience today, what most will not experience until the Kingdom of Heaven is fully revealed. Christ gives us life beyond what we see in front of our face and we are free to live that truth right now. Yes, we have a choice.

Two years after the Christmas Eve encounter, terrorists, not related to the original gang, stormed the monastery at Tibhirine at 1:15 AM on March 27, 1996. Seven of the monks were taken prisoner, including Father Christian. Two were left behind, unnoticed by the terrorists. On May 21 of the same year, those seven monks were martyred. There still are many mysteries regarding their deaths, and its not exactly known what organization killed them. But we do know this... they died because of their faith: their faith in Christ, their faith in hope, their faith in peace. And as martyrs they are an inspiration to me and countless others who hold on to the hope of tonight: Christ was born to bring peace, goodwill among people.

The days of Augustus, Empire, Terrorism, and war are numbered. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Some say: "you have no choice." You must fight back strength with strength. But others say: "Yes, you have a choice." Through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, may we have the faith to stand with those who have chosen peace, love, hope, and Christ. They are heroes of the faith, and have experienced in this life the true gift of Christmas.

I am the Way

2011-05-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is a powerful claim. He is the path to knowledge of God… he is the revelation of both our physical and spiritual realities. Through Christ everything get’s laid out before us and we come to know God.

Unfortunately, these words have been turned upside-down by people who want to instead say that their church is the only way to God. But Jesus is not making a claim that physical institutions the only true path. Such a statement is contrary to the Biblical message. Such a statement is used to divide and not to reveal hope. Christ is the way. Christ is the truth. Christ is the life.

This past week I was blessed to be able to attend a reception at Zion Lutheran in Tinley Park for the President of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Younan of the Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. The Lutheran World Federation is a collection of 140 Lutheran Church bodies from 78 different countries. 66.7 million of the 70 million Lutherans all around the world belong to churches that are connected with the Lutheran World Federation. That’s 95% of Lutherans.

I was touched by Bishop Younan’s message which emphasized the current situation of both the peace process in the Middle East and the state of Christianity around the world. Wonderfully, he sees both as being tied together because he sees that in both cases dialog and working together is the key. He said he will never be concerned for a Christian Church that is witnessing. And that witnessing needs to always be focused on two things: love of God and love of neighbor.

He is optimistic for the prospects of peace in the Middle East because he sees, and is active, in projects where Christian leaders, Muslim leaders, and Jewish leaders are coming together and with one voice are saying that the love of God and the love neighbor is at the core of the way any of these religions live out their faith.

I found it interesting, however, that what disappoints this gracious man and optimistic spiritual leader is that Bishop Younan see over and over again that the sincere efforts of the many are being overshadowed by fanaticism of the tiny few.

Why is it that you hear nothing about Christians, Muslims, and Jews working together, but just about all of you have heard about a solitary “pastor” and a couple dozen of his followers choosing to burn Korans in Georgia in the name of our Lord, Jesus? Not only have you heard of him, but they have heard of him, but millions of Muslims in the Middle East of heard of him as well.

Why is it that you do not hear about the world changing activities of the 66 million members of the Lutheran World Federation, but you are very much aware that there is a place called Westburo Baptist Church in Kansas protesting military funerals while holding up signs that say God hates?

Why is it that you do not know that Bishop Younan has spent the week here in the Chicago area and is preaching this morning at Grace Lutheran Church in LaGrange with a message of hope and peace… But you know full well that there were a handful of “Christians” with a billboard telling us all that yesterday was going to be the end of the world?

My friends the answers to those questions are the same answers as to why today’s Gospel reading of great joy is turned around and made into an instrument of hate and division far too many times. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” And the heretical message of those who would divide is that they are the way, and not Christ.

And yet this really should be expected in a physical world that continues to feed us the lies that there is no hope and that what you see is what you get. Wickedness will always use fear to obscure that Christ has revealed. Wickedness will use hate to shield the truth from the children of God who hunger for it.

What is truth? One man burning a Koran or a million men of many faiths praying for peace?

What is truth? Ten people selling you the lie that God hates and the world ended yesterday, or 66 million Lutherans untied in an institution yes, but more importantly united with the billions who have be baptized in Christ throughout the history of the world?

Let not your hearts be troubled, brothers and sisters. While the lies get all the attention, the truth is being made known through Christ. Let not your hearts be troubled… because the lies fade away and are forgotten. Apparently the guy who told us the world ended yesterday said it before in 1994. Lies fade away and are forgotten, aren’t they. But the truth, Christ, remains forever.

The seeds of peace have been planted. God is on the loose and the Holy Spirit is revealing his truth continually.

In today’s lesson both Thomas and Philip are important. We are just like them in so many ways because it’s hard to separate spiritual truth with the physical. We want the tangible. We want to be able to see. But spiritual is nothing like that.

When Jesus says that he is the way, Thomas’s question is your question. Can you give me a map? Can you plug it into my GPS? And Jesus just has to shake his head. Quit thinking only about what you can see.

Philip is even better. “You know I believe in you Jesus, but can you give us a little more… something tangible. Then I’ll be satisfied.”

The spiritual and the physical are not the same. And the spiritual reality around us is so mysterious that the only way can even begin to talk about it or ponder it is by using physical images and analogies. One of the best examples of that is right here in this lesson. Jesus says that in my Father’s house there are many rooms. I will go and prepare a place for you.

Well you know what image pops into people’s minds when they hear this: This is heaven Jesus is talking about. The great big Motel 6 in the sky. But therein lies the confusion and the reason for Thomas’ and Philip’s confusion. Show me where this Heavenly Motel 6 is, Lord! Show me and I’ll be satisfied.

The way, the truth and the life is so much more than that. It’s time to move beyond the physical and allow the spiritual truth to become the source of your faith. The global religious leaders who in one voice say that faith is lived out through love understand that. There are many rooms and they are all filled with love.

- When people claim to have that map that Thomas was seeking, that is a sign they do not reveal the truth.

- When people announce the day the world will end, that is a sign that they are not the truth.

- When people preach a message of hate in God’s name, that is a sign that they are not the truth.

- When people kill in the name of God, that is a sign that they are not the truth. They speak for evil: and the fact they get news coverage and attention does not give them validity.

So instead, even though we do not get the same attention as they, we press on both believing in him and doing the works that Christ does: which is spreading a message of hope and peace for the world.

Bishop Younan will persevere. He will continue to share the gospel message, to witness, and do the works of Christ. The Lutheran World Federation will continue to be a church that is witnessing. Millions of Jews and Christians and Muslims will continue to stand for peace in the face of the dozens who want to blow the whole thing up. After all… Jesus says, in His Father’s house there are many rooms.

Don be fooled by the lies of hate and fear any more. Let not your hearts be troubled. Live your spiritual now… and be an instrument for the way, the truth, and the life. It will not get the attention that hate gets in the media, but the Father will be glorified through it. And step by step the world being won for Christ. The Kingdom of Heaven… the Kingdom of peace is at hand.

In the Zone with Burning Hearts

2011-05-07T09:54:00.000-05:00

Moments after President Obama announced that Navy SEALs had killed Osama bin Laden, conspiracy theorists were already questioning whether it was true. Now a week later, many people have picked up on their mantra: I'll believe it when they release the photograph of his dead body.  This is where my skepticism reveals itself. A photograph will not satisfy the doubters. Seeing is not believing.

We witnessed that only a few weeks ago. From the point Mr. Obama became a serious candidate for president there have been doubters, now called "birthers," who claim the President was born outside of the United States and therefore ineligible to become president. When President Obama released a full copy of the original birth certificate they were not satisfied. Seeing is not believing. Faith is believing.  I guess birthers put their faith in the fact at fact that the President was born outside of the country.

Faith should be reserved to matters of the divine. Christians put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. They believe that Christ died for their sins and was raised to eternal life. They live their lives as a response to this truth they have faith in. There is no "seeing is believing" proof out there, even though here are many physical signs and the witness of millions that do factor in this process of believing. Ultimately, however, a Christian lives by faith. There are moments of "seeing is believing" for those who live by faith, but they are temporary.

We know that our eyes can be fooled. It's that way will all the senses. During the Civil War people standing just a mile's distance from the Battle of Fredericksburg could see the battle raging but only heared silence. At the same exact time, five miles away, people could hear the battle clearly. What is going on?  What they witnessed that day was a phenomenon that scientists later would call an acoustic shadow.   Hearing, or not hearing, is NOT always believing. We know that now.

It's that way with touch as well. How many children walking through a neighborhood haunted house in someone's garage have been fooled into believing a bowl of cooked spaghetti was actually... EEK... brains? I know I was.

How about taste? The most popular flavor of jelly bellies is not lemon or grape or cherry, but buttered popcorn. I know its always been mine. I still am amazed a jelly bean can taste like popcorn.  A scratch-n-sniff sticker of pizza does that same thing with our sense of smell. We are fooled into thinking we are smelling a delicious pizza.

Ultimately everyone one of our senses can be fooled. Seeing is not believing.  Nor is hearing, tasting, smelling, or touching.  People understand this because our memories banks are filled with experiences of playing the fool. We've been down this road before. Not only have we been fooled into believing in something that's not there... we've also been let down by our senses as well.  These are the times we've missed what was right in front of us.

That's the point of the lesson from Luke 24. The risen Lord appears to two of his disciples as they are making the long walk home to Emmaus.  Instead of being fooled by their senses to perceive something that isn't there, their senses prevent them from perceiving.

They see the risen Jesus, but they don't know it is him. And this isn't because their minds are somewhere else, thinking about baseball or women, they actually are discussing the events of the past few days. Isn't that amazing? They are talking about Jesus and yet they cannot understand that he is right there. They hear Jesus speak to them about himself in the Scriptures, but still they cannot understand.

Ultimately it is the actions of Jesus at a meal that reveals his presence to them. Was it the smell of the food and the taste at the tip of their tongues? Was it because in Jesus' words and motions at the table memories were tiggered of from when Jesus did the same thing at the feeding of 5,000? Maybe it was a combination of them all. It could be that having those seeds planted through Jesus' teaching along the long road to Emmaus they were set up to finally perceive it all at that moment. What ever it was, suddenly they do believe and their hearts burn with truth. This is a God moment. This is Holy Spirit.

God will use our senses to reveal many things to us. You never know when your going to have a God moment of total recall: when suddenly it all comes together. These are the sudden moments when you instantly understand your place in this world and understand your relationship with God, Christ, and everyone else. Sports players call it being in the zone. Maybe for us its being in the spiritual zone. In the Jesus Zone.

At that moment it all comes together. Your whole self will be touched: spiritually and physically, heart and soul.  When we gather for worship we open ourselves up to be moved into that zone by God. You can see the worship space and symbolism. You can hear the gospel. You can smell the flowers and candles. You can feel the hand of your Christian brothers and sisters in the passing of the peace and you can taste the body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament.

In worship it comes together. No single sense becoming more important than the other. For the disciples in Emmaus the meal was key... It revealed truth to them.  You never know when your heart will suddenly burn with divine truth in faith. A hymn often triggers it: memories of something long forgotten. A smell or a touch and open your mind in amazing ways.  It can come from anywhere.

When it does happen get ready for the amazing. You won't be able to sit still.  Your heart will burn and you'll get all excited. Your heart pounds faster. Tears will roll down your cheek... both of sadness and of joy. And in the midst of the Spirit you will know what you have always believed: Jesus is Lord and God is good!  You believe.  You have faith. You will share it.

One out of Ten

2011-04-30T16:37:00.002-05:00

Recently a new restaurant opened its doors. People in the neighborhood were excited to try it out. A few weeks after it opened, ten people who had a meal at the restaurant were surveyed. How did they like it? Would they go again? Would they recommend the place to their friends?

Nine of the ten just loved the place and most of then have already been there at least twice. The consensus was that they loved the food. It was fresh, interesting, new and delicious. The service was friendly. One patron said that she felt like one of the family now. Most thought the prices were fair to excellent and many bragged about taking home a "doggie bag" each time they went because such huge portions were served.

One person who was surveyed, however, did not agree with the prevailing view. He thought the service was slow and his waiter crabby. They didn't get his order right and he had to wait over forty minutes to get his new meal after he sent the other one back. He posted his poor opinion online, on the dining websites: yelp, metromix, and dine.com.

Upon hearing about the poor experience of the one person, the owners of the new restaurant did everything they could to earn back the customer's favor. They refunded his money and offered to give me a free drink with his next meal. When the customer said that wasn't good enough, they said that they would give him dinner for two on the house if he would erase his poor review. (It didn't look too good for the new restaurant to have only one review online, his scathing attack.) When he said he would do if the meal also included two bottles of wine, they gave in and he erased his review.

The next Friday, Mr. Poor-review dined at a table right next to one of the positive reviewers from the survey and by coincidence they both had the same waitress. At the end of the meal the waitress asked each of them, "how was everything." As he handed over his Chase debit card to the waitress Mr. Positive said: "fantastic, I just love this place." Mr. Poor-review had a different story to tell the young lady, as he handed her his free-stuff voucher, "My food was cold again... and again you guys were so slow. I'm not coming here anymore." But of course, that was not the case at all... for you see, Mr. Poor-review did eat there again two weeks later... and once again his meal was free.

We live in a world where the cliche "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" reigns as divine truth. When services businesses depend on happy customers and 100% job satisfaction, a great deal of power is given to the one who likes to make noise and has very little ability to see things that are positive. From auto sales, to daycare centers, to faith communities when a person is upset a great amount of time, energy and resources are spent to try get that squeaky wheel to stop making so much noise. Nine out of ten is not good enough... ten out of ten is was is strived for.

Unfortunately, the loser in this whole equation is the one providing the service. A system that empowers the tiny percentage of complainers is a system that is hijacked by said complainers. The first few months of a new restaurant's life is precarious. A poor review or two can kill it, even if the motives and personality behind the poor review is suspect. They must do all they can to make it "right." The mantra of this "Squeaky Wheel" world is that "the customer is always right." Even when Mr. Poor-review is wrong.

The other loser in this is the other nine customers who also are "always right." They don't get the grease the restaurant would like to give them. They are telling their friends about the new place, but can easily go without notice.

In John 20 we are given a story that's not all that different from our 2011 restaurant opening. Jesus' disciples were gathered together in a room. No word is given to us in John about what they were eating. The story is not about reviewing a meal. Instead it is about the appearance of the risen Christ. Jesus appears to them and breathes the Holy Spirit upon them. Thomas is not present, and when the disciples tell him what happened his response is well known. He's a distant relative of Mr. Poor-review: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

It's a good thing there was not a yelp or metromix or dine.com for faith in the first century. I'm sure Thomas would have been right on there posting his doubts and opinions.

Jesus, the Son of God, responds to Thomas with love and compassion. No surprise there, after all God is love. At first it appears that Jesus is going to give Thomas the equivalent of a free meal for two to get him to change his mind. Go ahead and feel my wounds. Put your finger through the hole in my hand. Put your arm into the wound in my side. Thomas is changed. He believes. "My Lord and my God!" is his response to Jesus' love.

But Jesus turns the table on this squeaky wheel system. The church will not be hijacked by Doubting Thomas and his descendants. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Walking by faith and not by sight is a gift and a blessing from God. The living faith we express in our families, communities, churches, and workplaces is a living faith that is born out of these events. We do not believe because we have seen. We believe because the Holy Spirit has been breathed upon us through our baptism.

No name is given to the other disciples in this text. They go without a name, and without notice, like so many wheels that don't seek attention through threats, complaints, and overall disdain for much of what they encounter in the world.

Living faith does not seek such satisfaction and the mission of Christ will not be hijacked by the pessimism of the few. Jesus' ministry is a living example of pressing on and persevering through the reactivity of others who are suspect of anything different and afraid to see the amazing things God is doing in the world. Jesus' followers are warned that ministry will not be easy. Jesus warns them and us bluntly: you will be ridiculed, oppressed, and shown scorn... even by those you love.

But in it all we all are given reassurances: "blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe." We are blessed with knowledge of the truth. We are blessed with a faith that changes the lives of others. We are blessed by being instruments of God's work in this time and this place. There is no better way to experience the spiritual power of the Lord than to simply give yourself to him and allow him to shepherd you into service and action. A living faith that cannot be seen is a living faith that is best experienced when you live it. That's right live it.

And we live it... even when one out of ten want to suck the energy and life out of the system. We will live it... even when the voice of skeptics is heard in the back ground. We will live it because such living faith is the power of God. We will live it because with it the breath of God comes to us and a gift that we cannot receive anywhere else: PEACE.

Jesus said to his disciples: PEACE BE WITH YOU. AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME, SO I SEND YOU.

The Book of You

2010-08-28T13:03:00.003-05:00

I watched the film The Book of Eli this week. The movie wasn't too bad. I would have made some different choices here and there... And since this movie gives a message that has value to Christians, I would certainly have had that message play out in a different way. But over all it was good... just be sure you can handle a few killings along the ride.

The Book of Eli shows life in a world about 30 years after a catastrophic global war. It is a world of terror and survival and there are very few copies of the Bible that survived the war and its aftermath. Eli feels called to protect his copy of the King James Bible and bring it "west." In a world where people kill for the simplest of things, there is a great danger in being the keeper of this book of "power."

How easy it is for us to take the Bible for granted. Billions of Bibles have been produced and I'm sure billions more will be produced. It continues to be world's best selling book. You don't have look too far to get an English translation of the Bible for yourself at no costs. There are not too many churches that would turn you away empty handed. Our congregation just ordered two more cases of give-away Bibles just waiting to be given away.

So yeah the printed Word is all over the place. I have no less than a couple dozen of them in my office alone. But God is not interested in us filling our shelves with Bibles. A heart filled with the Word beats a dozen cases of Bibles.

Test yourself someday. How much of the Bible has been planted in your heart? If you needed to write it down from memory, how many stories about Christ would you remember? How many of Paul's illustrations about God's love through Christ would you know? How many of the Psalms would get in your book? How much of the Genesis family tree would be included?

The day may come when that Bible on your shelf won't be available and give-away copies might not be waiting on a tall pile for you to take one. Open the Scriptures and study the Word and allow God to write his story into your heart.

Snow Globes

2010-05-15T10:21:00.002-05:00

I recently watched the Peter Jackson movie The Lovely Bones. It's based on a book by Alice Sebold about a teenage girl murdered by a serial killer. The movie moves between the living people looking to solve the mystery of the crime and the girl who is dwelling in some mysterious place between earth and heaven. It's with some trepidation that I watched this movie, because I'm not really interested in seeing serial killers and little girls murdered. But since it was directed by Peter Jackson and life-after-death was the subject matter, I thought it was worth seeing.

There is much about the film worth discussing, and much I wish would have been done differently. However, the character and image from the movie that has stuck with me is the loving father trying to deal with this act of wickedness and a snow globe that represents the fears of all parents, including myself.

Early in the film the father tells his daughter, at that point a toddler, that the environment within a snow globe is the prefect environment. The penguin inside is protected from the forces of the world and can live in peace and protection for a long long time. What father doesn't want to put his children in such a globe. It is terrifying to ponder the forces that surround us in the world. And serial killers are not the beginning and end of those forces. From subtle jabs and teasing in school, destructive words of hate that can weigh on the child's soul, to the physical dangers that lurk from cars to weather to robbers to killers. It's all out there. Can't I create a snow globe for my kids?

The Book of Revelation names both this reality about the world and our fears. In an amazing way Revelation lifts up the gospel that Christ wins on the cross through metaphors and allegories that throw to us images of battles and armies and dragons and fire. Christ defeats these forces of evil and those have faith are promised to live in the Kingdom of God no matter what we face in this world. Wonderfully, in the epilogue, the final chapter of Revelation, the image is of believers entering the "city by the gates" and having "the right to the tree of life (Rev. 22:14)." Permission is granted in these images: "Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift (Rev. 22:17b)."

Fear is taken away forever because, in essence, God has created for us the perfect snow globe in this Kingdom. The forces that would pull us into despair are gone. Not because they are individuals judged to be sinful, but the very forces that would make people into the monsters that haunt the world would simply not exist. "Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murders and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood (Rev. 22:15)."

What disappoints me about the movie The Lovely Bones, and where I am thankful for the gospel message revealed in Scripture, is that those who suffer at the hands of the wicked are liberated from that power forever. The act of death does not mark us for eternity. We do not stand between earth and heaven or even in heaven tormented by their wickedness. Instead we are defined by the love and hope and waters our God showers upon us as we are held in his mighty arms.

Death will not win: whether it be at the hands of a automobile, a heart attack, a murder, or cancer. Those dogs... those monsters... will be left outside, never to harm us again.

In the mean time God walks with us as we journey outside the "snow globe" in the world of darkness. God has shined his light on us through Christ. He's present through my ups and downs... through my sons' ups and downs, through my daughter's ups and downs... through my wife's... through my siblings' and my parents'... And its not up to me to control their situations. Instead, living through faith, each of us does our best to teach, support, love, care, and stand by our loved ones.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20b)

Home

2010-05-08T12:38:00.002-05:00

We love our mothers. What person doesn't love his mother? In day's gone by, when tattoos were the domain of sailors and others rough and tumble men, the stereotypical tattoo would say "Mom." Even a tough guy loves his mom.

Thoughts of mom often lead to feelings of warmth and safety. We might picture mom in the context of fuzzy feelings of the past and home. Somehow, childhood and mother and that old house you grew up in and that neighborhood you used to roam all come together as one nostalgic stew of emotions. On Mothers Day those feelings become even more prominent, especially when Mothers Day means a visit to the old homestead and not just a phone call and a Hallmark card.

In John 15:23 Jesus speaks about home and about the Father. "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." How many of us think of God dwelling with us and making a home with us when we think of home? Oh sure we may think about the house we live in now, that is home. We may think of the home of our childhood; the house that comes to mind on Mothers Day. But do we ever consider that our Lord has made a home with us?

When we live by faith and allow God's Word to be alive in our hearts, the Lord does make a home with us. The way Jesus put it a few verses later in John's Gospel is that the Spirit dwells in us to remind us of Christ and teach us about faith: "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you (John 14:26)."

Mothers Day reminds us just how much we owe to our mothers. They were our protectors and caretakers and so much of who we are now is a gift from them. Likewise, Jesus is our Savior and joy comes to us through Christ. The Spirit, who makes his home within us, reminds us constantly of the Lord and points us to the peace of Christ that blesses us every day. The gift of the Advocate means that we don't have to wait for a special day or go to a special place to feel the comforts our our home in Christ. He is always with us. Through faith our God has made a home with us. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid (John 14:27)."

Unfortunately, there are many people, too many people, that don't feel joy on Mothers Day. The day brings up more feelings of sorrow and loss because of the curve balls life too often throws. Some people have lost their mother and spend the day visiting the cemetery. Some cannot take the lost memories of the past and feel despair hoping they could go right back to that old home. Some mourn their broken relationship with their mother or mourn the fact they cannot become a mother themselves. This is the reality of the world... there are ups and their downs. And for many the world's downs are hard to bear.

Jesus does not give as the world gives. The home that God makes with us is not an idealized memory from the past, it is a present reality found through faith in Christ revealed in God's Holy Word. The home that the Spirit makes will not leave us, nor will it ever be broken. Christ does not give as the world gives, he brings meaning to our worldly lives through the promised eternal life we already live through the Spirit.

And the result is peace. We have a home in our Lord, just as he has made a home with us. It's not a home made of wood that can burn. It is not a home made of flesh that is mortal. God has made an eternal home with us for all our days... our pasts our presents and our futures. This home gives us peace and calms our troubled hearts. Those who love Christ and keep his Word live and celebrate this gift.

The Voice of the Tigers... The Voice of the Turtle.

2010-05-05T10:51:00.008-05:00

I learned last night that Ernie Harwell died. Sights, sounds, smells, feelings all can bring you instantly back to another moment; to a time in the past. Hearing the voice of Ernie Harwell does that for me. In a time of endless reality TV shows on basic cable, mind numbing commercials running over and over again, and all sorts of noises looking for attention the sound of a baseball game being called over the radio is pretty close to a symphony for me. Ernie Harwell was the Bach of baseball announcers in my book. I feel blessed that my family moved to the Detroit area when I was 12. For much of the 80's I got to listen to this man work the microphone.

A well called baseball game does not require a winning team or even an interesting team. It requires an announcer who loves the game, enjoys life and can tell a story like a master. The great ones: Ernie Harwell, Vin Scully, and Bob Uecker don't even need a partner. You become their partner as you listen to them describe the action. Now Ernie is gone... Uke is recovering from heart surgery and I pray will be back in the booth by the end of summer... and Scully has hinted this may be his final year.

Thanks to the modern marvel of the internet and MLB.com I can steel a opportunity to listen to a few innings. I fell asleep to the voice of Scully calling the Brewers-Dodgers game last night. I did that same thing listening to Ernie 25 years ago.

Ernie was known for several catch phrase. Latter in his carrer he used "Looong Gooone" to call home runs. When a fan in the stands would catch a foul ball he would let the listeners know what city the fan was from. "That was caught my a young man from Livonia." Many listeners still wonder how he got that information; never considering for a moment that the gentle Harwell might have made it up. For a double play Ernie would say "two for the price of one." But my favorite call of Ernie's was a called-third-strike strikeout: "He stood there like the house on the side of the road, and watched that one go by."

Time like an ever flowing stream marches on and God blesses us with moments of peace, fun, and a connection with many interesting people. I'm glad I got spend many moments with Ernie and do miss him. I pray that God's peace will be with his family and his many friends.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

2010-05-03T11:16:00.003-05:00

Typically funerals and Psalm 23 go hand-in-hand. So much so, that there are many people who are brought right back in their mind to a memory of a funeral home when they hear the words of the Twenty-third Psalm. "The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want" is all they need to hear to be brought back to that moment.

But Psalm 23 is so much more than a funeral home. Its a Psalm of hope for all time. It invites us to put our trust in God and allow the Lord to lead us. Using a different translation of the Psalm can help us break this powerful prayer away from the grips of the funeral event and help us discover its words of hope for all of us for all times and for all places.

God, my shepherd!

I don't need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,

you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word, you let me catch my breath

and send me in the right direction.

Even when the way goes through

Death Valley,

I'm not afraid

when you walk at my side.

Your trusty shepherd's crook

makes me feel secure.

You serve me a six-course dinner

right in from of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head,

my cup brims with blessing.

Your beauty and love chase after me

every day of my life.

I'm back home in the house of God

for the rest of my life.

We are at home with God. The Lord is our eternal home. Our home in the future. Our home in the past. God is our home today. Yes this is great news of hope for those who have lost loved ones. Psalm 23 must be included in a remembrance of the dead.

But Psalm 23 must be included in our daily lives as well. We have a home in God and The Lord will make us feel secure.

The favorite image many people have from the King James Version of Psalm 23 is "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." It is a masterpiece of the English language. But "the valley of the shadow of death" is not simply in the funeral home... we walk through those darkest valleys constantly. As it says above, sometimes life's way "goes through Death Valley."

If we continue with the Psalm's image of God as Shepherd and we as his sheep, those valleys of darkness are dangerous places where wolves and other predators lurk above us waiting to pounce. Psalm 23 reminds not to worry because the Lord is by our side. "Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure." A good shepherd will not let the wolves devour the sheep and Our God will not let the forces of wickedness to win over us. God's Word reminds of this truth. This Psalm of trust gives us faith and gives us confidence as we press on in life.

So pull this Psalm out of the Valley of the Shadow of Death and allow and put your trust its message today.

No Excuses

2010-05-01T12:51:00.003-05:00

The Gospels make it clear that followers of Jesus are called to love one another. Love is lifted up as the greatest commandment. Love God and love neighbor. "If you have love for one another," Jesus says, "people will know you are my disciples." When Jesus is asked: "Who is my neighbor?" he answers with a story. When three people encounter a beaten and bloodied man along a road, the one who shows mercy to the man is acting as neighbor. Of course that man turned out to be a Samaritan, a despised and unclean people in the eyes of the religious in Judea. A priest and a Levite had opportunities to help, but passed by the victim. They had many good reasons to not help: among them the fact that touching blood would make them ritually unclean. But this story teaches the lesson that love trumps everything else. No excuses. Jesus teaches that no law or rule can be used as an excuse to refuse to love a neighbor.

The first Christians continued to struggle with this issue in the Book of Acts. Does Christ call us to bring the gospel to just Jews like us or to the whole world? We know the answer. Peter was taught the answer in a most dramatic way. I like the way The Message puts Acts 11:1-3 "The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it - heard that the non-Jewish 'outsiders' were now 'in.' When Peter got back to Jerusalem some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: 'What do you think you're doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?'

Like the priest and the Levite in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the rules that differentiate between clean and unclean are used to separate people as well. Conveniently the priest and Levite could pass by a man in need. Chances are they didn't really want to be bothered anyhow. Likewise for those questioning Peter, kosher laws provide a convenient excuse to stay clear of "that crowd." In Christ there are no excuses. Love God and love neighbor!

Peter recounts a fascinating story to his friends in Jerusalem. God gave him a vision when he was in Joppa. The vision is of a blanket descending from above: a heavenly picnic blanket if you will. On it are all kinds of creatures. Every kind of creature actually: "farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds - you name it, it was there (Acts 11:6)." A voice commands: "Kill and eat."

Yes, its a fascinating story... and a little gross. But this is no foretaste of the feast to come. This is a statement: No excuses! Kosher laws cannot be allowed to prevent you from loving your neighbor. "If God says it's okay, it's okay."

Bathed in the light of Christ's love and recipients of his call: the priest is free to get his hands dirty and help the person in need. the Levite obeys the law solely by getting on his knees and showing mercy. And Peter, his friends, and the early followers of Jesus in Jerusalem are to make up a plate for whatever buffet they may step up to if it means people can be reached for Christ. No excuses. If we can't stand "that crowd" or our name is hurt by associating with "that crowd," then that's exactly where we need to be.

The outsiders are now insiders. The laws of Leviticus are not the only systems that have been created to keep people outside the "in crowd." There continue to be outsiders and insiders in the world today: differentiated by race, wealth, nationality, class, sex, age... Know this! The lesson of Acts and the lesson of the Gospels is that Christ will always stand with the outsider. Always! Living as the body of Christ today, we are called to stand there as well. No excuses!

Eyjafjallajokull

2010-04-19T11:52:00.002-05:00

I've been following the events surrounding the eruption of the Icelandic glacier/volcano Eyjafjallajokull. The name of the glacier itself demands attention. I'm glad I'm typing the name and not saying it. Check out Eyjafjallajokull on Wikipedia to get a pronunciation sample. Not that it will help you any. It made me more confused. What a name.

On March 30 there was an eruption of this volcano on the island of fire and ice. I don't remember hearing or reading anything about the eruption then. However, a later eruption on April 14 has led to all kinds of attention. The ash from that eruption cause much of Northern Europe to be left in a cloud of dust and forced the cancellation of thousands of airline flights. Only five days later are flights beginning to take off again. European airlines are losing billions of Euros because of the grounding of their fleets and thousands of travelers have been left stranded. It will take weeks to get everything straightened out. You just never know.

Today I read an article about how insurance will not cover airlines for this event. And there is little hope that any such insurance would be available in the future: or at least insurance they could afford. The purpose of insurance is to protect you from life's "You-just-never-knows." However, by definition you don't see those "you-never-knows" coming. Too often that "you-never-know" becomes a "its-never-covered."

The Bible contains many "You-just-never-knows." Many of God actions and miracles are recorded. My favorite is Jesus' Resurrection which was something Jesus' followers should have seen coming. When you read the four Gospels you think to yourself: "Why didn't they understand? Why didn't they see this coming?" But they didn't. They couldn't imagine for a moment the Messiah winning by dying. And even though they were warned, they just were not capable of even beginning to understand that Jesus could be raised and just what it would mean.

People don't recognize Jesus at first in many of the post-resurrection accounts. It's possible that somehow a resurrected Jesus is changed in such a way that his appearance is different. But, I also think Jesus is not recognized by Mary or by Peter or by men he walked with to Emmaus because they couldn't get a grasp of even the possibility that he could have been resurrected. Really, they should have known all along.

In my lifetime I've read about Mount St. Helens in Washington and Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. It would make sense that such an event could happen in Iceland. But while volcanoes bring to mind images of Indiana Jones, the ancient city of Pompeii, and very, very hot lava... it doesn't bring to mind the complete stoppage of the airline industry. You just never know.

Eyjafjallajokull reminds us of two things: We are very small in the face of the powers of nature... which in turn is very small in the face of God. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn us back to dust, and say, 'Turn back, you mortals (Psalm 90:2-3).'" We also are reminded that we should keep awake because the "You-just-never-know" can and will always happen. This is not a lesson in fear though, but of grace. If we are not awake we may miss the Lord, who we don't expect. If we are not awake we may miss the God moments happening all the time. We are dust and God is everlasting, but through Christ he chooses to be in relationship with us and chooses to give us the Kingdom. Don't say no one ever told you.

This is the Night

2010-04-03T09:26:00.002-05:00

When God creates the first person in Genesis, two actions where necessary. God molded the first man's body from the dirt. The body was created. But that was not enough, God then breathed into the first human's nostrils to give him life. A human was created: body and soul.

Those of us who have lost loved ones to death understand how body and soul works. At the moment of death, or at the wake or viewing that follows a few day later, we can see our loved one's body. But the life is not there.

This happened to Jesus when he died on the cross. "Into your hands I commend my spirit." The body that is removed from the cross and buried in the new tomb is a body without spirit... without soul... without the breath of God.

This is the night that breath returns to his body. At some point before sunrise on the day after the Sabbath, Jesus is resurrected. Christ is risen! His residence is no longer the grave. He is resurrected: body/soul/spirit/breath. When the women come to the tomb the body is gone and the space is empty.

He is not the only person reported to have been brought back to life after death. A royal official's son, Lazarus and Jairus' daughter are just some of the examples of people being brought back to life. Medical science today also gives us examples of people being clinically dead for several minutes only to be brought back to life.

Jesus' resurrection is different. The resurrection of our Lord is a new creation and defeats death forever. Jesus will never die again. This is the night that new life entered his body. Baptized into the body of Christ we are promised to live this new life as well. His resurrection life will be our resurrection life.

That is the hope we life up as we gaze upon the body of a dear loved one. Their's is the promise of new life: Resurrection... body/soul/spirit/breath. This is the night that all began.

Happy Feet

2010-03-31T09:12:00.003-05:00

What do you know about Jesus' Last Supper? Maybe you automatically think of Leonardo Di Vinci's famous fresco or that it was the first celebration of Holy Communion. Maybe you think of Judas being called out during the meal and fleeing or that it took place in the "upper room." But as John tells it in his Gospel, it is also the place where Jesus gives a new commandment in both words and actions.

His new commandment is this: "that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another (John 13:34)." Love now defines the relationship between friends in community.

Jesus models such love with the act of washing feet. Typical in a Passover Seder is the ritual of washing hands, done by a woman present. Jesus does the washing at the Last Supper, and not of the hands, but of the feet. No act is too lowly when it comes to loving and serving your friends. He commands his disciples to do likewise: "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet (John 13:14)."

Very few Christians literally wash feet today. If they do... it's the feet of their young children or grandchildren, or it's the feet of their grandparent or loved one who no longer is physically able. The service of literally washing feet is done for those closest to us and not to just anyone.

Of course Christians are constantly "washing feet" metaphorically. In their service to others Christians are making a difference by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and caring for those in despair.

But I think there is an element that is missed when we look at "washing feet" only this way. And no, I'm going to propose we replace handshakes with feet washing. But looking at the words reported by John its pretty clear that Jesus commands "you also ought to wash one another's feet." In order for that to happen those in the community not only need to pick up a cloth and soap to wash their friends' feet, but they need to take off their shoes and allow others to wash their feet.

Jesus' command is not only to serve but to be vulnerable. Generally when we "wash feet" in the figurative sense we do it from a position of privelage. We share from our abundance:

- I have food so I'll give some to you.

- I have clothes so I'll give some to you.

- I have a home so I'll help you with shelter tonight.

- I feel blessed so I'll listen your problems.

But communial feet-washing means all are also called to take their shoes and let those dirty, stinky piggies out in the open. We may have food, clothes, a home and blessings in abundance, but we still need community... we still need love. Can we be vulnerable enough to acknowledge that? When we take our shoes off we open ourselves up to criticism and laughter. When we take our shoes off we submit ourselves to the hands of our friend who is answering the call to serve you.

Jesus commands us to "wash feet" and we do that often in the metaphorical sense. But when is the last time you allowed your friends in Christ to wash your feet? Probably never in the literal sense... but I would wager it's been a long time in the metaphorical sense as well.

Being called to love one another in Christian community means both serving and being served. Metaphorically speaking: pick up that wash cloth, squirt a little soap... and take your shoes off. You will find Christ in the heart of the gathering.

Holy

2010-03-29T14:47:00.004-05:00

While the word "holy" brings to mind ideas of the divine or living according to a highly righteous moral code, at its core the word "holy" actually refers to setting something apart as not being ordinary. When ground is holy or water is holy it stands apart from the ordinary water or ground we see every day. Holy water would be used for a special purpose, greater than ordinary stuff flushed down the toilet. Holy ground might stand out as being of more significance than the ordinary ground we mow on a warm summer day and Fido uses first thing in the morning. The Bible is holy because it contains spiritual truth about God found nowhere else. This week... this Holy Week... is holy because even as the world continues to move in its humdrum ordinary ways this week stands out because of the holy actions Jesus lived, out of divine love for us.

Sure it is Holy Week, but when we look out our windows everything seems to look the same. Most of us we continue to go to work. Our children continue to go to school. We need to fill up our gas tanks and decide whether we want half and half with our coffee. Yeah... it doesn't seem all that different out there. Children are being born at the local hospital. Couples are deciding enough is enough and divorce is the only answer. Crimes will continue to be reported in the newspaper. The ordinary still surrounds us.

But in the midst of the ordinary we are given a divine gift. All is not ordinary with the world. There is a spiritual truth that impacts our lives... that we miss in the midst of the constant beat of common life and ordinary weeks. The gift of a Holy Week is that even as life continues to tick away we are reminded that God broke into the fabric of time through a Savior. God is united with us through Christ. And Christ becomes one with us fully through the cross. A holy event to be sure. You don't see that every day.

The gift of the holy... whether it be water, ground, the Bible or an entire week... is that the holy reminds us of the divine. Since our minds are all too often stuck in the physical we better have some physical moments of the holy that wake us up to the presence of God in our lives. God is always guiding us, but we tend to forget that.

Allow the rhythms of Holy Week and the opportunities to worship on days and at times you don't usually worship wake up within you the presence of Christ. While surrounded by the ordinary you can experience the holy.

The Time is Right

2009-12-24T10:39:00.003-06:00

The time is right for an angel to once again proclaim the good news about the birth that occurred in the ancient city of David over two millennia ago. A child has been born who will change the course of human history and destiny forever. "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord (Luke 2:10-11)." The time is right for this message.

So often in life timing does not work out all that well. This Christmas thousands of American soldiers are still stationed in Northern Iraq. They must be away from their homes this holiday season. At least 1,000 of those soldiers in Northern Iraq are women and among those women four of them have learned that they are expecting a child. It would seem the timing of their pregnancies could not have been worse. Can you imagine being a soldier, stationed in Iraq, only months away from becoming a mother?

Today there are neighbors, right here in this town, facing life crises. The timing could not possibly have been worse. Here in the midst of the Christmas cheer discovering the need to move in a new direction... to give up an abusive relationship... to throw away the bottle for good... to accept that the only truth in life comes from Christ. It seems like a tough time to be doing that... but actually the time is exactly right!

The time is right to embrace the good news of the angel's message. Time is right to hear that a Savior has been born for all people... for you. On the surface it doesn't appear that the timing for Jesus in Luke's Gospel was all that good for Mary and Joseph. Luke is intentional in letting us know the point in history God chooses to rip into the fabric of human events with the gift of Messiah. It was during the reign of the great Roman Emperor Augustus. At the time he issued an edict that the Empire would conduct a census. It was when Quirinius was governor of Syria. At that moment in history God acted, not the most convenient time for Mary and Joseph. For you see Joseph's family was from Bethlehem so the census required that he actually go to the town. 2000 years later there would have been internet registration.... but not then. Yet even so... the time was right.

Of course, wouldn't you know that Mary had to go into labor while they were in Bethlehem... on a night when there was no room at the inn. What terrible timing... ahhh... but the time was right. God worked to make it right. They needed to be in Bethlehem. The shepherds needed to hear the message. What seemed so imperfect became perfect because the right time was God's time.

Oh yes, the time is right. God will work through the lives of our soldiers in Iraq to hopefully, we pray, become catalyses for peace. God will comfort those four expectant soldiers and those babies may touch the lives of thousands. The time is right. For those facing crises... for those giving up the lies of the world and exchanging them for the truth of Jesus Christ... the timing is right... Tonight is the night.

For to us is born this day... in the city of David... a Savior... who is the Messiah... the Lord!

Tonight out there, somewhere, there is a man who has lost it all: His home, his job, his livelihood. Everything, except the van he sleeps in. And as people walk by along the sidewalk, close to where he has parked his van, he worries. He is scared. He does not want to be discovered. Cold and afraid, he chooses to stay where he is at: frozen in mind, body and soul.

The time is right... for the birth of Christ.

Why Give?

2009-11-14T08:41:00.004-06:00

God wants hearts of people. People want money. When people give away their money generously to others in need and to the mission of the church they are giving to God exactly what he wants: their hearts.

The story of the widow's mite is one of the best examples of this in Scriptures. Jesus sees a great many rich people giving a lot of money to the temple treasury. He also sees a poor widow giving her last two copper coins (her mites). He uses this as a teaching moment. He says that the woman is giving more because she is giving her heart through her act of devotion. The "large sums" the rich give do not reflect the same faithful, heart-giving devotion as when the woman gives all she's got.

God doesn't want all of your money... he wants your heart. There are three things going on when you give generously in a heart-centered, living-faith way. First the act of giving recognizes that everything you have is a gift from God. Second, the act of giving puts your faith in the hope that God will continue to provide. Third, the money you give helps Christ's mission and others in need.

When Christians instead give, let's say, twenty bucks to their church occasionally on rare weeks when they have some extra money after paying bills, going shopping, and spending a few nights out, they are indeed helping through their gift. But that $20 offering is not the act of living faith because it neither recognizes all that they have is a gift, nor does it put their faith in the hope that God will continue to provide. "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on (Mark 12:43b-44)."

Determine how blessed you are. Take stock of your income and make a commitment to give a percentage of what you receive back. Give it to help others. Give it to the ministry of your church. When giving is done as a way of faith and a way of life, the act of giving is no longer about the money... it becomes a spiritual act of giving God your heart.

Thankful, intentional giving is living faith; and it is through living faith in Christ that we see and live the spiritual reality that surrounds us. When the world says you don't have enough, living faith reveals that God, who blessed you yesterday, will bless you again now and forever. Its an act of liberation. It's a gift of freedom.

Joyful Music

2009-11-07T22:19:00.003-06:00

Monday is the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. On November 9, 1989 Germans living in the totalitarian communist state known best as East Germany were first allowed to move through the locked down border that divided a people. History tells us it was a mistake of bureaucratic miscommunication that led the border guards to allow the first swarms of people through. But praise be to God, it was a mistake that changed the world. Once the gates to freedom were opened, nothing was going to turn back the clock. The Cold War was essentially over.

There were spontaneous celebrations throughout Berlin. East and West Germans came to the wall and stood in mass, unable to comprehend that this was happening. Just ten months earlier the leader of the DDR (East Germany) spoke of the wall standing for another 100 years before conditions might change for it to come down. Little did he know that within a year the DDR would be no more.

How do you celebrate such an event? Words could not express the feelings. Cameras took photos. Tears ran down cheeks. What can you say when a wrong which affected generations was finally made right?

A few days after the initial euphoria, when movement through Checkpoint Charlie was no different than movement through a Tri-State Highway toll booth, the great cellist, Mistislav Rostropovich, was moved the make a statement of pure joy. You see Rostropovich, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and considered by many the greatest cellist of the twentieth century, was directly touched by the Cold War. A Russian, Rostropovich became great while learning and practicing his art in the finest musical institutions of the Soviet Union. But political pressures from the Communist Party forced him to make the difficult decision to defect to the United States with his wife in 1974. He thrived in America and continued his storied career. But he could never go home. He lost his country. He lost his people Or so he thought.

Then November 9, 1989 happened. So moved by joy... the great cellist did what he does best. He gave no speech. He wrote no articles. Instead he went to the wall, near Checkpoint Charlie, took out his cello, and played... and played... and played.

There are times in life when the only way we can express our joy and gratitude is through music. There are joys so inexpressible that only sounds can do the justice that words can't. And not just any sounds.... Music!

"Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live (Psalm 146:1-2)." Music is such an essential part of how we worship God. Yes we have words. We have God's Word. Yes we lift up prayers. But there are aspects of our gratitude and awe for the Lord our God that require more than words. There are joys we feel that cannot be expressed in any better way than through music.

Rostropovich expressed the inexpressible that day in Berlin twenty years ago. The world had changed and he had to make a statement... a statement through his cello... a statement through music. Praise be to God!

I am the Dollars of Life

2009-11-06T10:20:00.004-06:00

A church started a new gimmick a few weeks ago. As a way of trying to get more people to come to worship services they began giving away three prizes of cold hard cash. If you want to be one of the winners you have to attend. The top prize is something like $1000. Guess what happened? Attendance not only grew (from 1600 to 2500 on a Sunday) but they also got all kinds of local media attention. Talk about an avalanche of good fortune. They may reach 3000 by the end of this month.

My initial reaction was judgemental. Here's another one of those Evangelical Gospel-of-Victory churches telling people they can get free money if they come to church. They are missing the point, i thought. They missing the true calling of Christ to be disciples... servants of all.

Then I read more about their scheme in the paper. According to the stories, it is true that the church started the program as a way of bringing people in, but they are bringing people in with a purpose. Understanding that most of those attending are looking for the free money, they are apparently intentional of then sharing with them a message of truth: money is a trap that enslaves us. People are encouraged to destroy their credit cards in the shredder stationed in the church. Representatives from a local bank are on hand to help people open savings accounts, with $25 already in place. Reading what was described in the paper, I was impressed and moved. Did not Jesus do the same thing?

In John's Gospel Jesus impresses a whole lot of folks with miracles and give-aways. In chapter 6 he feeds thousands with only five loaves of bread and two fish. People love a free lunch. No wonder there were at least 5000 there. The next day many of them come looking for more since they are hungry again. Jesus tells them this: "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you (John 6:26-27)." They are perplexed by this and ask Jesus to give them a sign so they might believe. I guess they forgot about yesterday's meal already.

The rest of chapter plays out like this: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35)." Jesus himself is the bread of liberation. Faith in Jesus frees us from the daily struggle of I want this, I need this, I hate this. And this is not because we are showered with all the fish we can eat, but because we no longer live the day looking for fish first, but looking to serve first. What you need will come.

John is wonderful about showing us that not everyone bought into this stuff Jesus was teaching. Its not as if 5000 suddenly understood everything that next day and believed. Actually very few understood Jesus and replied "This teaching is difficult, who can accept it (John 6:60)?" Most went looking for their bread elsewhere.

Most of those going to this church looking for free money will also go away disappointed. Even those lucky enough to win. After all $1000 only goes so far. They will ask for more signs and probably start reaching for credit card number two. But some will believe. Some will be changed. If what is reported in the paper is true, and their message is naming the enslaving lie called money as the phony idol it is, then people will be changed. Jesus is the dollars of life. Whoever comes to him will never be poor, and whoever believes in him will never go without. Not because you will be showered with millions, but because you will be living your faith in him first. What you need to live will come.

Reality

2009-10-23T15:52:00.003-05:00

I don't know all the details about what happened in Colorado last week. All I know is that the media is pretty angry. How dare someone play a hoax on them! They are the instrument through which truth is shared to the American public. If there is a boy in a giant balloon lost in the stratosphere, you better believe they are going to cover it. And when it comes out that it might be a big stunt, a way for a reality TV show family to get back in the public eye, oh boy you better believe they are not too pleased.

Like I said, I don't know about everything that has happened. I certainly didn't watch the whole thing live on CNN. What I know about it, I've read in the Chicago Tribune, that "old school" instrument of truth telling. They report that people are not happy. The police might arrest the father. Social Services might take the kids away. ABC might need to show re-runs of the reality series Wife Swap, so we can see for ourselves just how crazy this family is. If only the networks had bought one of the dad's crazy ideas for a show, none of this would have happened.

Personally I am suspicious of just how much "reality" is given to us through the media. If cable television calls Jon & Kate "real," then what is fake? Might it be possible that fame, fortune, celebrity are some of the phoniest things the world dishes out to us. Can't you just hear the lies running through the heads of those involved with the Balloon Boy fiasco? (yes, the media is calling him Balloon Boy)

There is a truth that surrounds us that can't be found in the media, fame, or fortune. The media serves up what it needs to serve up to get people's attention. Fame is dependent on other people being curious enough about you to wanna keep watching you. Fortune is a dead end because there is never enough stuff for security, happiness, or eternal life. They are all lies that take the life out of you instead of bringing you meaning and joy.

The truth that surrounds us is found in God's Word through Jesus Christ. "If you continue in my Word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31b-32)." Living your life for Christ, instead of for fame, fortune, or media attention, feeds the soul and liberates you from phony lies of death. Love for others is a truth found in the Word and a recognition that every day and every gift is a blessing from God to be treasured.

There will be no end to the media's "three ring circus" and you know there will be many others who follow in the Balloon family's footsteps, searching for truth in the world of "reality" TV. But they will find no satisfaction down those paths. The path to truth is found in the Word, and it leads us to a fulfilling, life changing life of discipleship.

You aint so great!

2009-10-16T10:28:00.004-05:00

History is loaded with great people. Alexander the Great, King of Macedon, created one of the largest empires in world history... all before the age of 32. Herod the Great, King of Israel, is responsible for enormous building projects in and around Jerusalem. Many of his buildings still can be found today. Peter the Great, Tsar of the Russia, transformed Russia into a modern, western empire. And to throw in some equal time for women, Catherine the Great, Empress and Autocrat of all Russias, expanded the empire, improved its administration, and continues to modernize in the style of that other "Great" Russian leader.

Now of course that's not the whole story of good ol' Alexander, Herod, Peter, and Catherine. Alexander the Great had all his rivals killed in order to secure the throne and in his quest to conquer the world and spread Greek culture he killed thousands and conquered peoples from Greece to India. Herod the Great was a puppet king for Rome, enslaved his own people to work his building projects, killed members of his own family to protect his position, and according to Matthew murdered innocent boys in an attempt to kill Jesus. Peter the Great enacted sweeping reforms in Russia by brutally suppressing any opposition. He squashed rebellions throughout his Russian Empire by killing thousands. Catherine the Great ascended to power a half century after Peter's reign, but continued his policies of absolute power with no remorse. She famously said: "I shall be an autocrat, that's my trade; and the good Lord will forgive me, that's his."

These are the figures in history we call great? Is there something about getting kicked around that we thoroughly enjoy? With fear and admiration we look upon these bullies with some sense of awe. "Ahh, If only I could be like him," one might say. Another person will think "I better be on her side, or I'll be the next one she kicks." And so in our worldly way of pondering these things when someone reaches the point where they can kick and kill millions of people around they are somehow entitled to have the two words, "the Great," go after their name.

Jesus sure knew what he was talking about in Mark's Gospel. After James and John ask Jesus if they could be his right and left-hand men as Jesus steps up to the kind of greatness they expect from him, the rest of the Twelve are furious. They want to be at Jesus-the-Great's side. Jesus calls them out. He gives them a lesson about greatness. "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them." Hmmm... Yeah that describes Alexander the Great, Herod the Great, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great.

"But it is not so among you..." Ahhhh... here's the lesson. It is not so among you. For followers of Jesus greatness is different. We are called to reject that natural instinct we have to both fear and admire the worst bully on the playground. Through the lens of the cross we see that killing millions of people does not make one great. Spreading influence and culture does not make one great. Through the lens of the cross Alexander, Herod, Peter, and Catherine are not great at all. They are bullies. They are murderers. They are sinners. They represent the worst the world has to offer... Jesus represents the best.

"But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all (Mark 10:43-44)." Alexander and his crew actually model the opposite of greatness. Greatness in the eyes of God comes through love and service. Greatness in the Kingdom of God is found through sacrifice and being selfless. The Emperors, Kings, Tsars, and Autocrats in history are nothing more than over glorified bullies. In many ways they are a human take on dinosaurs. Dinosaurs ruled the world for millions of years: a super-sized example of dog-eat-dog survival of the fittest to the extreme. Eat or be eaten. Kill or be killed.

The Kingdom of God, is different. It is not so among you. Christians are called to take a stand against the norm of greatness the world has lifted up for far too long. Only God is great, and out of his love for this fallen, dog-eat-dog world, he gave us his Son be the gate through which we see a new truth and new creation. We worship Christ who is our King. He isn't great because of the worldly power he exerted on others. He is great because he died on the cross for us. "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)."

Jesus is great because through his death, and resurrection, he exposes the greatness of Alexander, Herod, Peter, and Catherine as nothing but an impotent lie. Therefore "it is not so among you." Stop kicking yourself in the back. Stop lifting up rulers who only repay you with threats and force. Stop admiring the worst of them. A CEO who made billions cheating the people who work for him is not to be admired. A politician who cheats the people who elected him and then arrogantly insists he is untouchable is not a great man. An investor who swendles those who trust her and back stabs her way to the top should not be the plot for a great TV show.

It is not so among you. They are not great. They are dinosaurs. And their day of extinction is coming. "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom of many." We worship the Lord and follow him through lives of service and love. Now that's GREAT!

Drop the Stuff and Run the Race

2009-10-10T19:24:00.005-05:00

I can't imagine running in tomorrow's Chicago Marathon since running is not one of my favorite pastimes. Running over 26 miles sounds like wicked torture. But I started pondering this week: what if I ran a marathon carrying a big box of my favorite things. Could my favorite books, mementos, and good-luck charms give me the extra push I need to finish the race? No... not likely.

A rich man in Mark's Gospel approaches Jesus with an interesting question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" He really doesn't know and I'm sure this is a question that has been bugging him for some time. There must be some hole within his heart that's telling him that his life just is not on the right path. He knows about God's Law. He's learned about the Ten Commandments and follows them. Is there something that he is missing? If there is something missing he's certain he can find and posses it.

Jesus understands the rich man's struggles. He knows that the rich man's question is sincere. The poor guy truly wants the answer so he can find the peace of God's eternal life. Jesus feels terrible for the man and loves him, but that doesn't prevent him from giving the rich man the genuine answer he needs to hear. It is an answer that the rich man surly didn't expect. "Give away your stuff," Jesus says. "Then come follow me."

Oh the grief the rich man felt with this answer... a deep grief. Why? Because its the answer he least expected, but at the same time the answer he has known all along because it is the one answer he just is not able to follow at that point in his life.

If I were to ask Jesus this very same question i suspect his response might very well be: run a marathon. (Yes that opens a big box of issues, I know.) And being the loving, but challenging, Savior he is, he might even give me a little advise. "If you're going to run that marathon, you are not going to want to run it with a box load of stuff. Give it up."

Yes, give it up. It only ties us down. The baggage we carry, whether it be our stuff or our sin or our worries, prevent us from living the hope-filled, liberating life of faith we could otherwise be living.

This doesn't happen over night. I took a look at a marathon training website. It takes 18 weeks for a novice runner to train to run a marathon. It is a disciplined regimen of daily 3-mile runs, cross training, a weekly longer run and rest. The problem is that I would be out by day number two! A three mile run??? I think I'll need a 18 week training program just to get to that point.

Living a life of faith that reveals God's gift of eternal life to you does not come over night. Giving up our dependence and reliance on our stuff takes time and discipline. But you can start somewhere. If you are carrying a 30lb box of stuff... go through it one pound at a time. If you buried in your home with room after room of things you have hoarded... start with one corner. If you are used to keeping all of your money for your own use... start today by giving 1% of your income away. And if that sounds to you like a 3-mile run sounds to me, then give 0.5% or 0.1%. It's important though that you use percents instead of an amount, because its not about the amount you give, but the amount that God has blessed you with in the first place.

Nothing is impossible with God. If a life of living faith is the marathon you are facing then remember you don't do it alone. Through God's Spirit you will be encouraged and inspired. You can do this. Don't fall into the rich man's trap and depart in despair. You can do this. You do not need to live your life following the dead end trap of stuff.

Why are thousands of men and women running the Chicago Marathon this weekend? Because there is a sense of great joy and accomplishment that comes from knowing that you were able to finish such a daunting task. What a great feeling it is, they say.

Well, likewise, the rewards of living a life of faith are tremendous:

- Liberated from the dead weight of dead stuff.

- Greater understanding of the roll God plays in blessing you every day

- Helping others through your generosity

- A real faith in the eternal life given to you through Christ

- Receiving a hundredfold more than enough of the things you need to live.

Drop your stuff and come and run the race. Don't miss out on this life of faith another day!

Let's Play Two

2009-10-02T09:20:00.002-05:00

Both the Cubs and White Sox played doubleheaders this past Wednesday. It's the final week of the baseball season and they needed to get the games in. There was a time in baseball history when several doubleheaders were scheduled right into the calendar for every team, long before the season began. But that doesn't happen any more. With the exception of Ernie Banks, players hate doubleheaders, managers hate doubleheaders, owners hate doubleheaders and the media hates doubleheaders. So, guess what, doubleheaders are planned today only when there are simply no other options.

I've had a week of doubleheaders in my own life this week and now that they are behind me I can understand where all these baseball folks are coming from. It is exhausting to change topics and switch gears on a dime. There is no time for batting practice before the second game of a doubleheader. The lineup cards need to be filled out for both games long before the first pitch of the first inning. From "Eleanor Rigby" to Ghost trailers... from Jesus' prayer for unity to youth learning to pray... from Clarence earning his wings to Peter denying Jesus three times... it's a lot to keep straight.

But what's cool, looking back, is that God has blessed me with the chance to have valuable conversations with youth and adults; with men and women. We talked about God and we talked about life. Connections were made and seeds were sown. I saw people this week I hadn't seen in months. Friends shared stories about their thoughts and struggles. It was an honor to be part of all that. Now that the week of doubleheaders is behind me I sit back and thank God that I didn't play the trailer for Paranormal Activity for the junior high kids learning about baptism.

Yeah, Let's play two. It's better than not playing at all. And hey, Ernie always seems to be smiling.

Sunshine Cleaning

2009-09-14T11:46:00.004-05:00

I saw the movie "Sunshine Cleaning" a week ago. It's about two sisters who, down on their luck, start a cleaning business specializing in tackling the nasty messes left behind after moments of extreme violence. I expected to like the movie, but I didn't.

There's a scene early in the film where a white-collar man, obviously having a bad day, goes to a gun shop looking to purchase a shot gun. "Ahhh..." we wonder. Is he looking to off his wicked boss? Has he finally come to the end of the line with his cheating spouse? No... it's neither of those. Taking a 12 gage shotgun shell out of his pocket he quickly puts it into the shotgun and without hesitation kills himself.

The next scene involves police detectives, including one who's mistress (the star of our show) has money problems. He decides to suggest that she go into the lucrative and well paying clean-up-blood-and-guts-and-brains business the next time he meets up with her at the local Motel 6. In the mean time this black comedy has our stereotypical gun-shop-workers nonchalantly discovering more pieces of our now deceased while-collar gentleman. "Ah... here's a little more of his brains over here."

I didn't like this movie. At its core it looks at the question of how people face the various and many problems that we all have. Our hero's father faces his problems through delusional dreams of making it rich someday. The main character's sister, a partner in the business, chooses to walk through life in a coma-like clueless state. Even our main character, though responsible enough to start a business and do fairly well at it, regrets her past but still desires the approval old girl friends and remains the plaything of his old (now married) high school boyfriend.

The people we don't get to know in this movie are the one's who choose to tackle their problems in ways that leaves a big mess: the murdered lover, the recluse mother who dies without anyone noticing for months, the white collar worker who has run out of options.

What horrible hopelessness. I wonder how many others in this world feel cornered like many of the characters (and victims) in this movie. And I certainly hope they are capable of making some better choices.

I must turn to the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. Even when we make pour choices in this life there is always a road back to Christ. He is the Sunshine Cleaner who cleanses us from our sins through his messy death on the cross. The more I live the more convinced I become that he is truly God's answer for us in contrast with the options the world leaves us with. "Sunshine Cleaning" displays many of the world's options. They are all dead ends. When rays of acceptance, community, friendship, and abiding love appear at the end of the film, however, you see a tiny glimpse of the kinda gift God gives us so powerfully through The Light of the World.

The world's options are a disgusting dead end. The options provided by Christ are a ray of Sunshine. Bask in the light and never give up hope.

A Busy Signal

2009-09-11T09:44:00.005-05:00

Valerie said the internet was not working this morning. She tried rebooting it, but still nothing. In the back of her head she wondered whether our old, slow, antique Compaq desktop computer was finished. I said I would take a look at it. Shortly thereafter I discovered that the cable was out too. It's not our computer after all, that's a relief. Ahh, but then the phones must also be out. I checked. Yes, they were dead. The problem was with Wide Open West, and nothing on our part. Their "Triple Play" of cable television, telephone, and high-speed internet was just thrown out at the plate: out of commission. It was now 8:45am... I thought I better give WOW a call on my cell. They didn't have a grip on my AT&T cell phone, so I knew it would work.

Of course, the line was busy. And with that busy signal my mind went in directions I didn't expect. Today is September 11.

This morning I had gone about my business as I would have any other day. I went for a walk and mailed a bill at a mail box. I had breakfast with my kids and did a little laundry. The TV was not on, nor was the radio. It was just us and our usual weekday morning rituals, problems, and routines.

September 11, 2001 was a morning not all that different, except I was in the hospital with my wife and our two 4-day-old babies. (Yes, four DAYS old.) Grant was under the bili lights for phototherapy to treat jaundice. We didn't have the TV on that morning, nor any radio either. I walked down to the cafeteria to get some bagels and cream cheese. It was after 9 and things just seemed so quiet down there. The TV was on when I returned to Grant's hosptial room. You know what I saw.

Hearing that busy signal this morning reminded me that today was September 11. Maybe there were more sinister reasons why my WOW Triple Play was not working this morning. Now my mind didn't stay there for long... just a few moments, after all there was no terrorist plot against my broadband. But my mind went there anyway.

On September 11, 2001 I heard a busy signal all morning as I tried to call my brother who lived in New York City. He lived in Upper Manhattan, but often enjoyed taking the subway straight down to the World Trade Center to go to the Borders in the mall that was located in the lower levels of one of the towers. It was 100 to 1... no 1,000 to 1 chance he actually would have made the trip down there that morning. But it was a chance nonetheless. It was not until early afternoon, when I heard his voice, that I knew the odds were with him that day. There finally was a ring instead of a busy signal.

There are many people remembering this eighth anniversary today. Everyone has a memory... a story... about that day. Together we remember those who lost their lives and remember those who continue to mourn. But let us also remember that every day is a blessing from God to be embraced. You never know when you are going to get a busy signal.

The Black Hole Revisited

2009-07-30T11:16:00.002-05:00

Last summer I posted a blog entry about how the summer months seem to become a black hole for me when it comes to blogging. After that post I thought to myself, I'm not going to let that happen again. Well... it's happened again... over a month without a blog entry. Oh well... I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I could have posted entries about lying on the beach with my wife, visiting the Art Institute of Chicago for the first time, taking my son to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, visiting Hershey Chocolate World with my family and in-laws, or worshiping at a church as visitor and being touched by the preacher's message on the old "Feeding of the 5,000" text. Let's see... all kinds of good topics there: in-laws, art, marriage, sermons, visiting churches, father/son outings. But no... instead its all a black hole in the world of the LoveChristLiveFaith Blog. Guess I was too busy living life to write about life. Guess I didn't want to lug my laptop to a wifi spot. Maybe I need an I-Phone.

Na... I needed sabbath rest. I thank God for the chance to travel and experience all kinds of new things both with my family and by myself. It's been a great summer once again. God is great!

Lessons of Camp

2009-06-24T11:32:00.004-05:00

At confirmation camp there is a daily activity that is connected with Bible study called ENAC: Eagle's Nest Adventure Course. Stations are spaced out throughout the woods and surrounding area that pose a problem for a group. For example a group of 15 students might need to get everyone through a "spider web" made up of ropes without anyone touching the ropes... or attempt to get all 15 from one end of a "chasm of lava" using only a hanging rope, Tarzan style.

Generally there is confusion among the group as they attempt to solve the problem. One or two will start yelling in order to take charge. Another three or four will just go through the "web" or swing over the "chasm" immediately since they know they can do it and just want to get it over with. After about ten minutes most of the group gets through, but left behind are the more timid and less athletically skilled. The very ones who need the most help getting over are the ones left with no help at all.

Groups can only succeed in these challenges if they all can accomplish the task. Even so, there is a feeling that some did the challenge better than others. "I was able to get over four times," one camper might say.

What are the lessons here?
- We can only succeed if we work together.
- We are called to share our talents and help others.

- We hurt others when we only look out for ourselves.

In the ropes courses it tends to always be the athletic and physically fit who always succeed. Their gifts shine. The really good ones learn the lesson by the end of the week that they need to help those not as good athletically. But obviously athleticism is not only gift that God gives to people. I wonder what kinds group building "ropes courses" could be developed that allows other types of gifts to shine besides the physical ones.

"The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us. The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. Some of us are Jews, and others are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:7-13)"

Crosstown Classic

2009-06-17T14:44:00.006-05:00

After being rained out last night the Cubs and the White Sox have gotten their annual "Crosstown Classic" on the way this afternoon. With two games this week, three games next week, and a make up for yesterday's rain out in September: the Sox and Cubs will play six games to determine who is the best ball club in Chicago.

Since the beginning of Interleague Play in 1997 the Cubs and Sox have played a total of 66 games with each team winning half. And if you count the total number of runs they have scored the Sox are winning by only 3 (if you include the two they have scored through six innings today). All it will take is a four-run Cub rally to turn that all-time total around.

Bottom line: its close. Baseball plays out that way. Your up one day your down the next. You finish a six-game losing streak just in time to start a five-game winning streak. A career .300 hitter is bound to pull his .222 average up before September. It just works out that way.

There's a whole lot of emotion expressed by fans in this series. And there have been stories in the past of violent confrontations. No doubt fueled by the beverages served at the fine establishments in Wrigleyville and Bridgeport. But ultimately, this frustrating game is all about enjoying yourself really... and a good rivalry is all in fun. Sox and Cub fans can watch the games together... maybe not in peace... but in a way that brings plenty of laughter and smiles to go with the occasional tear.

In my life I have been proud to wear my Michigan sweatshirt among a room full of Buckeye fans I have called my friends. I have worn a Breat Favre jersey while being outnumbered by Viking and Bear fans. I have cheered for my Brewers sitting 10 rows up from the Cubs dugout in Wrigley Field... And while the sounds of a sea of Cubs fans singing "Go Cubs Go" after Prince Fielder struck out to end the game made my stomach ache at the time, I look back at it now and thank God for the fun night I had.

Cubs fans... Sox fans... let's have some fun and enjoy the great game of baseball.

It Is To Your Advantage That I Go Away

2009-05-29T11:05:00.004-05:00

A mother was mowing her front yard on a warm July afternoon. Her 13 year-old son sat at the front steps playing his Nintendo DS video game. Disturbed by this sight, their retired neighbor walked over to the kid and asked why he wasn't mowing the yard. "I don't know how to start the lawn mower," he said.

There's nothing wrong with a mother mowing the yard. But ignorance is no good excuse for the son not to be doing it instead. I can understand how families get to this scene. As a father there are many times my expectations for my kids are not quite what they should be. If my kid can't tie his shoes when he's 4 then why not just keep tying them for him when he's 5 or 6 or 7. Before you know it you got a 13 year-old who can't tie his shoes... completely dependent on a parent for this task. Hey if it works, why change it? It would just be aggravating for everyone involved.

But there is something good about a 13 year-old with the ability to operate mowing equipment safely. There is something good about a 6 year-old son being able to tie his shoes, take a shower on his own, pour his own cups of milk and read his own books. Equipped and empowered there is no limit to what a child is capable of learning and doing.

During Jesus' ministry, his followers learned much about him and the Kingdom of God. They depended on his acts and teachings to understand what all God was doing through him. The Gospels reveal that those same followers had a really tough time understanding just what Jesus was doing.

In order for them to grow in faith and become the instrument through which the gospel would be made known to the world, Jesus had to leave. They depended on Jesus for their every move while he was still around. But after he was gone they depended on Jesus in a new way: in a way that empowered them to use their gifts... in a way that equipped them to reach all the corners of the world with the message about Christ.

Jesus says, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7)." That Advocate is the Holy Spirit, given to us in our baptisms. Yes we depend on Jesus, but we are not puppet children waiting for Jesus to tie our shoes and mow our yard for us. Through the Spirit, Jesus is with us to give us faith in him and an ability to serve that not only surprises others, but often surprises ourselves.

After the teen boy told the retired man that he doesn't know how to start the lawn mower that retired gentleman took the boy aside and showed him how to do it. With some patience, encouragement and determination that boy now understood how to make that lawn mower go, from pressing the priming button to emptying the collection bag. By August that empowered boy was making $50 a week mowing yards for 3 of his neighbors.

The Spirit is our gift from Christ. He guides us in the truth and shows us all the amazing things we are capable of doing.

Show A Little Love

2009-05-15T10:55:00.003-05:00

I'm new to all this Chicago Blackhawks excitement going on around the Chicago area... but not because I'm only now hopping on the bandwagon of a team that's playing well. I'm new because I've only lived in this area for three years. Hockey was always a game I found exciting to watch. Growing up near Detroit it was fun to put on the CBC and catch Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights. Those Canadians sure know hockey. It was also fun in those days to cheer an up-and-coming team called the Red Wings who hadn't won a Stanley Cup in decades. In the 80's they still found themselves on the losing end of the playoffs, usually to teams like the Edmonton Oilers.

After I left Michigan my excitement for the Wings faded, even as they became Cup monsters like the Oliers were. I couldn't get CBC on my TV in Iowa or in Ohio... and the glowing puck of the Fox TV years were too hard to bear.

When I moved to Chicago I knew I was ready to get back into the sport... especially since the Blackhawks were a struggling team just beginning to show some signs of life. (Love those up-and-comers.) What I didn't realize when I made the choice to start following the Hawks was that the Hawks fan was an abused, lost and angry soul. Year after year of abuse by the ownership had left the United Center half empty, never ever any home games on TV, and their favorite announcer sent packing for no good reason except to punish the fans.

The abandonment of the Hawks by the fans was not simply because the team hadn't made the playoffs since 2002. That year the higher seed Hawks played those playoff games in front of plenty of empty seats. What the Hawks have been missing the past 15 years has been love. Without love even a winner will not attract fans.

The Scriptures reveal that God is love. In John's Gospel we learn that God's love is poured into his son, Jesus and that Jesus then pours out this love onto us. Love defines our relationship with God. Love is our call from Jesus. We abide in Jesus' love when we love others. Now im not talking kissy kissy love or love out of pity... This is a friendship kind of love! The love Christ calls us to live by is a love that's not looking for payback. It's sincere love. It's love for love's sake.

Somewhere along the line the love between the Hawks ownership and the Hawks fans was lost. All that remained was bitterness and hate. A great NHL franchise almost was ruined and arguably began playing second fiddle to a minor league team called the Wolves.

In early 2007 I naively asked a bunch of guys, Chicago sports fans everyone of them, if we should try to get to the UC to see a Hawks game (after all there were plenty of seats available). To a man, they all gave me a look of horror and disgust... with a tinge of sadness, because they felt awful they had to think that way about their beloved Hawks.

Under new ownership things changed. Apologies were made. Relationships were rebuilt. Genuine love began to shine. You would think that regaining trust after a long separation would take a long time, but it didn't. The Hawks set attendance records this year, long before the first playoff game was played.

"I have said these things to you so that my joy my be in you and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (John 15:11-12)." I know its just hockey... but the story of the Hawks is a lesson of love and hate, poor choices, grudges, and reconciliation. God wants us to live lives filled with joy. We can do that because of the love he has showered on us through Christ. But such joy only becomes real for us if we take the courageous step of loving others just to love them. A genuine friend lovingly sticks by a buddy to the end: that's what love is. It's not easy and because of sin its not our instinct, but man is it worth it.

Go Hawks!

Living Bubbler

2009-05-07T12:59:00.002-05:00

I was born in Wisconsin. There are some unique aspects to life in Wisconsin. People wear fake cheese on their heads. Intersections must have no fewer than 2 "taverns" on the street corners. The Friday Fish Fry is central to life, not for religious reasons, but just for the love of fried fish. Only after living outside of Wisconsin for twenty years did I come to discover that yes indeed there is a Wisconsin accent. But even after calling far off places like Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, and Illinois home, I still can't help but call drinking fountains... bubblers. That's right bubblers! In Wisconsin the fountain is not named after what a person does at it, but by the sound it makes when it is turned on: "bubble... bubble... bubble."

I love drinking water, so bubblers have been very important to me. I still remember my favorite bubbler at the University of Michigan. It was on the first floor of Angell Hall. It was cold, powerful and delicious every time. Those are the keys to a good bubbler: the water must be cold, it must taste like clean water and not some rusty stuff, and there must be enough water pressure to produce a good flow. "C" hall in my high school had a really good bubbler. I discovered recently that the bubblers in the upper deck of Miller Park in Milwaukee are quite good. When you don't want to pay another $4.50 for a watered down soda, you can be confident that you can have your thirst quenched by the fine bubblers there. Even Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field has some pretty good bubblers.

For a while I was on the bottled water kick, but a "green" conscience (I mean saving money more than the planet) has led me to return to good old bubblers. After all... I'm only human... and humans need water to survive. We will die if we don't drink water. The bubbler is society's gift to a thirsty community.

People have always needed water. In the days before indoor plumbing the daily need for water meant constant drudgery for woman traveling the distance to the water source. It was just part of life. When Jesus encounters a woman at a well in John 4 she was in the midst of performing this daily task. In the course of their conversation with each other Jesus tells her that if she had asked, he would have given her "living waters." The woman eyes got wide... no doubt envisioning a bubbler for her dining room. It would mean no more daily trips to the well. Give me this water, is her response. But of course Jesus is speaking about our spiritual needs and faith. He didn't mean a bubbler in every home. Just as the body needs water to survive we likewise need Jesus to survive spiritually. Jesus is the spiritual equivalent of water.

In my life I have discovered great bubblers in some strange places. Who knew that the Sox Park would even have a bubbler, much less a good one. Likewise we can find "Living Waters" in some strange places as well... and when we least expect it. We all need Jesus... we need his love... we need all that he offers us through faith. Without him we find ourselves in a spiritual Death Valley. Look for those sources of "Living Waters" in the unexpected places... but also don't neglect the obvious places. When you practice living the 7 priorities of faith you are drinking from the bubbler of Living Waters. Give us this water always!

"Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:37b-38).'"

Service or Selfish

2009-04-09T14:57:00.003-05:00

There are many things assocated with Jesus' Last Supper. Jesus and his disciples meet in the Upper Room to celebrate the Passover. Jesus institutes the sacrament of Holy Communion through his words: "This is my body... This is my blood..." In John's Gospel Jesus chooses to wash his disciples' feet with the command: "you also ought to wash one another's feet (John 13:14)." But John's Gospel is not alone in lifting up this idea that followers of Jesus should not seek to be served but should serve. The day we commemorate the Last Supper is called Maundy Thursday because "maundy" means commandment.

Also occuring during the Last Supper, and is often forgotten is, that Jesus tells his disciples that one of them is going to betray him. It become clear, before the evening is over, that Judas will be the one to betray him. "The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him (John 13:2)."

I think we miss something when we forget this event from the Last Supper. Judas' actions and Jesus' actions makes quite a contrast. It is clear that followers of Jesus have two paths they can travel as they live a life of faith: service or selfishness.

Many have pondered what motivated Judas. Was he still upset about the money wasted by woman who annoited Jesus with costly perfume? Was he disapointed Jesus didn't seem to moving in the direction of becoming a military leader? Was it just greed? Maybe... hard to say. But whatever his motives: there can be no doubt that they based solely on the best interests of Judas. His decision to betray Jesus was based on his needs, desires, feelings and wellbeing. It was selfish. And selfishness is a dead end!

Followers of Jesus are called to follow a different path from selfishness. Instead of holding grudges they forgive. Instead of hating they love. Instead of moving up the chain of command they look to serve. Jesus is clearly revealed as the Son of God, the Great I Am, in John's Gospel. When he gets on his hands and knees at the Last Supper and takes the role of a servant by washing his disciples feet, Jesus' body, blood, mind, and spirit are modeling for the world that faith means service. Being selfLESS is the path we are called to take.

Selfishness is always a dead end. You cannot have enough money to ever be secure. You cannot step on enough people to ever have ultimate power. You cannot achive eternal life through your selfish actions. The eternal life road, which Jesus us points us toward and is paved by God's love for the world, is a road of service and love.

Go ahead and keep looking out for yourself. You won't get anywhere. But the moment you give yourself up to Christ and sincerly get on your hands and knees, not just to worship him, but to serve your brothers and sisters... My word... you will get a taste of eternal life right here and right now. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Take his body. Drink his blood. Serve his children.

Pull Me Close

2009-03-28T21:58:00.002-05:00

There's a line in John's Gospel that Jesus says after his finally entry into Jerusalem. He says: "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 12:31-32)." The power of Jesus' cross is that he takes upon himself the sinfulness of all humanity. He carries it freely; by his own choice. Through his act of sacrifice he defeats death (the ruler of this world) and gives us all the opportunity for eternal life through faith in him.

Through our baptism into Christ we are drawn into his cross. When I was a kid growing up near Milwaukee one of my favorite pastimes was going to the Milwaukee County Museum. I loved seeing the Streets of Old Milwaukee, the totem pole outside, and the display of the stuffed lions getting hunted. I also loved the big yellow coin funnel in the main lobby of the museum. I could spend hours putting coins in the little slot and watching them roll in a circle along the sides of the funnel. At first they would roll slowly, but as gravity pulled the coins closer to the middle they rolled faster and faster and faster. There was no escape for that coin. Eventually it was going to be sucked in.

Through our baptism we are released into the "coin funnel" that is Christ. We live our lives thinking we might want to pull away... that our way is best. But the Lord does not let go. He has pulled us close to him through his cross. He has promised us abundant life... eternal life. As we roll faster and closer to the core we see that the Lord's cross stands in the middle. The cross is Jesus' glory. It reveals that he has done all of this because of his love for us.

There are plenty of ups and downs in life. I'm sure you have had your share. It feels like you are rolling out of control. The future is uncertain and your faith may seem distant. Through it all, though, the Lord is still pulling you close to him. Through his cross Jesus makes the ruler of this age impotent in his attempts to pull you away. You belong to Christ! Enjoy the ride and tell your story because there's only one place you're going... and that's to him.

Giving Up

2009-02-23T20:05:00.004-06:00

I ran across a few things surfing the web today about the Season of Lent. A Chicago Tribune columnist is asking readers to share with him their funny stories about giving something up for Lent. He gave examples of people giving up Facebook for the 40 day fast, a child giving up Playstation (but not X-Box), and a Saturday Night Live character giving up menthol cigarettes. Another site asked the question: Are you giving up beer for Lent?

I think there is value in giving something up for Lent. We are society of instant gratification. We can have pretty much anything we want... right this second. I could obtain a burger, a weather forecast, have a conversation with a cousin in Colorado, purchase a bottle Bordeaux wine, or find a box score for Game 5 of the 1982 World Series within 20 minutes. For the most part, the world is at my doorstep or at my fingertips. Therefore, to purposely go without something for Lent can be a powerful spiritual experience. We depend so much on the gods we surround ourselves with that we forget our true God who is the source of our life and being. A daily discipline of going without even one item or habit you treasure can remind you of your sinfulness and help you seek God.

But lately my mind has been centered on words from Isaiah 58. It lifts up concerns about fasting: the kinda concerns that create our so called "funny stories" about Lent. After all, more often than not we will fail in our endeavor. We will break the fast to early or turn the whole thing into a big joke. (Like God doesn't know you play X-Box instead of Playstation. Who are you trying to kid? Just who are you fasting for?) Too often our fasting causes us to turn inward and think only of ourselves and our pitiful situation. We don't end up looking for God, just for ways out. Serving others for our fast? Not likely.

If you are not familiar with the Isaiah 58 text, I included a portion of it in my post about Abraham Lincoln. But I want to lift up verses 6 and 7 again: "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

How about giving Isaiah 58:6-7 a try for your Lenten fast this year. You may fall short once again and not live up to what it requires but there no better way to look outside yourself this season of Lent than to intentionally seek out those in need. The fast becomes you giving up the chocolate or the burger so you can give it to someone else.

A friend of mine for some time now has been giving up his Whopper lunches at Burger King, not just to become more healthy, but to use the money saved to feed the hungry. Somehow, that seems to be the type of fasting God would have chosen for Lent.

His Light Shines in our Hearts

2009-02-20T10:39:00.004-06:00

Last weekend the remake of the movie Friday the 13th made over $40,000,000. It was the most popular movie of the weekend, earning more than double the highly anticipated Confessions of a Shopaholic, which came in fourth. The universally panned slasher movie also did far better than any of the movies nominated for Oscars. I guess people today are more interested in a new old scary movie than that are in Frost/Nixon.

People like to be scared.... or at least scared in an environment where they have some semblance of control. In Friday the 13th its the beautiful young people in the movie getting all cut up, not the audience. The theater may be dark, but the audience can hold the hands of their dates, or just get up and walk out. They have control.

The things we have no control over are far more terrifying than a horror flick. The current economic situation is what frightens many people today. It has surprised us. Looking at our economy we have discovered how so much of what we believed in was a lie.

And what were those lies?
- You can't loose money if you invest in a home: lie.
- Put your retirement in the stock market, in the long run it always goes up: lie.
- If you have enough stuff you will be happy: lie.

There's a verse in 2 Corinthians that speaks to this: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Cor 4:4)." Notice the first word "god" is with a small "g." What is the god, or the gods, of this age? It's all those things that would have us turn away from God and seek only personal gain and safety. The god of this world makes us believe that security is found in money and meaning comes from stuff. The past few years has exposed this wickedness as a lie... and people are terrified. Unfortunately, you can't just walk out of this theater. You can't just take delight in fact it's only the actors who get burned. You know you've been burned yourself. We all have been blinded by this darkness.

Someone turn on the lights! Someone let us see again!

"Click."

"And [Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white... [Peter, James and John] were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud came a voice, 'This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him (Mark 2a, 3, 6a-7)!'"

God has turned on the light. God has given us the Light of the World. All along we have been listening to the god of this age... the god of this world... and all his lies and darkness. Now that we know the truth we are scared to the depth of our souls. I think the reason Peter, James and John are so terrified up on that mountain of the Transfiguration is because the lies of this world have been exposed to them as well. When God turns on the light, it becomes crystal clear that everything else that they, and we believe in is simply darkness. Once see that the message of Jesus shines like the sun we know in our hearts that he must be the focus of our existence and the source of all meaning.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:6)." We don't need to act like unbelievers any longer. We don't need to live in fear. We will not be controlled by money, or by our desire for money. We will not seek comfort from stuff or need to confess our "shopaholism." We will not pretend we are forsaken when we know for a fact that millions of children live in the slums of Mumbai in India and that millions of people right now face a future of only injustice and abuse.

Oh no... we will not dwell in this darkness any more. God has turned on the light. We have heard his gospel and feel his light shining in our hearts. We have knowledge of God's glory. We have seen the face of Christ and it is bright and it is beautiful and it deserves our worship and praise.

So what do we learn from Peter, James and John? They were terrifed, just like you, discovering the wickness of the world. They were terrified, just like you, once the truth about the lies of the god-of-this-ages were exposed. The light shined in their heart... told them to listen to Jesus... they were terrified.

But they didn't stay on the ground for long. They stood up. They walked down that mountain. And only after Jesus' resurrection did they fully understand what all this meant.

Think about what the Light of the World has done for you. Understand it through the lense of the cross, and get yourself up! It's not the same as walking out of a theater, rather its quite the opposite. Your getting up because you have hope and know that so many are still afraid. You are getting up and entering the story so that unbelievers may be pulled out of the darkness. The lies of this world will be exposed and the light of grace will finally shine within all people. Together we will see the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Make Men Free

2009-02-12T10:00:00.004-06:00

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me. As he died to make me holy, let us live to make men free, while God is marching on. - The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Today is Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. Considered by many the greatest of our presidents, Lincoln's image is often dominated by the idea of him as a "monument," while the flesh and bone Lincoln takes a back seat. Historians remind us that Lincoln was a politician, having both lost and won elections, displaying occasionally the poor traits associated with the profession. Yes he was concerned about his image. Every photo we have of him was carefully planned and artistically put together. Yes there were other political motives behind even Lincoln's greatest act: the Emancipation Proclamation. But Mr. Lincoln truly displayed the very best traits a successful politician could have: integrity, strength, courage, and a practical understanding for what is right. You certainly cannot put any other president forward as being greater.

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is the song most closely associated with Lincoln's time. An anthem for abolitionists first, it serves today as a symbol for what the Union stood for in the Civil War. It calls upon Christians to recognize the power of Christ whom they worship. It lifts up a message of grace: through the glory of the cross humanity has been made righteous. It then lifts up a call: "live to make men free." In other words, respond to God's grace by obeying Christ's call: Serve those in need. Stand against oppression and injustice.

The greatness of Lincoln is that he acted. When others would have allowed the Union to dissolve, Lincoln acted. When others would have given up after early Confederate victories, Lincoln acted. When others would have stepped down against great political opposition, Lincoln acted. When others would have kept the status quo on slavery, Lincoln acted. When others would have punished the defeated south harshly, Lincoln acted... until he was shot dead.

Yes Lincoln was a man... but he accepted his call and acted on behalf of his people. He served those in need and stood against injustice. In our own ways, obeying our own calls, seeing our own opportunities, we are called to do the same.

⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. (Isaiah 58:6-10)

Stand Against Hate

2009-02-05T13:00:00.003-06:00

President Obama spoke this morning at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. Dignitaries from around the world and many of our national leaders were present at this important event. President Obama's brief speech lifted up the theme of unity. He observed that while the religions of the world are diverse, at the heart of all faiths is an understanding that humans are called to stand against hate. We are called to love others.

"Jesus told us to 'love thy neighbor as thyself.' The Torah commands, 'That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.' In Islam, there is a hadith that reads 'None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.' And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule - the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth (President Obama 2/5/09)."

Being created in the image of God means that all humans have a desire to know their Creator and have his will written within their DNA. A careful of study of all religions reveals that it is the desire of our God that we love others instead of hate... that we help instead of compete. God is love. Humanity, though still sinful, stands out as unique in all creation because we are called to reject the "dog-eat-dog" reality of nature and stand instead for love for all people. That global religions all express this same hope in their own ways is a powerful witness to God. It is also a call. Allow yourself to be a instrument of God's will for peace and love.

Inaugural Thoughts

2009-01-20T14:26:00.004-06:00

President Obama became President of the United States today. For two years now I have been impressed with the President's ability to inspire. His speech, after he took the oath of office, was no less inspiring than any of his best speeches. He referred to Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians in his speech as challenged America to step forward and put our childish ways behind us. Those childish ways include everything from racism to our greedy consumerism. Yes indeed! It is time to move on. As Christians we strive to build the Kingdom of God... a kingdom of love and peace that puts those childish ways behind us.

Rick Warren gave the invocation prayer near the beginning of the events. I was moved by his words which echoed the President's sentiments, even before President Obama spoke. It was a lengthy prayer... but one, I don't believe, that sought to draw attention to the pray-er. (Appropriate from the one who emphasizes in his books that life and faith are "not about you" but about discipleship.) He finished with the Lord's Prayer: Jesus' prayer. It's the prayer that says it all.

As someone who presides often at rituals and public events I appreciated the gaff that Chief Justice John Roberts made. He goofed when leading President Obama through the oath, causing an awkward moment. Maybe he should have had the words written down, though you would have thought he would have known them pretty well. It doesn't really matter much, but I do think it serves as a nice witness to our humanity. For as much as we would like to build up this earth shaking, watershed moment of first bi-racial President being sworn in by the great Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: in reality it is just two men who make mistakes and get nervous when billions of eyes are upon them.

If these "giants" can make mistakes... If these "giants" can pray from the heart... You can be yourself as you do your best for others and for God. Somehow, putting our childish ways behind us means being authentic in all of our relationships and actions.

A Light Shines in the Darkness

2009-01-03T22:24:00.002-06:00

Most people are saying "good riddance" to 2008... relieved to have the fresh start of a new year. Around 40% of respondents to an unscientific Chicago Tribune poll said 2008 was the worst year ever. Well... I don't know about that... but it sure was a tough one. I don't need to enumerate the reasons here again. A review of some of my posts from 2008 will remind you of the struggles of the previous year.

What I want to bring to light is some persepctive. If you take a look at human history from the clouds, or maybe even other galaxies, 2008 doesn't seem all that tough. It's is a small blip in God's history. We humans are but a blip as well. Yet God the Creator chooses to make himself known to us through his Word. In the beginning was the Word... and God gives us the chance to hear it.

The Creator didn't stop there. To reveal himself even more clearly to us blips the Word becomes flesh and lives among us. In Jesus we recieve the definitive revealation of God. Wonderfully Jesus does something about this world of sometimes miserable years by promising to establish a new Kingdom of hope and life. Sin won't rule anymore for we are made righteous in his glorious light. "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (John 1:5)."

2008 was not the worst year ever... as bad as it seamed. The light of God's love shined even as people faced the reality of tough times and lamented their decisions to believe the lies of those who would have us worship things other than God. Light shined, nonetheless.

The Light of the World will shine in 2009 as well. We still will suffer the consequences of our sins but those consequences will not destroy us. Many of us resolve to change in the new but I encourage you to no so much change what you do but instead allow God to do what God always does... come to us daily through Christ with love and grace. The light shines, whether you notice it or not. Bask in the light of Jesus... the darkness will not overcome it.

A Merry Little Christmas NOW

2008-12-24T09:51:00.006-06:00

One of my favorite Christmas memories growing up is of my grandparents and aunt coming to visit every year from Wisconsin. When they arrived it was like Santa arrived. There were smiles and laughter and lots and lots of presents to unload from the car.

Every year, while they were with us, my grandfather would take a spontaneous moment to sing some songs: usually in German. The sounds of my grandfather singing "O Tannenbaum" still ring in my ear at Christmas, even though hes been gone for 16 years. I miss those times.

I'm not the only one, I'm sure, who gets all nostalgic at Christmas time. It's almost a requirement for the season. It's why the radio is filled with holiday songs from generations past. Do people know that Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole sang more than Christmas songs? Would they be surprised to hear their songs still being played religiously over the radio in 2008? They are the soundtrack of the season... every year... year after year.

As timeless as Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra may seem to be, however, the story of Jesus' birth from Luke even predates them. Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Angels proclaim the good news to shepherds. Heavenly Host sing: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" The promised Messiah has been born. God is acting to unfold his Kingdom and change the world forever. Hallelujah! Yes this is reason to celebrate.

But many find it difficult to celebrate the birth of Christ this year. Many have lost their jobs and homes. Our nation faces a future of possible economic disaster. Christmas just isn't the way it used to be. People miss their lost loved ones. They mourn the simple joys of the past and feel over scheduled and overwhelmed trying to direct a Christmas extravaganza for their families that is destined to flop.

One of the secular songs of our Christmas sound track really spoke to me this month. It's message touched my heart. We know the Frank Sinatra version best, but it was Judy Garland who first sang the song in the 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis. The song is "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Sinatra had the lyrics changed to cheer it up a bit when he sang the version that gets played over and over, but Hugh Martins' lyrics sung by Garland are truer to the spirit of our times.

In the movie Garland's character sings the song to her seven-year-old sister. They are both sad because they might be leaving their home to move away from their friends right before Christmas. Garland encourages her to have a merry little Christmas because next year all their troubles will be out of sight. The last lines are the most moving: "Someday soon we all will be together/if the fates allow. Until then we'll just have to muddle through somehow. So have yourself a merry little Christmas now."

While not intended these words had an even greater meaning for those who had loved ones serving in the military in 1944. Judy Garland brought American troops to tears singing this song. They didn't know what tomorrow would bring. They hoped next year the war would would be over... but what if it wasn't? What if there is no tomorrow for me? I guess we better muddle through... somehow. Let us have a merry little Christmas now.

After all... it is the birth of Christ that brings us hope in the face of uncertain times. Our future with the Lord is assured. The Messiah has come to bring salvation to all people. He is the Prince of Peace. War will cease and peace will reign. This is the gift of Jesus for the world.

The gift of Jesus for you is faith. You can stand up to your fears for you are empowered by Christ. You can be strong... because Jesus walks with you. You can muddle through with a smile on our face and warmth in your heart. Oh yes indeed... we can... and we will... have a merry little Christmas Now!

Glory to God in highest! Peace on Earth! Good will to all!

Graft

2008-12-11T09:55:00.002-06:00

Before Israel had kings in the Old Testament they were a collection of tribes who would call a "judge" to lead them all only in times of crisis. Over time, however, Israel saw how many of their neighbors had kings and how successful their neighbors were. It seemed any successful "modern" nation would certainly be led by a king. So Israel demanded a king. Elders approached the prophet Samuel with their demands. Samuel warned them of the dangers of having a human king, but they did not change their tune: God did "bless" Israel with a king. This was Samuel's warning:

"This is the way the kind of king you're talking about operates. He'll take your sons and make soldiers of them - chariotry, cavalry, infantry, regimented in battalions and squadrons. He'll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He'll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He'll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He'll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he'll take for his own use. He'll lay a tax on your flocks and you'll end up no better than slaves. The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don't expect God to answer (1 Samuel 8:11-18, The Message translation)."

The people still wanted a king, even after Samuel's warning. It's a good thing we don't have any kings in the United States or the State of Illinois.

Praise be to Christ: our Lord and King.

Thank You, God, For My Shoes

2008-11-26T14:17:00.003-06:00

The words of Martin Luther get me in the right frame-of-mind for Thanksgiving:

"I believe that God has created me together with all creatures. God has given me and still preserves my body and soul: eyes, ears, and all limbs and senses; reason and all mental faculties. In addition, God daily and abundantly provides shoes and clothing, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, fields, livestock, and all property - along with all the necessities and nourishment for this body and life. God protects me against all danger and shields and preserves me from all evil. God does all this out of pure, fatherly, and divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness of mine at all! For all of this I owe it to God to thank and praise, serve and obey him. This is most certainly true." - Luther, from The Small Catechism.

Why do I dwell on the things I want? Why do I make lists about the things I don't have? Why do I envy the things others have?

Thanksgiving reminds me to think about what God has blessed me with. Thanksgiving reminds me that I have so much. Thanksgiving reminds me that the Lord is source of everything I have.

God provides us with all that we need every day. It's more than money. It's more than stuff. But God even gives us those things as well. Everyday should be Thanksgiving. Thank you, God, for my shoes.

Synecdoche

2008-11-14T06:30:00.008-06:00

All the world's a stage, and we are but the directors. (Shakespeare... kinda)

I have always been a fan of Roger Ebert, the movie critic. Lately he has been expressing great praise for the Charlie Kaufman movie Synecdoche, New York. I have no idea when I'll get the chance to see the movie, but Ebert's review, and subsequent expanded thoughts which he expressed via his blog, have my mind spinning. In his movie, Kaufman tackles a subject common in his films: the mind. According to Ebert, Kaufman depicts on the screen the very real struggle that all humans engage in daily to control (or direct) the people and world around them. It's a struggle that becomes more frustrating the more you engage in it.

Ebert composes a "parable" to try explain his thoughts: "The lodestars of John Doe's life are his wife, his children, his boss, his mistress, and his pastor. There are more, but these will do. He expects his wife to be grateful for his loyalty. His children to accept him as a mentor. His boss to value him as a worker. His mistress to praise him as a sex machine. His pastor to note his devotion. These are the roles he has assigned them, and for the most part they play them.

"In their own lives, his wife feels he has been over-rewarded for his loyalty, since she has done all the heavy lifting. His children don't understand why there are so many stupid rules. His boss considers John Doe as downsizable, and fears he may also get the axe. His mistress asks herself why she doesn't dump this creep and find an availableman. His pastor has a pretty good idea what goes on during the other six days of the week ("Roger Ebert's Journal," posted 11/10/08)."

Ebert, and apparently Kaufman with Synecdoche, are on to something that's as old as sin. In Genesis the advent of sin is described as humans' attempt to be like God. God is the director, but we aspire to be directors ourselves. We want to control our lives. This of course means controlling the people in our lives. They are the actors, as Shakespeare puts it. How many mother's are disappointed with their distant "selfish" adult children? How many merrymakers will fail this December at creating a Christmas spectacle because the characters who play "family" won't play their roles correctly?

When people don't act as we desire (and they never will) our quest to direct our world becomes an act of frustration. We become bitter. There is a reason so many people find peace and God while they are alone in the woods... trees take direction a whole lot better than people. Family, friendships and Christian community disappoint us far too much. We just can't control them. And so the futile play goes on. Lost in all this is the liberating truth that life is a gift and it unfolds wonderfully before our eyes every day as a gift. Selfcenteredness is the heaviest set of chains we allow to weigh on our souls.

Again, let me lift up Christmas as an example of this sinfulness. In the play John Doe direct in his mind about his perfect Christmas he will struggle to pick out the perfect card to send his actors and compose the most cleaver Christmas letter. He will buy gifts for the actors and attend events that fit his ideal vision of Christmas. He'll watch Food Network to prepare prefect meals for the 4 or 5 "family" and "business" get-togethers that are scheduled throughout the month. Of course, not to forget the reason for the season, arrangements will be made to attend a Christmas service at Grandma's church.

When December comes to an end John Doe is left both frustrated and in despair. "Why didn't Jane send me a card?" "Mike is such a jerk, he didn't appreciate my gift." "I can't stand that Lilly didn't come to the Festival with Lights with us." "Did you see how Jimmy and Mary acted at Christmas dinner?" "What a selfish p*** my brother is for not stopping by this year." "Why don't they sing any good Christmas carols at church anymore?" "How am I going to pay off these credit cards?"

Lost in this December song-and-dance is the gift of a Messiah for humanity; the message of Emmanuel, God with us; and the word of grace that our sins are forgiven. We miss the true Christmas gift that's available to the whole world when we instead seek to direct and control the world around us. The gospel truth is that through Christ we are free to embrace both the blessings of God's love and the meaning found in God's call for us to love others just to love them.

Christ is the answer to our ancient "synechoche" sin of desiring complete control. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his masterpiece Life Together warns us of the danger of playing the frustrated director of our own lives. He compares the spiritual love we are called to have for others through Christ with the self-centered "emotional" love that loves in order to receive payback. He writes that self-centered love "loves [others], not as free persons, but as those whom it binds to itself. It wants to do everything it can to win and conquer; it puts pressure on the other person. It desires to be irresistible, to dominate. Self-centered love does not think much of truth. It makes truth relative, since nothing, not even the truth, must come between it and the person loved. Emotional, self-centered love desires other persons, their company. It wants them to return its love, but it does not serve them. On the contrary, it continues to desire even when it seems to be serving (Life Together, p. 42)."

I've always known that Mark 8:34-35 is a call to liberation through discipleship and not a burden. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the sake of the gospel will save it." Jesus puts it another way in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Yes, I've heard this before, but thanks to Shakespeare, Kaufman and Ebert I see this selfish sinfulness in a fresh way. It's time to give up our director's chair.

That's all I want.

2008-11-07T11:01:00.003-06:00

Theologians have been debating the connection between faith and deeds for a long time. Lutherans rightly believe that humans are justified by grace through faith in Christ. It's dangerous to take that to an extreme however. If we believe that faith and deeds are not connected we might say through our actions that faith is good and deeds are bad. A poor Lutheran joke has a proud "faith alone" Lutheran telling someone: "Yes I've been saved by my faith alone, and to prove it I've made sure to never perform a good deed in my life."

A careful study of Paul's Letter to the Romans reveals that faith and deeds work together. He could not have imagined separating the two. Your faith must move you to action. Your actions must be a reflection of faith. Without actions you are not faithful. Without faith your actions are insincere.

This was a problem 2,750 years ago in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The people excelled at acting "faithful." They went to the temple, make their sacrifices and received help from the priests. This is what they thought God wanted from them. In the mean time they oppressed the poor and ignored those in need.

The prophet Amos was called by God to express God's anger to the leaders of Israel. They would be punished for the injustices they committed. It's not a pleasant message.

We can learn from Israel's mistakes. Living by faith we are called to act. Yes we act through worship, prayer, study and service... but that's only the beginning. God demands we speak out against injustice. God empowers us to stand against oppressors. The Spirit moves us to walk with our hurting neighbors. Be careful not to get comfortable with your regular routines. When you worship... do it sincerely from your heart. When you give money... do it out of thankfulness. When you help others... do it out of love.

The Message translation makes Amos' words hit home: "I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice - oceans of it. I want fairness - rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want." (Amos 5:21-24)

This is a healthy reminder. Yeah Amos puts it pretty strongly, but we need to hear it. Faith and deeds work together for disciples of Christ, therefore when we have religious meetings they better be for the purpose of serving Christ and loving neighbor. When we organize conferences and conventions they better be for the purpose of serving Christ and loving neighbor. When we plan religious projects and create slogans and goals they better be for the purpose of serving Christ and loving neighbor. Fund-raising schemes? Just who are you raising money for? Public relations? Image creation? Noisy ego-music? How we live, what we say and what we sing better be for the Lord and for the purpose of bringing the light of Christ's gospel to ALL people. After all:

That's what I want. That's all that I want.

I Voted Today

2008-11-04T13:41:00.002-06:00

I voted today.

I voted today as an American and parent. I voted today as a concerned citizen. I voted today as a person who loves his country. I voted today disappointed with the way government is working. I voted today with hopes for the future and dreams for a better tomorrow. I voted today to send a message. I voted today as a refection of my values. I voted today as a Christian.

Yes some of these reasons for voting may sound conflicted but they are all a refection of myself. I bring to the voting booth my years of experience and memories. I bring to my selections my faith in Christ and my calling to discipleship. I am Tony standing there casting my vote.

It's not an easy vote to cast. While this election for president may seem "black and white" on the surface... it's not. No candidate reflects all of my values or my dreams. No candidate is a perfect match for what is important to me. No candidate has a lock on the Christian vote. No party is a perfect match for discipleship.

These are facts that might disappoint some... but for me they are liberating. Standing outside the system I am free to call out for justice and speak against those in power. Standing with the gospel I am free to support people from all walks of life. Casting my vote as a reflection of my faith, first, I am free to stand against the wickedness of any party or political machine.

Therefore, I voted today and will vote again the next time around.

"Do you know what I want? I want justice - oceans of it. I want fairness - rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want (Amos 5:24, The Message translation)."

Made Free

2008-10-24T08:49:00.004-05:00

Atheists in London, England have begun a campaign of sharing their views to the public through the use of advertising on the side of those cute, red, double-decker buses. Their message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." I find their message odd and not just because I believe there is God. Nor do I find it odd because atheists are expressing themselves... go right ahead. What I find odd is that they seem to assume that the opposite is true if there is a God. If there is a God then you should be worrying and should not enjoy life.

The message of Christianity is not to stop enjoying life or to worry. Actually the Christian message is one of liberation. It's bus slogan should be: "God is love. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life through loving others." But somehow that message has been missed.

"Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).'" There is liberation in the Christian message. It is not a message of worry. It is not a message of misery. Now when an atheist says "enjoy life" my first thought is that he/she may mean having a lot of stuff and doing fun things and thinking primarily of yourself. But that doesn't necessarily need to be the case. But I do know that the Christian gospel reveals to us that real enjoyment in life comes through love of others... not stuff or selfishness. Experience tells most people that this is indeed truth.

But what about this worry stuff? Being created by a loving God, who offers us salvation through the Messiah is the biggest release from worry humans have ever been given. If there is no God, as the atheists profess, then its time to worry because it means "dog-eat-dog" laws of nature are what life is all about and it's "every man for himself."

Wonderfully God provides for our needs and calls us to be bold in finding the deep, wonderful meaning in life that comes through love and service. Through faith you know the truth, and the truth has made you free. If this gospel of Christ is still hidden from the public then its about time we buy some advertising space on the side of buses and loudly proclaim:

Christ frees you from sin and death. Now stop worrying and enjoy life by loving others.

I Regard Them as Rubbish

2008-10-05T00:40:00.003-05:00

If anyone else had reason to be confident in winning it all in 2008, the Cubs had more: best record in the National League, home field advantage at Wrigley Field, with all those fans; a team of destiny; as for their pitching, some of the best; as for hitting, power up and down the lineup; as for beating any curses with interfaith blessings, covered. Yet whatever gains they made, this morning we can all regard them as loss because of the Dodgers. (Based on Philippians 3:4b-8)

They thought they had all their bases covered. "It's going to happen" actually meant something. This year they did have the power and the speed: It didn't just sound good in a song. They also had the pitching: A starter who pitched a no-hitter; another from Oakland who was lights out; and a former mediocre closer now pitching like Cy Young. And topping all of that, this year the Cubs were not going to let any curses stop them.

Oh yes the Cub curses: Billy Goat, Black Cat, and Bartman. The Bartman ball has been blown into smithereens. Goats are always welcome at Wrigley now. Shea Stadium, home of the Black Cat, has hosted its last baseball game. But that wasn't enough, Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney even brought in his friend Rev. James Greanias to perform a blessing of the Cubs dugout before the first game of the NLDS against the Dodgers this past Wednesday. Now they have all their bases covered, right? They certainly have earned their way into baseball heaven now, right? Hmmmmm...

Before he knew Christ the Apostle Paul thought he had all his bases covered too. He was a Pharisee all-star. He was born in the right family. He persecuted the right people. He followed God's law to the letter. Surely he was righteous in God's eye. Ahhhh... But learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ taught him that he was all wrong. Righteous is not found through a process of making sure you doing all things correctly, but actually righteous comes throug faith alone. All things that were so important to him before were now exposes as mere trash... rubbish... because they distracted him from what really mattered. The way we was before he neither loved God nor his neighbor as himself... He simply loved himself.

When Cubs manager Lou Piniella heard from reporters that a priest had be brought in to bless the Cubs' dugout he was confused. He doesn't believe in the cruses and would not want to acknowledge the mythical Cubs curses through another dumb stunt. He wisely said, "God doesn't care about a baseball game. But, you know, this thing here about the holy water, I didn't have anything to do with it. I didn't even know about [the curse removal]. No, I wouldn't do that... There's no curses here."

I have no idea if Lou is a man of faith or not... But I'm certain that he and Paul would get along real well. God does not care about baseball. And I don't expect that God would grant a stunt like pouring "holy water" all over Wrigley with his blessing. Over and over again in the Old Testament God reveals that he takes no delight in sacrifices, but instead desires people's hearts... hearts that are faithful... hearts that obey him.

So now, as we press on in our lives of faith, lets learn a thing or two from both Paul and Lou. From Lou, let's remember to keep our priorities straight and never for one second let the popular opinions of the masses convince us that God actual cares about baseball champions.

And from Paul lets remember what our goal is as we live this life of faith: that is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. There is nothing we can do and there are no bases that need to be covered in order for us to gain salvation because Christ Jesus has already made us his own. Therefore how we live our lives now is a response to that gift. We live by faith.

After losing the first two games of their five game series with Los Angeles someone realized that a base was left uncovered in the curse fighting front. A Catholic blessing was not enough. So on Saturday about a 100 Muslims gathered outside of Wrigley Field to pray for Allah to change the team's dim fortunes. An Islamic scholar was asked what he thought of such an event, and he responded by saying that seeking Allah's intervention is usually reserved for serious concerns such as bringing rain to a drought, "Usually Muslims do not do that for things which are, I would say, morally neutral, and which do not have any element of human suffering."

Ah yes... rubbish indeed. It's enough to turn someone into Cardinals fan. Pushing aside those distractions let's "press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)." Let's find meaning in our lives through faith and not through rubbish.

God Reigns

2008-09-29T21:59:00.006-05:00

The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from [Babylon], will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, "Alas, alas, great city, clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in one hour all this wealth has been laid waste! -Revelation 18:15-17a

I believe that God reigns as the Creator and Ruler of the universe. Anything and everything else in all creation is secondary to God.

I also believe that in the history of the world, and in particular the history of the United States, a free market and free exchange of money has led to many wonderful blessings. Money and markets have fed millions of people, provided clothing and shelter, given security and safety, and brought peace and hope to so many of our brothers and sisters. But money and free-markets are not God. We must not worship money and markets. While they have been marvelous tools for good, we cannot find ultimate hope in money or markets. They will fail us eventually. Unfortunately the world is facing such a failure today in the current economic crisis.

It is my prayer that a solution for this crisis can be found, whether it be political, financial, or both. More people will be helped and kept safe if the markets can stabilize than if the whole thing crashes and burns.

But because money and free-markets are not God there is a chance that the whole thing could very well crash and burn. Ultimate hope and safety is found only in God. People who put their faith in money and markets will always be disappointed in the end. We see examples of this in Revelation, not because John the Seer is predicting 2008, but because John is pointing out what has been true throughout history: People have always been putting their faith in stuff instead of in God. In Revelation "Babylon" represents the Roman Empire, which itself represents any "thing" that pretends to be the ultimate power in the universe. "Babylon" is Sin and Death's beast. It lies to us. It pulls us away from faith in God. The beast convinces us that there is no power greater than it. Most of my fellow Americans have believed that money and free-markets are the most powerful forces in the world. My faith in God tells me that is a lie.

The current crisis screams at us that we have been believing a lie. If we thought our livelihoods were secure because of our money investments and economy we believed a lie. The truth is that the Lord is our rock and salvation, not money and free-markets. Unfortunately, however, we have lived our lives too often as if money and markets were our rock and salvation. In Revelation 18 the nations who had been suckered into believing the lie of "Babylon's" great power realize the truth like America is realizing the truth today. The nations in Revelation lament their choices and mourn the loss of everything that once was so important to them.

I have read articles and columnists today who sincerely believe our nation will never be the same after the events of the past few weeks. Our faith in free-markets, Wall Street, and businesses may be strained for generations. That very well may be the case, I don't know, but I do hope that this may be an opportunity for Christians everywhere put our faith back to where it should always have been: in Christ. May this also be an opportunity for us Christians to change from greedy ways and instead use our money always as a reflection of our faith. May we all become diligent in using the stuff called money to love our neighbor, serve those in need, help the poor, and be the light of Christ's gospel of the world.

My Seven Favorite Images From Revelation

2008-09-22T22:57:00.004-05:00

The last book of the Bible, Revelation, speaks to Christians struggling to live faithfully in the face of societal pressures pulling them way from God. Using hundreds of images from the Old Testament, John the Seer describes as best he can the divine visions given to him while he was exiled on the Island of Patmos. Through symbolism, allegory, metaphors and layers of meaning John proclaims boldly that God rules and overrules in the affairs of humankind. These seven important images from Revelation help me remember that God wins!

7. The Kingdom of Our Lord and of His Messiah
Revelation 11:15-19

The kingdom of the world has become God's Kingdom: a Kingdom of justice and wrath. Those who choose not to serve God will suffer because of their choice. In verse 19 we are given an image reminiscent to the description of the events immediately following Jesus' death on the cross in Luke. Here, wonderfully, the temple "was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen..." Nothing separates God from his people.

6. Two Harvests
Revelation 14:14-20

In Revelation John describes two harvests. It's different from the harvest parables in the Gospels because there is no separation between good grain and weeds. First the "Son of Man" harvests all the "grain" on earth. In the second harvest an angel uses a sickle to collect "the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." All of the grapes must go through the "wine press of God's wrath" located outside the city. The grain and grapes symbolize people and all people, sinners that we are, will suffer the consequences of poor choices. But through the blood of the Lamb, shed outside the city, there is hope. The image in verse 20 of a river of blood 200 miles long coming from the press is quite disturbing, but this horror movie description is actually meant to point to the power of Christ's cross and the blood he shed for us "over ripe grapes" on that cross.

5. Nations Lament
Revelation 18

For as long as there has been sin, death, evil, and the devil people have been tricked into turning from God and believing the devil's lies. The nations discovered earlier in Revelation 17 that they had been deceived all this time by "Babylon" (which represents Rome, or to a greater extent sin, death and the devil). They now know that all that was so important to them was just a lie... but even so they lament the loss of things they once held dear. (Does this sound like Wall Street today?)

4. The Dragon
Revelation 12

The either cartoonish or sinister way the devil has been depicted in culture has always seemed like a joke to me. It's led me to keep my focus on Christ and his Gospel and not talk about some goofy devil. Revelation has changed that for me. In Revelation John the Seer uses the image of a dragon to symbolize the devil, sin, and death. The dragon pursues symbols of Christ and Israel and fails. He is defeated and banished from heaven and though his time is short he continues to lash out, seeking to destroy the woman's children, which symbolizes followers of Jesus. How true it is that sin tempts us and lies to us in order to pull us away from faith. A dragon, whose is on his last breath, is in hot pursuit. This makes a lot of sense to me. It helps me name the forces of sin that have an effect on my life.

3. New Jerusalem
Revelation 21

In his last vision of the end John describes a Holy City descending from Heaven. God now dwells among mortals. There is no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain. The age of the dragon is over. No one will tempt you to sin. No one can turn you from God ever again. This is God's new creation. "See, I am making all things new." says the voice of God from the throne. He has transformed us into his new creation.

2. Great Multitude
Revelation 7:9-17

So often one's vision of the end is peppered with thoughts of who's in and who's out. We might ask ourselves if we are good enough to "go to heaven." Is anyone good enough? John gives us an image early in Revelation of a "great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" standing before the throne of God in heaven. Wow, that's quite a group. These are believers robbed in white and are a greater crowd of people than John could comprehend or imagine. So who's in? Boy, its A LOT of PEOPLE.

1. Eden Restored
Revelation 22:1-7

Genesis begins with a description of how people got into this mess of sin. It involved a man and a woman, a serpent tempter, fruit from a tree, and broken boundaries between God and creature. The dragon has been on the loose ever since then. Revelation ends with a description of the end of sin and death. It is finished. So within the Holy City the brokenness of Eden is make whole again. The tree of life is there by a river of life-giving water. It bears 12 types of fruit monthly and the tree's leaves bring healing to the nations; the same nations that lamented the defeat of "Babylon." There is healing, forgiveness, and new creation here. Best of all... you can eat all the fruit you want. Eden is restored! Praise be to God!

October Surprise

2008-09-19T10:33:00.004-05:00

Now that September is winding down the pennant races in Major League Baseball are coming to some sort of conclusion. My hometown team, the Brewers, have choked. At one point they were locks to make the postseason, now they are locks for an early vacation. The Cubs are on the verge of clinching their second straight division title and the White Sox are ready rap up their place in the playoffs soon. What happens next is any one's guess however.

October is full of surprises. The phrase "October surprise" comes from the realm of politics. The Democrats and Republicans hold their "hands" close to the vest for much of an election year waiting for the last weeks of the campaign to play their aces so that the "surprises" they hold will have the most impact on the voters. I'm sure there will be a surprise or two about Senators McCain and Obama revealed next month.

In baseball the October surprise often comes in the form of a Cinderella team making waves out of no where. Just when everyone is talking about the Cubs, Angels and Red Sox it is the Rays or the Dodgers who win it all. Last year Arizona pulled off such a surprise on the Cubs. Pessimistic Cubs fans are convinced that it will happen again.

But maybe the biggest October surprise we can experience this fall will come from our Lord Jesus Christ. Wonderfully in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard Jesus tells us about a land owner who hired workers to work his vineyard. He promises to give them the fair daily wage for their work. Later in the day he hires more workers. Still there is not enough workers so even when there is only one more hour of daylight he hires even more harvest his grapes. When the work is over he gives every single worker the same amount of pay: the fair amount for a day's work. Those who worked the whole day are furious. "How dare he! It's not fair that those who worked only an hour get the same pay as they got!" There's your October surprise. The owner is generous. He is fair to the workers who worked all day and merciful to those who worked only an hour. All receive the same. God love for his children is the same for all.

So how do you respond to God's October surprise? Do you cry out "It's not fair?" Does it anger you? Have you convinced yourself that you deserve "the championship" because you're better than others? Truly, deep down in your heart, you know through the Spirit that such feelings are wrong. The generosity of God is to be celebrated and not scorned.

But sin leads you to ask: "Why should I toil in the vineyard all day then?" Ahhh... The truth is that service in God's name is a joy and not toil. Working in God's presence and in God's vineyard brings meaning to your life. Those who wait in nothingness don't experience such satisfaction and joy until God brings them into the vineyard to work for their hour. Grace is not an excuse to be faithless. Grace is a gift to be both treasured and shared.

Look for God's October surprises... even now in September. (An October surprise in September? Now that's surprising.) And as you encounter them don't fall into the trap seven-year-olds fall into. Don't cry out "It's not fair!" Instead cry "Thanks be to God!" All are welcome in the vineyard of the Lord... where the wages are fair and the cup of mercy overflows.

The Power of the Cross

2008-09-13T20:35:00.003-05:00

What is power?

Does power come from weapons? Some believe they gain power and respect with a gun in their hands. Are we only a powerful nation because we have largest military in the world? Does our power come from our weapons? Others say money is the source of power in the world. In the coming century it may be that the might of trillion dollar corporations will out weigh the power of a nation with a large military. In the United States we would like to think power comes from the people. We, the people, elect our leaders. We will choose who will be our president. We will choose who will pass laws and run our government. That's power.

Power found from weapons, money and politics goes back centuries. The Roman Emperor Constantine the Great used all three to gain tremendous power. He was the first Christian Emperor and gave credit for his pivotal military victory at Milvian Bridge to Christ because of an epiphany he had the night prior. A cross appeared in a vision and a voice saying in Greek: "In this sign, you shall conquer." Constantine found great power in this "cross" and later in life became a Christian. A decade after this battle Constantine's mother Helen went to Jerusalem to see some of the sights of Jesus' ministry. Guess what she found. Miraculously she found the True Cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Soon pieces of that True Cross spread throughout Christendom. Surely real power could be found in these pieces of wood.

Maybe... Maybe not.

In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul writes that "The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Truly power is found through Christ's cross: But not through pieces of wood... or military power. Constantine and Helen and so many Christians after them have gotten it wrong. Power is not found in a relic, instead the true power of God comes through the message of the cross. And the message of the cross is that weapons and money and politics are not the true sources of power in the world: only God rules!

The message of the cross is that the Messiah reigns through death. Jesus loses. He has no weapons or money or political influence. He is the opposite of everything we would expect power to come from. But through that cross... that symbol of defeat... Jesus actually conquers and wins. He dies for our sins and defeats sin, death and the devil on that cross. Indeed: in this sign, you shall conquer... by giving up your whole life to follow him.

Many say its foolish to proclaim Christ crucified. But is it? What good did it do that Constantine won at the Battle of Milvian Bridge? That is just an event for the history books. Constantine and his Empire died off a long time ago. Likewise money comes and goes. Political power is given and taken away in an instant. Are those real sources of power... or phony sources of power that too many people have been suckered into believing?

Instead we are fools for Christ. We carry no weapons, except the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We seek no money, expect that which can support our work for Christ. We don't seek the approval of the masses either. Outnumbered 10 to 1... 100 to 1... 1000 to 1 we press on serving the Lord because we have been given real power through the Blood of the Lamb.

"For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength (1 Cor 1:25)." Yeah it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to our human minds. We are tempted to believe that real power is found in wealth and adoration. But truly our power is from God and God alone. So we proclaim Christ crucified. And stand in awe because though we are fools the Lord continues to do miracles through us every day in the name of Christ. That is real power.

6 Word Story about God

2008-08-28T13:37:00.003-05:00

A website I like to read through each month is Bill Dahl's "Porpoise Diving Life." I have a link to the site posted here on my blog. I enjoy his, and his guest writers', insights into faith from the perspective of the "emerging" or "emergent" church. Bill offered a challenge to his readers in August: Write a six word story about God. At first I thought the idea was either impossible or too simplistic. But looking at the brief messages one finds on different church's signs I began to think differently. Maybe in 2008 we need to take on the challenge of creating the briefest of statements (can it really be a story?) about God. Maybe in the multi-tasking, over-scheduled, mediaized society we live in we need to be able to share a story about God with just 6 words.

So I've been thinking about what words must be included in a 6-word-story about God. How about Jesus, grace or faith? Can you leave out love, forgiven, saved? What about the word "God?" Shouldn't it say something about discipleship or include commands like discover, live, share, and tell? How about wonderful, hope and joy? What about Creator, Kingdom and life? Which six words should I choose? Do I dare waste one of my six words with "and," "a," "the," or "it?"

Of course Bill got the inspiration for the title of his website from Rick Warren's bestselling book The Purpose Driven Life. I like that book, but like Bill and others there are aspects of the book I'm not so comfortable with (What happens on day 41 for example?). But one of the great catch phrases from Purpose Driven that has stuck with me is "It's not about you." That's not six words, but four, and yet I think it says quite a bit in regards to discipleship and our life in Christ.

But Bill's challenge asks us to create a six word story about God. Hmmmmmm. It is to say something about God in some sort of narrative way... after all that is what a story is. I think it should be my story about God and not a quote from Scripture. Okay... after some pondering and kicking by the Holy Spirit, here's what I got (Let me know what you think):

God loves so we can love.

My Mistake

2008-08-27T12:36:00.002-05:00

My youngest son Preston was born in Akron, Ohio in 2004 and of course when someone is born in the United States you have go through the process of ordering a birth certificate. We filled out the paperwork with the City of Akron. We mailed in the check, which was deposited by them. And then we waited... and waited... and waited. No birth certificate ever came. At around the time of Preston's 6 month birthday I decided to give someone a call. The person I reached within the city bureaucracy of Akron told me I would have to fill out the form again and send another check. Obviously I was not pleased with that response. After a few more phone calls (and a very fruitful e-mail) the mistake was discovered and an official copy of Preston's birth certificate was sent to us. The whole event confirmed my prejudice that government bureaucracy is a nightmare... bloated, unproductive, and a waste of taxpayers money.

When the government made another mistake involving my State of Illinois income tax this year I was convinced here was another case of bloated bureaucracy not able to get anything right. Four-times-a-year I send a estimated payment of my state income tax to Springfield. That amount is always the same. But somehow their records showed that one of those four payments was only for $59.97. $59.97? What planet are they from? My check for the correct amount had been deposited. I had a copy of the canceled check. I sent to Springfield my paperwork in May showing them their error and of course I waited... and waited... and waited. I hear nothing at all. No money shows up in my checking account. I thought, "what a mixed up government we have." Last night as I was filling out the cryptic forms and writing out two checks for renewing my Illinois licence plates I thought to myself: "Well it's only by faith that this going to work without any problems." Cynical Tony.

Today I received a phone call from a gentleman from the Illinois Department of Revenue. After playing some phone tag we got to speak to one another for a few minutes. The man's detective work and questions shed a light on my situation I never expected in a million years. Bloated bureaucracy didn't make a mistake: I did. I mistakenly sent to the Illinois tax man in June 2007 the $59.97 check I had written for my gas bill and mistakenly mailed my quarterly tax payment to the gas company. (No wonder I had that credit on my natural gas account last summer.) Now, I'm not totally to blame here: It was the bloated bureaucracy of government, utilities, and my bank that allowed those checks to go through to the wrong places. But I do admit that it was my hands that placed those checks in the wrong envelopes and my tongue that licked them closed.

It was also my mind that found satisfaction in blaming some faceless bureaucracy for my problems. It was my mind that took some solace in thinking poorly of a government that would "steal" money from me and never think twice. I was wrong.

Martin Luther was profound in his views about Christians blaming others or thinking poorly of their neighbor without just cause. When explaining his views about the commandment against bearing false witness against your neighbor he wrote: "We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light."

I did not act this way when it came to the Illinois Department of Revenue. I am sorry. And I pray God forgives me.

Thinking about God

2008-08-22T09:50:00.003-05:00

I was thinking about God. Which led me to think about the Kingdom: God's Kingdom. It's at hand. It's here. It's to come. The Kingdom is like a mustard seed. It is like treasure in a field. It is the most valuable pearl in the world that someone knowledgeable about pearls recognizes and sells everything she has to buy it. That's the Kingdom. I know... pretty mysterious.

Experiencing God in your life today means experiencing the Kingdom: and visa versa. But where do we find the Kingdom? Is it a feeling in the gut? Is it an event in your community? It is big? Is it small? Is it people? Is it things? Is is love? You know... from what I learn in Matthew's Gospel... the answer is yes.

Are these the Kingdom?

- A twenty-one-year-old father picks up his four-year-old son so he can take care of him over the weekend.

- Ten friends ride around an empty school parking lot on bikes: laughing and kidding around.

- A mother looks for help with her four young daughters because she has ran out of food and money.

- A teacher waits to meet her new students and their parents for the first time.

- A man joins an Alcoholics Anonymous group.

- A husband and wife cheer Team USA while watching the Olympics together.

- An elderly man returns home after spending eleven days in nursing home.

Where's the Kingdom of God? No pearls, treasure, or mustard seeds here. Or are there? Just as God surrounds us with his Spirit we are surrounded by examples of the Kingdom happening right now.

A Heart of Gold

2008-08-16T14:12:00.003-05:00

It takes heart to do what Micheal Phelps has done in Beijing. Last night he became the first person in 36 years to win seven gold medals in one Olympic Games. More than just physical ability is necessary become such a champion because the mind must be 100% focused on a single goal. After the race Phelps said: "When you put your mind to something, anything is possible." I believe Phelps mind was as much responsible for his seven individual goals as anything else.

Funny thing, the mind. Physically we know that the brain and heart perform different functions for the body, but in English it is perfectly acceptable to speak of the mind and the heart as one. And centuries of history has told us that the human heart is most certainly capable of anything: "anything is possible," as the Olympic Champion says. The heart can produce great things... and unfortunately things not so great.

The swimmer who came in second to Phelps last night in the 100-meter butterfly (by 0.01 seconds) was not too thrilled. Surely the heart of Serbian Milorad Cavic is as much responsible for his amazing race. He came closer than anyone else to actually beating the human dolphin Phelps. But his heart was also responsible for his response after the race. The Serbs questioned the finish and Cavic stormed away after the race making no comment, upset by the outcome. Many a poor showing in the sportsmanship category is caused by the heart. In Olympic wrestling a Swedish wrestler was so outraged by his third place showing that he threw his bronze metal down and stormed off the podium in disgust. Yes the heart is responsible for the best and worst in the Olympics.

Jesus speaks about the heart in an interesting conversation he has with his disciples in Matthew 15. Jesus teaches that its not food or being unclean that pollutes a person, its what comes from within... what comes from the heart that makes a person unrighteous in the eyes of God . "It's from the heart the we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That's what pollutes (Matthew 15:19)." The heart is the source for humanity's greatest thoughts and most evil actions.

Having been given the Holy Spirit through our Baptism we have also been given the opportunity to produce good from our hearts. Instead of being slaves to sin we can become servants of righteousness. But we must put our minds to it. Feeding your heart with God's Word and exercising it through service, prayer and love is the best way to prepare your heart. Worship and study are the training we need so that our hearts can produce positive results for the Lord.

Daily we struggle to follow Christ as disciples. There are so many forces out there pulling us to produce sin instead of hope, but through training and hard work anything is possible if you put your mind to it. You will not be the only one rewarded through your heart of gold.

Fear Fear

2008-08-08T11:10:00.004-05:00

Nothing freezes us quicker than fear. Nothing pulls us away from faith more than fear. Nothing overshadows hope more than fear. It's why Franklin Roosevelt was profound in his words to the nation near the beginning of the Great Depression: "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." Once everyone is overwhelmed by fear, hope is lost.

There are many things that we fear in life. Some of the fears we have are welcomed... part of the thrill of a ride or the movie. But most fears are crippling. They prevent us from functioning well in our relationships. Fear brings doubt. Fear enslaves us. Have you ever experienced these fears:

1. "Thrills" - This the fear we choose to face... the feeling you get standing in line for a roller coaster or watching a scary movie. It's fun and though we are afraid we "know" we're in control.

2. "Storms" - This the fear that we will fall victim to just dumb luck. You feel it when a strong storm comes through or when the jet you are on makes some funny noises. "This is it... a tree's going to fall on me." It can be terrifying and lead you to feel as if your life is flashing before your eyes. You've lost control.

3. "Changes" - This the fear that prevents you from making positive changes in your life and instead continue to hurt ourselves and others. It prevents addicts from getting clean, an obese person from losing weight, a diabetic from following a strict diet. The fear of failure is far worse than the fear of doing more damage.

4. "Trapped" - This is a fear that you have fallen into a "pit" so deep that you will never get out. Such a fear haunts the fugitive who cannot escape a pattern of crime. This fear sinks families into hopelessness because they are drowning in debts that will mean loosing their house and facing bankruptcy. Taken to an extreme such fear can lead good people to contemplate suicide.

5. "Illness" - This the fear that comes from learning of a terrible illness. It is like "storms" in that a person faces their mortality, but it lingers on and on because the battle with the illness can last months or years. Such a fear leads to helplessness and self pity and in extreme situations deep feelings of regret... particularly if the illness is the result of poor choices.

When fear takes over a life everyone around the person suffers. It ruins relationships. The light of the gospel is lost in the heart of someone driven by fear.

Jesus gives us permission to live without fear. In a cool story from Matthew Jesus famously walks on water to get to his disciples who are on a boat in the Sea of Galilee. The disciples think Jesus is a ghost when the see him approach. Jesus tells them "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid." There is no need to fear when you have faith in Christ.

What takes place next is pretty interesting. Peter makes a strange request of Jesus, saying that if he is Jesus he should command him to walk on the water too. Jesus doesn't mind playing along with his foolish disciples at times and does indeed command Peter to come. For a few moments Peter actually walked on the water. But once Peter realized what he was doing he fell in the "Storm" type of fear. Why am I here???? I'm going to drown!

Wonderfully the loving, fear-liberating Christ takes Peter by the hand and saves him. Jesus offers to reach us today with that same hand. Yes, we will be afraid at times and sometimes fall into that trap. But because of our faith in Christ we don't have to remain in fear. Jesus will pull us out of the pit of fear with the hope of his gospel. So don't fear the curve balls life throws... fear fear itself. You might discover you can walk on water too.

Good, Evil & Shades of Gray

2008-07-18T15:59:00.002-05:00

One of the enduring memories I have from the terrorist attack on 9/11 is the fact that when people were escaping Lower Manhattan it did not become the "every man for himself" free-for-all Hollywood has been selling us for years. Instead the world was flooded with story after story of heroism after the attack. Fire fighters were willing to walk up 100 stories to rescue people. Strangers helped disabled workers climb down stairs. Ordinary folks lent a hand to help those who were injured. I was reminded of those stories while watching the new movie The Dark Knight.

So often in the world of comic book good guys and bad guys everything is light and dark. The good ones are always good and evil is always bad. But life does not work that way. The reality is that all people are simultaneously sinner and saint. We are made saints through the blood of Christ but are still sinners capable of the worst atrocities. The Dark Knight shines a light on a world where not everything is so cut and dry... it is a world of many shades of gray... a world we know all too well.

Now when it comes to a villain like the Joker, its pretty clear he is pure evil. But where the Joker goes wrong is that he is certain that everyone else is as evil as him. Yes through his murderous mischief he does expose the darker sides of Gotham's most heroic figures, but he fails to understand that just as people are not all goody-goodies, they are likewise not simply all psychotic killers like him either. Instead people are shades of gray: capable of great harm and great good at the same time. People are a whole lot like the people in Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001.

There are moments in the movie when the hero, Batman, struggles mightily with the shades of gray. What's best for him, the people he loves, and the 30,000,000 residents of his fair city? He learns something that we all can learn. And believe it or not, its a Christian lesson. Batman learns the same lesson that was modeled by the prophets in the Old Testament and was definitively lived through Christ: doing what is right will cause people to hate you, and even want to kill you... but that doesn't mean you stop doing what is right. If Batman holds on to that lesson there is hope for Gotham. Because Christ lived that lesson there is hope for us.

Goodbye Tiger Stadium

2008-07-10T15:03:00.004-05:00

Tiger Stadium was the best place I ever watched men play baseball. When I was a teen my family lived near Detroit and during those years in the 1980's I not only learned to root for the Tigers, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Chet Lemon and Sparky, but I learned to love their home park: Tiger Stadium. Of the 100 or so games I went to at Tiger Stadium, I sat in the upper deck for just about all of them, right on top of the action. Left handers like Gibby and Darrell Evans were a treat to watch. With what seemed like little effort they would pull a fastball up into the right field porch, sometimes clearing the roof. Old pictures of Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, and Philadelphia's Shibe Park look a whole lot like Tiger Stadium: double decker stadiums where the upper deck was right on top of the action. The former three have been lost to history forever decades ago, an now, foolishly Detroit is tearing down their treasure.

There was a time I would be red hot with anger and sadness because of what's happening, but now I feel more nostalgic for the past and sorry for my old home than bitter. It's up to the people who live there to decide what to do with the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. Detroit today is an economic disaster. Homelessness and helplessness effects too many people there. They need hope and need to both hear and experience the gospel. My prayer is that the Spirit will guide my brothers and sisters in Detroit to a brighter future. If tearing down Tiger Stadium is a step in that direction, that's wonderful, I am skeptical of that however. But of course God can turn the skepticism and cynicism of people into miracles. The Pharisees were nostalgic about their old time views as well and pretty skeptical about Jesus' gospel.

Goodbye Tiger Stadium.

Oh Say Can You See CC?

2008-07-09T21:07:00.005-05:00

I've taken vacation this week and have been considering various ways I could spend my time. CC Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers a few days ago and pitched for the Crew last night. I made sure I watched that on MLB.TV. I can watch every baseball game on MLB.TV. Every day there are over a dozen games available to watch from noon to midnight. I can watch the Red Sox after lunch, the Indians after dinner, the Brewers of course, and then finish the night out west watching the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now that's day! It could be every day if I wanted it to be.

But of course I can't watch a dozen baseball games everyday because I belong to Netflix. They send me three DVDs in the mail and after I watch it I mail it back so they can send me more. Right now I have The Golden Compass, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and Sweeney Todd just waiting for me.

I would get right on those if it wasn't for the fact that my brother got me the entire collection of the television series Arrested Development on DVD for my birthday. 53 half-hour episodes in all. That would only take a full day, with no breaks, to watch. But when will that day come? It will have to wait because I've been itching to watch the three Lord of the Rings movies, which I own. Add those three director's cut movies together and you're talking a good 11 to 12 hours of viewing pleasure.

This week was not supposed to be about watching things on TV, however, it was to be about doing stuff in Chicago that I hadn't gotten to do before. For weeks I've been thinking about going to the Chicago History Museum, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Sears Tower, the Brookfield Zoo, tour some of the architecture in the Loop, the Frank Lloyd Wright stuff in Oak Park and Hyde Park, Graceland Cemetery, and go for a walk along the lake front. Oh, and there are about 100 restaurants I would like to try and the free concerts at the Chicago Cultural Center and the Grant Park Music Festival.

Man, what a burden to be limited to 24 hours per day. What a burden to have so much stuff available to entertain me. For the past week the Bible lesson from Matthew I mentioned in my last post has been stuck in my head. I keep thinking about my heavy burdens and Christ's light yoke. Some burdens really? Poor Tony. I'm sure you feel sorry for me. The saddest thing about these so called "burdens" of mine is that there have actually been moments when my inability to tackle all this stuff has gotten me down. How pathetic really. Yes Lord, your yoke is easy, your burden is light, and best of all picking up your cross is actually meaningful.

I didn't plan it this way, but I discovered something this past weekend that I have grabbed a hold of for the rest of this week: real joy and refreshment comes when I focus my time on my family instead of the stuff I can do and watch. Yes I did get to the Lincoln Park Zoo and saw WALL-E today, but it was with my wife and son. It's been great: walks to the playground, playing Hot Wheels in the living room, sitting in the backyard watching Preston on his little bike. Now I'm not saying my burdens or my "cross" has been all that amazing... but learning to love and do something for others instead of consuming and do stuff only for myself has been pretty cool.

I still haven't gotten to those Arrest Development shows, and my goodness there are baseball games going on right now that I'm missing as I type this, but that's okay and will stay okay as long as Christ calls me, and his Spirit helps me see that focusing on others is a real joy. You discover something the more you give and the more you serve: his yoke is actually easy and his burden really is light. In Christ you actually do find rest.

Heavy Burdens

2008-07-06T21:01:00.003-05:00

God has blessed me with some vacation time this month. My wife and two oldest children are away right now which has left me alone here with my four year old son Preston until Tuesday. He's a cool kid and its great to be able to place all my attention on him. It gives us the opportunity for adventure! Today's adventure led us to worship at a church in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, just a few blocks south of Wrigley Field. First of all, we did worship God and hear Christ's gospel and not the Gospel according to Harry Carey. Second, I'm always amazed by all the life and excitement constantly happening around Chicago, even on a Sunday morning. Throngs of young adults were jogging along Lake Shore Drive. The beaches were filling up. Life was everywhere. Some of that life was even in a church.

The preacher's sermon was based on one of my favorite passages from Matthew: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30)." These are words of refreshment and freedom from Christ, but the pastor reminded me that deep down in our souls we don't want to give up those burdens we carry. We hold on to them, sometimes to our last breath, valuing our so called independence over the rest Christ freely offers through discipleship. On the surface the yoke, or cross, of Christ looks terribly painful; but after some soul searching we realize Christ's cross looks painful because we have made our burdens the center of our existence.

After the service Preston and I played for a while at a school playground across the street of the church and had a picnic lunch. Preston wondered where all the kids were. He was the only one around under the age of 10. That's not to say we were alone there in this small, urban school playground. There were dozens of twenty-somethings sunbathing, playing frisbee, walking their dogs, seeming to have lots of fun. I wondered if any of them were burdened. I wondered if they were curious about the music coming out of the old church across the street.

Yes, today was a good day. My parents celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary with two of my kids. Marriage is a great example of how blessings come to those who let go of their burdens and learn to love selflessly. Fatherhood works that way too. My days would be a whole lot different if Preston was not here with me. They might even be different if I wasn't married. Not that I would be sunbathing... but I might join the dudes who were gathered around the benches watching the show. To the young and single that's what life is all about. Husbands and fathers know better. They have learned through experience that life's greatest blessings come through giving your life to serve and love others. I know I've experienced that and maybe, just maybe, I can indeed see that Christ's yoke is easy and his burden is light. Real freedom and rest comes through faith. I wonder what adventure Preston and I will have tomorrow?

Unjust Hunger

2008-06-25T19:17:00.003-05:00

200 campers at Bible Camp learned a powerful lesson tonight. I did as well. We had a little experiential education at dinner in an attempt to teach the campers that we in the United States are among the richest 10% of the world's population. The 200 were divided into five equal groups differentiated by a color sticker. The orange group was allowed to eat all they wanted at dinner. The red group was allowed to eat a smaller portion of everything and no dessert. The blue group got only rice, a dinner roll, lettuce and dressing. The green group received only rice, a roll and water. The yellow group was given only rice and water. Oh boy, you should have heard the cheers and groans. Really, this is an important lesson that all Americans should experience since every 3.6 seconds a person dies of hunger, the majority of those being children.

But I learned something about hunger tonight that the campers might have missed. Now remember the groups were divided equally, but in actuality it didn't work out that way. As I stood and watched the campers come up for food there was easily three campers with orange stickers for every one camper with yellow. I don't know how they did it but many of the campers cheated to make sure they got as much food as they wanted. Lesson: if you are friends with someone "in the know" or someone who has connections you did great because you got you the sticker you wanted. But, if you didn't have such a connection with someone "in power" you were stuck with the sticker you were dealt. Dog eat dog.

It works that way globally as well. If you have connections with those who are powerful and rich you do just fine. Can you believe that for about half of what Americans spend on pet supplies a year we could put an end to hunger areas of severe famine? I guess a lot of us have connections with those who are rich and powerful cause we do just fine. Even though there is an abundance of money and food in the world people in power continue to cheat the system to make sure they have more than the rest.

In Revelation the "black horsemen" reveals a truth about our sinful world by describing such unjust famine. People are starving, not because there's not enough food, but because people cheat the system so food is distributed unfairly. "I looked and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying. 'A quart of wheat for a day's pay, and three quarts of barley for a day's pay, but do not damage the olive oil and wine (Rev. 6:5b-6).'" Those with little must pay a day's wages to get enough food for only one person. Those who are rich, the ones who use olive oil and wine, are unharmed. This is not a vision of the future as much as it is a commentary of the way sinful life has always been, certainly is today, and will continue to be until the Kingdom of God is fully realized.

In the Kingdom of God no one goes hungry. As disciples of Christ, agents for his Kingdom, we are called to live that vision right now. It should be the priority of every Christian to fight hunger locally, nationally and globally. It is an abomination that children of God continue to starve to death every 3.6 seconds.

Fight world hunger right now by supporting organizations like Bread for the Word (www.bread.org), World Vision (www.worldvision.org), Church World Service (www.churchworldservice.org), CARE (www.care.org), or Lutheran World Relief (www.lwr.org).

Top 7 Memories of Bible Camp

2008-06-24T15:12:00.003-05:00

It's the time of year for Bible Camp. These are my top 7 memories:

7. "Puff the Magic Dragon"
Yes, we sang "Kumbaya" but what sticks in my mind from Bible Camp when I was a kid was singing about that old rascal Puff. I still can't understand why.

6. Hidden Yellow Jackets Nest
In 2001, as a group of us was walking up a trial at dusk, one after another campers cried out "Ouch!" as we stomped on a hidden nest of yellow jackets. Of course I had to become a victim that evening as well. Thankfully, everyone was fine.

5. Oatmeal
You can tell how good a camp's food will be by the way they prepare oatmeal. If they do oatmeal well your in for good stuff all week... if its uneatable... welcome to fat camp because you won't want to eat much all week. At one camp they had a song for oatmeal: "Oaaaatmeal; some like butter. Oaaaatmeal; some like sugar..." I still sing that one to my kids.

4. College-Age Counselors
Yes, sometimes they bring a little modern-day drama with them, but just about always the camp counselors, usually between 18 and 22 years-old, are wonderful witnesses of faith for younger youth. The seeds they sow in the hearts of young people have bore much fruit for Christ.

3. An Eight-Day-Old Camper
In 2004 my wife brought our eight-day old newborn to camp for an afternoon. He still is, unofficially, the youngest person ever to go to Bible Camp.

2. "Sanctuary"
I learned this song at Bible Camp. It always reminds me of God's grace, the blessings of nature, friends, and times of Sabbath... all of which allows me to become a better vessel for God's presence within me.

1. Tearful Goodbyes
You cannot tell me of any other place where adolescents can worship God no less than four times a day, have no access to any modern media, talk about Jesus with others and still feel horrible about leaving when it's over. God created us to desire him and long for healthy friendships. Those are the centerpieces of camp ministry. It's only natural that youth would want to stay.

Truly I Tell You, None of These Will Lose Their Reward

2008-06-21T10:16:00.005-05:00

The past couple weeks large areas of the state's of Iowa and Wisconsin have been hit by severe floods. I was born in Wisconsin, and have many friends and family there, and lived in Iowa for four years during the 1990's. It saddens me to see so many who have lost their homes and even lives because of these storms.

This past week I went for a walk along a country road and remembered something about my friends from Iowa. As a car approached me at around 50 miles-per-hour the driver waved at me. Rarely in my walks in suburban Chicago has anyone ever waved at me. But out here, in the country, I got waved at, even as the man drove by so quickly.

When I lived in Iowa a friend of mine, a lifelong Iowan, taught me that whenever you approach a car along a deserted stretch of highway you give a little flick of your finger (No, not that finger! Your pointing finger). It's not quite a wave but still an acknowledgement that says "Hi, nice to see you, have a great day." Over and over during a drive in the country you give that little flick of a finger and receive a greeting back. I thought it was nice. It seemed so civil and friendly.

But what touched me most when I lived in Iowa was the way people responded in 1997 when the Red River flooded in Grand Forks, North Dakota. 70% of that river town was flooded. With little haste churches throughout Sioux City, Iowa collected enough goods to fill a tracker trailer truck full of supplies for the stricken area. They didn't hesitate to help people in need. So when I think of Iowa I never think of corn, pigs, or politics first... but the generous and hospitable people who call that beautiful state home. When Jesus speaks of the struggles and rewards of discipleship in Matthew 10... "whoever gives gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward (Matthew 10:42)" I must think of the people of Iowa.

Now they need our help. Many charities have been on the scene giving aid and providing shelter. In Cedar Rapids the Salvation Army has provided meals to over 47,000 people. Other charities are on the scene as well. I highly recommend supporting the American Red Cross or ELCA Domestic Disaster Response... a charity that uses over 95% of the money they receive to help victims. They will remain on the scene for many months to come. Gifts can be given to ELCA Disaster Response, earmarked for tornado and flood disasters, to P.O. Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764. Also Lutheran Services in Iowa is receiving donations. Lutheran Services in Iowa, ATTN: Disaster Response, PO Box 848, Waverly, IA 60677.

His Time is Short

2008-06-11T10:00:00.004-05:00

I've been leading a Bible study on the Book of Revelation the past couple months. It has been so much fun. Often ignored are the many images within Revelation pure grace for all creation. One of my favorite examples of that comes in Revelation 7:9-10: "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out with a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'" What a powerful image of salvation.

But of course Revelation is also filled with images of war, destruction and death. One of the most miserable comes in Revelation 9... the description of scorpion-like locusts coming from the Abyss to torture for five months those who are not sealed. "They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months (9:10)." The sixth trumpet, also called the second woe, gives another ghastly imagine of an army of mounted troops numbering 200,000,000 coming from the east and killing 1/3 of all people.

None of that really scared me though. (I must be heartless.) But something has struck a cord with me now that we've reached the dragon of Revelation 12: the chapter in which John the Seer allegorically describes the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ as a battle between good and evil. A dragon (Satan) wants to kill a woman's (Israel's) child , but the child (Christ) is snatched away (ascension) before he can be killed. A war is waged in heaven and the dragon is defeated (the cross). Through the cross Jesus defeats sin and death forever. The Kingdom of God is at hand. However, sin and death still exist. The dragon lives on, here on earth, causing pain and bringing death... but his time is limited: "He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short (12:12b)."

For some reason this image has scared me. I had a dream about it last night. In plain English we know that we have been saved through Jesus' death on the cross and our faith in him. We also know that we still live in a world where sin and death are present. The way John describes it: evil, personified by the devil, symbolized by the dragon is still on the loose. The devil knows his time is short and is looking to cause as much pain as he can before the Kingdom of God is fully realized on earth.

Like Kathy Bates in the movie Misery... just when you think the devil is defeated, dead and gone, her eyes open and she comes screaming into scene with hellfire on her breath, a knife in her hand and hate in her heart. Until Christ returns and puts that final bullet into the chest of sin and death we still live with the specter of evil surrounding us. Therefore, today "the devil" works to pull us away from faith, foil our plans, dash our hopes, and convince us he is the victor. Through his use of allegory John is explaining why the church of the late first century struggled through persecutions. But naturally, like all of Scripture, Revelation also helps us understand why our own time continues to be painful, especially for those who have faith.

What John writes poetically is really no different than what Paul writes in Romans 8: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us (Romans 8:18)." Paul ends that chapter with a message of hope in the face of "the dragon's" continued persecution. "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, [nor the dragon, nor the devil, nor Satan,] nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39... additions are mine)."

Revelation is going the same direction as Paul goes in Romans. God has given John the Seer a vision of hope and encouragement. Yes John is exiled by the Romans to Patmos. Yes John's brothers and sisters in Christ are being persecuted, arrested and one has even been killed for the faith. But there is hope. This is going to end up being very good! The Kingdom of God is at hand. The time is short for sin and death. Jesus, the Messiah, the Lamb of God has conquered and will welcome "a great multitude" to sing his praises before him in the coming Kingdom.

So sleep well. Persevere. Feel the hand of God upon you this very day!

Taking Time to Hear

2008-06-05T14:51:00.003-05:00

I don't know if the term "multitasking" was born in the modern era, but if it wasn't, our modern world sure has taken the idea of doing too many things at one time to the extreme. E-mail, cell phones, text messaging and computers are supposed to exist to help us get through the busyness of our world, but instead they tend to make our lives all the more chaotic. To be good at multitasking means being good at prioritizing... knowing what has to be done now and what can wait. It's the only way we survive this crazy world.

Centuries before the multitasking choices faced by modern people Luke retells a story in his Gospel about Jesus being invited into the home of a woman named Martha. Her sister Mary is also there and sits herself at the feet of Jesus listening intently to every word he says. Martha, following first century custom, is busy making preparations to do all that is necessary to make a guest feel welcome in her home. She is frustrated that Mary is not helping her. After all there is much to be done and a woman's place in a first century home was to do work, not only for guests, but for any male in the home. Martha pushes Jesus to "Tell her to help me."

Surprisingly to Martha, Jesus instead lifts up Mary as being the proper example of doing what is right. Listening to Jesus must be the number one priority and not any other work. Everything society had taught Martha told her that she was in the right, but Jesus points out that even society can be wrong. The number one priority for men and women is to listen to the Word of God. Everything else, even honorable tasks, must come second.

In 2008, when we face daily the difficult task of setting priorities because so much is expected of us, it is tempting allow listening to the Word to slide. There are more pressing matters. There are priorities society has set that are far more important than sitting and listening for God, either in worship, prayer, or both. Like Martha we are convinced we are doing the right thing and that even Jesus would agree.

But Jesus doesn't agree. Instead he offers us grace and rest. Go ahead and take a load off. Don't beat yourself up when you do the opposite of what society says and actually dare to make taking time to listen to God... to worship... to study... to mediate the number one priority of your life. The blessing you receive "will not be taken away (Luke 10:42)."

A Smart Worm Stays in the Dirt

2008-05-24T10:30:00.005-05:00

I just got back from spending three days fishing with my dad and brother in Kentucky. What a great time it was. The weather was great, the boat didn't sick, my brother caught 30 largemouth bass (we catch and release), and I had on the end of my line a giant catfish we now refer to as Captain Kirk (he released himself). We were reeling in so many fish we had to take good look around a few times to make sure we actually were on Lake Barkley and not inside the Shedd Aquarium.

There were times on Wednesday I immediately had a nibble on my bait the moment I cast my line out in the water. My bobber would instantly start moving up and down because little bluegills were nibbling on my red worm or nightcrawler. This posed a bit of a challenge because these guys were so tiny that when I pulled on the line I often wasn't able to hook them. All that was left of my bait was either some pieces of worm or just a bare hook. I thought, "it's a good thing worms stay in the dirt, because they sure don't last long in the water."

Being out on the lake for three days reminded me of Jesus' words of wisdom in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life (Matt 6:25-27)?"

On the boat I tried to imagine the scene below the surface of the water. It must have been amazing with fish of all sizes (catfish, bluegills, minnows, sunfish, bass, and many more) all swimming around eating all kinds of stuff... even each other. What I could see above the surface was also quite amazing: geese, turtles, cranes, and even an eagle, never too happy with our presence. But until we arrived next them on our boat they all seemed to stand as still as a statue just waiting to for their chance to pick from the seafood buffet. Not as disturbed by us were the three deer we saw relaxing just before dusk or the pair of foxes walking leisurely near the shore.

I was reminded of two realities about God's creation last week: it outshines anything a human could ever construct and it is a dangerous place. All of the creatures we encountered were involved in trying to survive. The fish took our bait because they were looking for food. The birds waited patiently along the shore waiting for lunch. Only the deer and foxes seemed to be taking life easy, but I'm sure dinner was not too far from their minds.

Things are pretty dangerous for the birds, fish and animals, but our lives are dangerous too. While we may not worry about where our next meal will come from, or whether something wants to eat us, there is plenty to worry about nonetheless. Can I pay all my bills? Are my children safe? Do I need to cancel vacation this summer? Will my loved one beat cancer?

Spending some time in the wild can remind you how pointless it is to worry. The fish, birds and animals work together in a constant give and take of life and death. You would think they would be frozen in fear, but instead they just live. Humans are called to just live as well, but not in a selfish way. A wise person lives life as a refection of faith... the very faith that gives us permission to stop worrying and start living. Jesus tells us to live by striving "first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Your food, drink, and clothing will come... therefore spend your time living as a disciple: serving Christ and the kingdom. Instead of worrying, try loving. Instead of living in fear, live in hope. Instead hording, look for opportunities to serve "and all of these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today (Matt 6:33b-34)."

Living in the Spirit

2008-05-17T18:44:00.004-05:00

Twice in Revelation John the Seer records that he was "in the spirit" when he received the divine revelation he describes in the last book of the Bible. "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet... (Rev 1:10)" "At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne (Rev 4:2)!" Make no mistake about it, John did not make this all up in his mind. In some trance-like state God revealed to him amazing things. Using his knowledge of the Old Testament he tried to describe what he saw as best he could.

All people contain God's Spirit within them simply because God created them. God the Creator made this universe and made us as well: in his image. God's hand is written in our hearts and moves us to want to seek him and know him.

The Spirit is within all who belong to Christ through baptism. That Spirit is actually Christ within us. In Matthew 28, Jesus' final words to his disciples are a command to go, baptize and teach. His words are also encouragement that though he will physically leave them he will indeed still be with them "always, to the end of the age (Matt 28:20)." The Spirit of Christ is with us always... leading us, guiding us... giving us hope in the face of sin.

The Holy Spirit, given to the disciples at Pentecost is the same Spirit given to us as well. More than just the presence of God or Christ within us... the Holy Spirit is power to become people we would not otherwise be. The disciples who abandoned Jesus at the cross now become men of courage, speaking new languages and spreading the gospel despite the dangers.

When John the Seer, writer of Revelation, is "in the spirit" on the Lord's Day I believe that he is in the same Spirit as the disciples at Pentecost. It takes over him. It gives him the ability to see things he would not have otherwise seen and do things he would not otherwise have done. This Spirit is within you right now... and I believe it's just waiting to take hold of you.

It's important that John mentions that it was on the Lord's Day when he was in the Spirit. It indicates to me that the fact it was Sunday morning, possibly even in worship, contributed to him being open to the Spirit taking over. When we cut ourselves off from the Scriptures, fail to recognize the Lord's Day, or do not participate in worshiping God, we smother the Spirit just waiting to move us in amazing ways.

Years ago I knew a woman named Lois who couldn't speak enough about being in the Spirit. She knew first hand what it meant to hinder the Spirit from doing its work and essentially spiritually sleepwalking through life. Year after year she went to church, potlucks, and sewing meetings. Year after year she said grace before dinner and sang in the choir. But, as she tells me, "I felt spiritually dead." When she was asked 20 years ago to lead a woman's Bible study for her church she was scared to death. There was no way in a million years she could do that, she thought. But out of some sort of sense of obligation and not finding it easy to say no, she accepted the job. It was like the blanket that was covering the Spirit within her was removed.

Teaching and leading discussions about the Bible lead her to learn more about the Scriptures and God than she ever knew before. It brought her joy, but with disappointment, because she felt as if she has been cheated of decades of chances to learn more about Christ. It was passages in John about "an Advocate" that really caught her eye. She recognized that empowering Advocate insider her. At times it moved her to speak in tongues. At times it moved her to question everything... which can be pretty frightening. Frightening to me as well listening to her. But even so, living the Spirit was something she says she would never give up.

I have to believe that John was shaken to his core by his experience of being "in the spirit," not just because of what he saw, but because of the very fact he was given the chance to experience God in such a powerful way. I'm sure John questioned everything at times too.

The Holy Spirit empowered both John and Lois to live their lives in a new way: a freeing way. They were empowered to live as children of God in a way they never dreamed they could have. John changed people forever by sharing his message of hope to a dangerous and dying world. Lois become a light to many other women who began to recognize the Spirit within them as well, just as the Spirit was present in their friend.

If Jesus has commissioned us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you," then its going to take the Spirit within us to do just that. Empowered by the Spirit you will become a person of courage and strength you never knew you could be. Empowered by the Spirit you will bring the gospel to other people. Empowered by the Spirit you will walk in the presence of Christ every day of your life.

People in Glass Houses

2008-05-07T12:55:00.005-05:00

i feel so free
beauty is all around
finally the temperature is right

snow is a memory
puddles have disappeared
green has shown its might

the sun has set
and the sidewalk is begging
for a stroll along the avenues

the breeze is light and calm
a feeling of comfort hangs in the air
nature has accepted God's cues

with the king is my ears
and a smile on my face
i venture out to enjoy creation

but as i glance at the crescent moon
and its reflection on the sparse clouds
something is missing from my sensation

cars wiz by as they always do
planes on their way to o'hare
but there is a void before me

house after house
step after step
tree after tree

where are the people
thousands live here
but they have vanished from this scene

some homes are dark
but some contain a glow
revealing rooms emotionally clean

an eye searches for joy and finds only stuff
a baby swing silent and still
balloons from a party two days prior

the glow from the plasma
reveals cartman and joan rivers
but where is my neighbor

mile after mile no one is here
have they gone to a meeting
are they hiding below

no one told them that God is great
and perfection is found out their door
have they found it inside alone

so used to their castle they do not know what's out there
someone in back of the yards died
they say not me i will stand by my wall

through the windows more light is found
horses on shelves and Sox displayed proudly
a clock from the 60's hangs tall

people in glass houses

are they afraid
of the unknown
of community

uninterrupted i arrive at my home
noise from the traffic surrounds
better lock the door behind me

Looking in the Wrong Direction

2008-05-04T07:20:00.002-05:00

Ruby had some problems... of course we all do, but Ruby's seemed pretty awful. No, they were not health problems really, though, she did complain about pains in her sciatic. Her pains were more than physical. She was angry most of the time. Angry at her neighbors, her ex-husband, her community... the whole world really. Nothing was ever the way it was supposed to be. And when it came to church, it was never long before she up and left for a new one. Over her lifetime she had tried all of the churches in her small community.

The pastor was never what she expected in pastor. The ministries of the congregations never matched her idea of what church should be like. "If only it could be the way it was when I was growing up" is a phrase she often used. A smile would come to her face when she thought of her youth and her time in "show business." But that smile would turn upside when Ruby remembered that those days were long gone. When she died three years ago, she died angry and bitter. Oh the wonderful things she missed.

I've been looking closely recently at the Bible text about Jesus' ascension in Acts. The resurrected Jesus reassures his followers they will not be alone. The Spirit will be given to them in a few days and they have a calling to "me my witnesses... to the ends of the earth." But the disciples don't understand what Jesus means. They are still expecting him to establish the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the new King David and certainly he is going to build something great in Israel that will rival the power of Rome. But of course that wasn't the mission of the Messiah at all. (Was Rome really that powerful once?)

The disciples, like Ruby, don't understand what the Kingdom of God means. They cannot grasp the concept that wealth and power are temporary. They cannot understand that the Kingdom is experienced today when someone is helped, when the hungry are fed, when the injured are comforted. They cannot understand how love is the cornerstone of a kingdom.

So they look in the wrong direction. After Jesus is taken away two angels appear with the disciples. They speak loudly and publicly: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?" Strange question in light of what just happened. Its a strange question especially if you are convinced the Kingdom of God lies in the future and lies somewhere far from here.

Ahh, but the angels' question is not strange at all if indeed the disciples are looking in the wrong direction. The Kingdom of God is not found in some nostalgic look at the golden age of King David 1000 years ago. The Kingdom of God is not found in space and is not reached in a Space Shuttle. the Kingdom of God is not a promise of the future when Christ will take us away from this lousy place called Earth.

Now is the Kingdom and now is the day. Yes Jesus was taken away at his ascension... but yet we know that Jesus is with us right now. Yes Jesus will return again to establish his kingdom... but at the same time we know Jesus comes to us each time we celebrate Holy Communion and that Jesus is with us now because the assembly of believers is the body of Christ. This is a both/and situation here. We wait for Christ's Kingdom by living for Christ's Kingdom now.

And let me tell you living for Christ's Kingdom is not about being served by your local parish. Living Christ's Kingdom is not about power, wealth, blind ritual and structure. Living Christ's Kingdom today is centered on the main concept of all Jesus' actions and teachings: love. When we love others we are looking in the right direction. When we serve rather than look to be served, we are working for the Kingdom of God.

Before they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the disciples could not understand this concept of a Kingdom of God powered by God's love. Oh how things changed after Pentecost though. Today I believe that everyone who has been baptized in Christ has been given this same Holy Spirit. But even so, too many people ignore that Spirit convinced that life ought to be found in a different direction. I think this is what happened to Ruby. And because she was looking in the wrong direction she never saw what was around her the whole time: God's Kingdom.

Jesus is with you now. The Kingdom is unfolding above, below, and all around you. Do you see it? Are you serving it? Or are you looking in the wrong direction?

Where Has God Placed You?

2008-04-26T13:51:00.004-05:00

There is a point in Acts where Luke describes what happened when Paul witnessed to Christ in the great city of Athens. Now Athens was not quite the place it used to be four or five centuries earlier. The days of Plato, Aristotle and Alexander the Great were behind them. But Athens still held a special place in the hearts of educated people of the time.

Paul took special care in approaching the people of Athens with his gospel of Jesus Christ. These were wisdom loving pagans who were not used to hearing about God made human, dying, and then being raised again to new life. In order to preach to the Athenians Paul needed to think like them, observe their ways, know his story, stay positive, and be clever by using imagery familiar to the Greeks.

While on the Areopogas, Mars Hill just below the great Acropolis in Athens, he spoke as if he were a great Athenian orator of the past. Paul respected the pagan traditions of the people, complemented them, and found his opening through an altar dedicated to an unknown god. The pagans, who had temples and altars dedicated to the whole pantheon of gods, were always careful to include an altar dedicated to any gods they didn't know about. After all, it was not wise to offend any god, even if they were not aware of the god's existence.

Paul proclaimed before these wise Athenians just who this unknown god was: he is the Lord God, the one true God. Paul did not even bring up Jesus in his oration, knowing that his message that day needed to simply deal with the God who is One, who is Creator of heaven and earth. He spoke about God's relationship with his creation and in particular humans. He then lifted up the idea of Christ, without mentioning him by name. "While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

This didn't go over too well for the Athenians. "When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, 'We will hear you again about this.'" (Acts 17:32)

Paul didn't stay long in Athens. He was never in danger there, but felt the need to move on because few were coming to faith in Christ. But that's not to say his work was in vain. Some did join Paul and became believers. Even in the tough crowd gathered at the Areopagus Paul's message was able to bring some to faith.

God has placed every Christian in an "Areopagus" somewhere. In Christian community we gather for worship and service and are surrounded by people who believe in Christ just as we do. However there are many times throughout the week when the crowd we are among is more like the Areopagus than it is of First Christian Church. In our families, our work places, our neighborhoods and places of leisure we encounter men and women who are just as clueless about Christ and the resurrection as the people in first century Athens. How do you share your faith with them? Think about these ideas as you answer your call to witness to Christ.

1. Know Your Faith. Do you know why you worship God faithfully or are part of a church? Think about what your faith in God means to you. How has God touched your life recently? Through prayer and meditation be aware of God's presence in your life.

2. Recognize Your "Areopagus." There are times during your week when you are around other people who are just itching to hear the gospel... desperate to have hope in their life. Can you recognize the "Areopagus" God has either dropped you into, or even sometimes placed in your lap?

3. Observe and Listen. Understand where other people are coming from. Show them respect and affirm the good things happening in their lives. It is more important to be a friend than to be a preacher. Paul was sincere when he affirmed how religious the Athenians were.

4. Share Your Story. Since you know why you have faith, do you know how to share your faith with others? Be true to yourself and your story. Share it in a way that respects others and lifts up the positive aspects of your faith. Remember Paul did not mention Jesus by name on the Areopogus which certainly would not have been Paul's first instinct.

5. Sow the Seeds and Let God do the Rest. Chances are that the sharing of your faith story will not have an immediate effect on those you are speaking to. They may scoff. They may say "I'll get back to you later." But that's alright. The seeds you sow might bear fruit months or years down the line. And then again, there is always a chance the lives of one or two might be changed forever because the light of hope finally shined in their heart. Praise be to God!

10,000 Wins

2008-04-24T11:02:00.002-05:00

The Lovable Losers won their 10,000th game last night. That's right, the Chicago Cubs have won 10,000 games in their history... dating back to 1876. During that time they have won 16 National League Championships and 2 World Series titles. Only the New York/San Francisco Giants have won more games as a franchise.

The 2008 Cubs have the best record in all of baseball right now. They are legitimate contenders to win the World Series. But of course to say that is to open yourself up to laughter and scorn... and that's from Cub fans. Sportswriters cannot even write a column in the paper about this very good Cubs team without devoting four paragraphs to goats, black cats, Steve Garvey, Will Clark, and that martyr left on the altar of the so called Cubs myth: Steve Bartman.

Personally, I'm more of a baseball fan in general than I am a Cubs fan. My heart will always belong to the Milwaukee Brewers even though they now play in that monstrosity called Miller Park and somehow ended up in the National League. But I did take in hundreds of Cubs games on WGN as a child. I chose to listen to Harry and watch the beautiful game of baseball played at Wrigley on summer afternoons on television instead of going out and actually playing the game with my friends. No regrets here. So I do understand the Cubs somewhat.

But I will never understand or accept this curse stuff. And quite frankly it makes my stomach turn. The Cubs teams of 1907 and 1908 are worth celebrating. And the history of the team is something to be proud of. I know I wear my replica of a 1908 Cubs hat with pride.

I hope last night's 10,000th win will remind those who love the Cubs of this team's great history and that they should not be afraid to embrace this year's team. Don't say "this could be the year" with a smirk and chuckle. Say it with pride. This team is good!

The world did not implode when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, nor did it happen when the White Sox won in 2005. Neither of those teams are anywhere close to winning 10,000 games (of course the Cubs had a 24 year head start, but let's not go there). The World will not implode when the Cubs win the World Series. It's just going to make the sportswriters' job all the more difficult because they'll have to find something else to say in those 4 paragraphs that always end up in columns about the Cubs.

Now the faith angle to all this. Today is what you make of it. We have been given great freedom and responsibility through Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross. Freedom to embrace the blessings of today and the responsibility to live our life as a response to grace. When we allow the failures of our past to keep us down we miss out on too many of life's blessings and we continue to fail to be the people we can be. That is sin. Sin handcuffs people and even baseball fans. Sin takes innocent men and animals and blames them for 100 years of losing.

10,000 times fans have screamed "Cubs Win! Cubs Win!" There are no curses... only people unwilling to embrace God's grace.

National Start! Walking Day

2008-04-16T15:03:00.004-05:00

I read in the paper that today is National Start! Walking Day. Which is pretty cool because it just happens to be the first time in 168 days that the temperature has reached the 70's in Chicagoland. Six months without without ever seeing 70 degrees, except on the thermostat! That's a long time. If ever there was a day to Start! walking it is today.

I Start!ed a routine of walking just about everyday last October. (I know, really smart, right at the beginning of the 70 degree slump.) For a long time I had been thinking about going out and walking a little, either by driving to a park or some other scenic venue. But I never could find the time and was never quite sure where to go. Finally I decided to just go... Start! Walking. My neighborhood is flat and sidewalks abound throughout this suburban paradise. Just do it I thought. It's time to get healthy.

But I still had my doubts. When can I find the time to do it every day? What am I going to do when the snows come? Are there really enough sidewalks? But as I kept on walking those obstacles and fears became minor because I discovered I enjoyed it so much. I have been able to find the time. Some days I'm moved to go for a 5:30 a.m. stroll for an hour. In December I often walked late at night, when the streets were bare, new snow was on the ground and half the homes were decorated for Christmas. It was a Christmas Wonderland. I actually found the cold winds to be quite invigorating.

But more powerful for me than energizing walks at various times of the day was the discovery of how spiritually moving a good walk can be. Since October I have learned to understand 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "pray without ceasing," in a new way. A good walk became a time for meditation and prayer. At times my walks have helped me gain fresh insights about myself, the world, people, and God. What started out as just exercise has become part of my soul. I don't know how I find the time, but I do for the most part find an hour a day to walk. I walk for my body and I walk for my soul.

There's a reason they put an exclamation point after the word "start" in National Start! Walking Day. Start! is a command. Its an imperative. Just do it. It doesn't cost a dime. It doesn't take specially designed areas, like you see in the picture of the bridge from Millennium Park I posted with this blog. All it takes is two feet, two legs and one hand to open the door outside. You may be surprised to discover who is walking with you.

By His Wounds You Have Been Healed

2008-04-12T19:13:00.004-05:00

A friend mine once went with a tour group to England, Scotland, and Wales. On the day they rural Scotland my friend was shocked to see a man treating the group of sheep he was leading along a road with such contempt. He was trying to get the sheep to move by yelling at them, hitting them with a stick, and even kicking them. My friend was appalled and expressed his displeasure to the man: "Is that any way for a shepherd to treat his sheep?" With a funny look the man responded with gruff voice: "You think I'm a shepherd? I'm not a shepherd. I'm a butcher. These sheep will be dog food soon."

Christians have a soft place in our heart for shepherds and sheep. There are so many images throughout the Bible that compares people to lost sheep and God to a good shepherd who gathers them in his embrace. Jesus calls himself "the good shepherd" in John 10. Even Christians, like myself, with very little knowledge of rural life can understand the beauty of the metaphor.

The shepherd image is used is a powerful way in 1 Peter. Writing to an oppressed people the author compares the suffering that early Christians faced with the suffering Jesus experienced in his life. Christ's suffering was for a purpose... he suffered for us. Christ's suffering allows us to face our suffering with both courage and hope. "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21)."

The type of suffering lifted up in 1 Peter is persecution at the hands of an oppressor. It was dangerous to your health to claim Jesus as your Lord in the first century. But with great courage thousands stood up to the powers and withstood the suffering they encountered, even as some of their brothers and sisters were killed. We are not far removed from such suffering. This past week was the anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's death on April 9. He was a martyr for the faith, being killed because of his opposition to the Nazi regime and their influence on the church in the 1930's and 40's. But as recently as last Saturday a Syrian Orthodox priest, Faiz Abdel, was killed outside his home in Baghdad. He is already being declared a martyr by his friends.

Persecution is not the only suffering one can face in this life, however. Everyday we know loved ones and friends who have suffered. I found out this past week at a colleague of mine, Larry Griffin, died in the end of March at too young an age. I know too many people who have lost their lives at the hands of the monster we call cancer, including my friend Fran who died just before Easter. I also have been thinking about the many people I know who continue to battle this disease, some traveling across the country to get answers. They all know suffering. They have felt the sting of being a sheep led by a butcher.

But of course the butcher does not win. The butcher's wicked tongue and harsh hands are stopped by the blood of the Lamb. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24)."

Three years ago a good friend of mine, Lillian Files, lost her battle with cancer. She was an amazing woman. Soft spoken and frail, but still possessed the strength of 10 bulls, because she simply would not let her cancer take over her faith. She loved God, she loved her church and she was able to see the blessings of every single day. I always think of her when I have some good Yorkshire Pudding with roast beef. But more importantly I think of her when I ponder the power faith has over suffering. The last time I saw her, she was in bed... but not alone. Her 17 year old granddaughter was right there in bed with her. There was no sadness present. Just some giggles, much gratitude, and thick feeling of pure love.

"For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian for your souls (1 Peter 2:25)." Lillian, Fran and so many Children of God have returned to their shepherd and are held tightly in his warm embrace. The Good Shepherd's guidance has the power to give us direction and hope as we live today. No matter what you suffer, know that Christ suffered with you and for you. No matter what you face you can choose to discover the joy and blessings of this day. Allow the Good Shepherd to give you healing and wholeness today. Allow the witness of the saints who have gone before us to point the way to the power of this amazing faith.

God Undoes the Veil

2008-04-01T20:52:00.002-05:00

Tonight I led my first Bible study on the Book of Revelation. There is so much I learn in the course of studying and teaching a book of Scripture to a small group. While I do bring important facts and information to the group as the leader, I do not come to the table with the sole purpose of bestowing the answers to others. We journey through the book together. We grow together. They learn from me and I learn from them. Which is why I'm so excited about this new study. I know I will come out of this four month adventure changed. Through God's Spirit truth will be revealed... and that's exciting to anticipate.

The Book of Revelation seems to need a lot of revealing for us to understand. The word revelation comes from the Latin word revelatio which literally means "to undo the veil." What has been hidden is being revealed. Underneath the monsters, beasts, scrolls, and seals of Revelation is truth about God. I can read about the meanings of symbols on my own. I can study about the different ways to interpret Revelation. But something happens when you journey through a book together with ten other people. Insights are gained. People with different points-of-view ask questions you would never have asked and reveal insights you would never have valued on your own. By the end you prayerfully and lovingly grow in faith together. Its an amazing adventure and one of my favorite blessings of Christian community.

Little by little God will undo the veil of Revelation through study, reading, and prayer. The power of God's Spirit will also be expressed through the friends you journey with. Back to back opening days! God is good!

Baseball, Failure & Life

2008-03-31T21:58:00.003-05:00

Ahhhh... Opening Day 2008. The Indians beat the Sox in a nail biter. The Crew ruins the Cubs' Wrigley opener by first blowing their lead in the ninth and then taking the "W" in the tenth. The Tigers lost earlier in the day. The Yankees were rained out. The Dodgers shut out their arch rival San Francisco Giants. Boy its good to be seeing all this again.

For seven of the year's twelve months baseball is played on fields from Seattle to Miami. New stars emerge in the clutch. Old heroes retire; unable to get that punch behind their fastball. Dynasties continue when teams make the playoffs for the tenth season in a row. Upstarts show their talent and chemistry by beating out the favorite the final week of the season. And when it's all over one team out of thirty is called the World Series Champion.

But before those bottles of champaign are popped open, 162 games need to be played in the regular season. Day after day after day baseball teams take the field. The very best of them will loose over 60 games. The worst team ever actually won 40 baseball games in 1962.

You win some, you lose some, and along the way you learn a thing or two. Tomorrow is new opportunity to show your stuff. Today you may make three errors, but tomorrow you are right back at shortstop. Today you might hit two homers, but your team still loses. (Sorry Jim Thome.) Baseball is a game. That's true. But it is a whole lot like life in one very important way: no one is perfect for even the MVP of the league fails more often than he succeeds. Last year's MVP Jimmy Rollins reached base only 34.4% of the time.

So make today count. Embrace your God given gifts. Use them. Live life. And when you fail always remember you'll step up to the plate again.

Christ is Risen

2008-03-23T00:02:00.004-05:00

I've never been a big fan of Easter in March. Something just doesn't seem right about it. The weather is too cold. The world still seems dark. It moves Lent up too early. I'm never ready for Easter in March.

This year's Easter is the earliest it has been since 1913. And the next time we have Easter on March 23 or earlier will be in 2228. That's right... 2228. Not 2028... Twenty-TWO, twenty-eight!!! Easter is so early this year that the SECOND Sunday of Easter will also be in March. I'm not ready for this.

I bet the first Easter was in March. After all in John's telling of Jesus' Passion Peter warms up at a charcoal fire during the night while Jesus is on trial. Do they have many cold evenings in Jerusalem in April? But the clincher for me that Jesus must have been resurrected in March is the fact that no one is ready for it.

In Matthew's Gospel Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph come to Jesus' tomb the morning after the Sabbath unprepared for what they were going to see. This despite the fact that Jesus foretold his crucifixion and resurrection to his followers. The guards are not prepared either. A good solder is ready for anything... but they sure were not ready for the earth to quake and for an angel to descend from heaven to roll away the stone of the very tomb they were guarding. They were not ready for that. Frozen in fear all the guards could do was shake a little.

Of course these aren't the only people who were not ready for the angel's message. Where are the Twelve? Where are the people who heard the Sermon on the Mount? Where are the 5000 he fed? No one is ready to hear the news that "[Jesus] is not here, for he has been raised (Matthew 28:6)."

And then when Jesus just suddenly appears to Mary and Mary saying "Greetings." Oh boy! They dropped to their knees and worshiped him. Can you imagine? You go to the tomb looking to see a dead body and you end up being greeted by him. And what does Jesus say? Essentially he is saying: "Good morning. Nice to see you. How ya doing?" They weren't ready for that. It must have been March.

So are you ready for Easter... or is it too early? Did you know you were going to be greeted by Jesus this morning? "Hey there. How are you doing? What a beautiful March morning! I need you to do something." Ahh... Jesus wants us to do something. Matthew says that Jesus wanted Mary and Mary to tell his disciples what happened and that he would meet them. And you know, Jesus is still calling his followers to tell others about the good news.

I can hear Jesus calling you right now: "I want you do something for me. Tell people about my resurrection. Tell them about the hope it brings to the world. Tell them that I love them and that their loved ones will live again."

Ahhhh but it's early isn't it? You're not ready for this. You weren't expecting a call to come with your good news and marshmallow Peeps this morning. But here it is, right in your lap. Maybe next week you say? I know what you're thinking: How about next year when things calm down a little at work? I will be ready for Jesus once the kids graduate and I finally have a little more free time. This Easter with a calling from Jesus stuff is just too much too soon.

Yes its March 23 and it seems way too early. But guess what? He is here. The tomb is empty and Jesus has just greeted you with a smile and a hug. Are you ready to worship your Lord? Because tomorrow has just arrived. Believe in the good news and tell the world! Don't wait till 2228.

Christ is Dead

2008-03-22T10:34:00.006-05:00

In Luke's Gospel Jesus assures one of the bandits who was crucified next to him that "today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43)." Today we both will be taken away from this world. Today we will be dead.

I used to interpret this promise as meaning that Jesus and this bandit will be in heaven that day. But Jesus does not say that the two of them will be in heaven together today, rather "today you will be with me in paradise." The witness of the Gospels and other New Testament texts tell us that Jesus died that day. On the third day, the morning after the Sabbath, Jesus is resurrected. And then forty days later Jesus ascends into heaven. Forty days later! Jesus was not in heaven on that first day, nor was the bandit. However they were in paradise.

If Paul was able to help us understand the tree yesterday there is a good bet he will be helpful in us understanding the "paradise" Jesus and the bandit entered when they died. In 1 Corinthians Paul describes people who have died as having "fallen asleep." When Jesus and the bandit died that day their existence did not end. They did not perish. Instead, they entered a state similar to being in a good heavy sleep. It is paradise because they are in the presence of God. It is paradise because God is holding them in his Almighty arms. Time passes without a care.

Tonight, Holy Saturday, we celebrate that God raised Jesus from the dead. He awakens from this gracious state of sleep to live as a new creation. Paul says that all who are united with Christ will awaken from sleep as well. He explains this in 1 Corinthians 15 by comparing Jesus to Adam again, just as he did in Romans 5. "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a human being. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Cor 15:20-22)."

Tonight Jesus beats death forever as he leaves the state of sleep and once again lives. We don't know when. We don't know how. In the first century Jewish world a new day began at sundown. The first Easter Sunday actually began when the sun set the night before. At any time that night God gave Jesus new resurrection life. In a traditional Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday a new paschal candle is lit by the flame of a new fire. It represents the new life given to Christ that first night.

Jesus' resurrection life at Easter is our good news as well. As Paul said in both Romans and 1 Corinthians we all are connected to Jesus' death and resurrection. A promise of resurrection life is given to all of us. Jesus is the first fruits, but the day will come when all who sleep in the arms of God will live again. The day will come when we all will gather together, resurrected children of God, at the great feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus will be there. The bandit will be there. The loved ones you have lost over the years will be there, resurrected from the dead. You will be there too. We who are united with Christ will be given the same resurrection life he lived at Easter.

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his (Romans 6:3-5)."

Were You There When They Nailed Him to the Tree?

2008-03-21T10:08:00.003-05:00

There is a passage in Acts where Peter gives a speech to Cornelius and those in his home about the gospel. Within the speech Peter describes Jesus' crucifixion this way: "We are witnesses to all that [Jesus] did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree (Acts 10:39)."

Why would Peter say they hanged Jesus on a tree when we know that Jesus was crucified on a cross? Peter knows this. Luke, who wrote Acts, also knows this and describes the crucifixion in great detail in his Gospel. So why bring up "a tree?"

The tree is symbolic of many things in the Scriptures. At times Jesus is described as the the Son of David, a new branch sprouting from the stump of Jesse (David's father). In the Gospels Israel is sometimes compared to an olive tree that is not bearing fruit. Will the olive tree be chopped down if it continues to bear no fruit?

But the most famous tree of all the Scriptures is the Tree of Knowledge between Good and Evil found in the Garden of Eden. God set boundaries in the Garden, allowing the human couple to eat of any fruit in the garden, expect from this special tree. "Nor shall you touch it, or you shall die (Genesis 2:3)." And that, of course, is what happened. Through Adam and Eve's disobedience... through the instrument of a tree... death entered the world.

Jesus changes everything though. Through Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross death no longer has dominion over us. He defeats death on the cross so that the morality we all face will not be the end of our existence. We will live again just as Christ lived again.

So why call the cross a tree? Paul helps us discover an answer. Paul compares Jesus and Adam in his letter to the Romans. Jesus stands in contrast to Adam for it is through Adam that death enters the world for everyone, but it is through Jesus that salvation is now offered to all. "Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all (Romans 5:18)." Poetically we can take that comparison beyond just Adam and Jesus by also comparing the instruments through which this all happened. Through the tree in the Garden mortality raised its ugly head, but through the tree in Golgotha salvation and the promise of eternal life is now available for all God's children.

So on this Good Friday remember how Christ twisted the tree of death into a tree of life by giving up his life upon pieces of wood.

Communion

2008-03-20T10:12:00.002-05:00

It is ironic that the meal of remembrance that Jesus gave to his disciples at the Last Supper divides those who believe Jesus is Lord. Jesus institutes Holy Communion as a gift of grace. Through the meal you participate in Christ's body and blood. Through this remembrance meal you are united as one. But of course Christians around the world today don't participate as one around the Lord's Table. What a shame.

Only twenty years after that original Last Supper an apostle of Jesus felt the same way I feel right now. He was Paul, and he was disappointed by how the remembrance meal was dividing the church in Corinth. "When you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it (1 Cor 11:18)." He says this is unacceptable. He reminds them of what he was told Jesus said at his Last Supper. He scolds them for turning the remembrance meal into a 1st Century kegger. He scolds them for not waiting for all the believers to be present. And then Paul gives us words that should shame Christians of 2008: "So then, brothers and sisters, when you come together, wait for one another (1 Cor 11:33)." Show hospitality when we gather for this remembrance meal. After all its is more than a remembrance it is a gift. "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10:16)?"

Tonight is Maundy Thursday, which means "commandment" Thursday. When John describes the Last Supper in his Gospel he emphasizes Jesus' call for his followers to be servants and to be selfless in showing love. Jesus, the Lord, the Messiah, the Son of God, demonstrates this by washing the feet of the Twelve. He gives them a new commandment at the end of the meal: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another (John 13:32)."

Love, service, and hospitality is connected with the Last Supper and consequently connected to Holy Communion. This is why Paul is so flabbergasted by what has happened in Corinth. He writes them in order to set them straight. It's is why it a disgrace that this remembrance meal acts as point of division today in 2008.

Ultimately when I think about Holy Communion, and all those who have gathered at the table throughout the centuries, I cannot help but think of Jesus feeding the crowd of thousands during his ministry. It's an event so important it is described SIX (6) times in the four Gospels. The central message of these mass feedings is that Jesus feeds them all. No one is turned away. No one is forced to go fend for themselves for food. In Holy Communion Jesus tells us to come and eat with him. You are welcome. You are invited to be united with my body and blood. Come... you are welcome. Send no one away! Praise be to God for this amazing meal. I pray I see the day when all Christians will gather together around the table without a thought of turning any of God's children away.

Tears of _____

2008-03-07T14:33:00.002-06:00

I've been sick all week. It started Sunday night with a fever and complete exhaustion. I had the flu. Monday and Tuesday I did nothing but sleep, moving occasionally from sofa to bed and back to sofa again. At some point on Tuesday Valerie told me that Brett Favre retired. That didn't help me feel any better.

Packer fans, like myself, knew it was going to happen eventually. But you never really believed it would actually happen. But it did this week. I didn't cry when I heard the news. And as the week went on I didn't pay much attention to the things on the news about Favre. After all he was the source of so much grief at times. All those interceptions, including his last one. The yearly will-he-or-won't-he questions about his retirement the past five years. I came to the conclusion in my mind that its time to move on. At some point during the week I heard that Favre's press conference would be on Thursday to announce his retirement... but I did not see it... nor did I even consider trying to see it.

Something happened to me, though, this morning when I got to the Sports Section of the Chicago Tribune. I was only about 5 sentences into Mike Downey's touching column describing Favre's press conference before I was fighting back tears. A sort of "Field of Dreams" moment right there on my couch. And I felt awful because I should have known better. Brett Favre, the coolest, most sincere, most unpretentious person in all of professional sports was retiring. Yes, I was crying now.

Downey described a Brett Favre looking like a regular ol Joe in an un-tucked shirt and blue jeans breaking down almost at the very start of his announcement. Not looking for praise, not looking to impress, but being himself, Favre told the world he is walking away. He was that way every day in his career. In his victories he was himself, a regular guy. In his losses and interceptions he never made excuses and was always, always genuine. When his father died he let us cry with him. When his wife got cancer he let us cry with him. When his family lost so much in Hurricane Katrina he still was himself. Completely exposed, true, honest, emotional and sincere: that was and is Brett Favre.

So even as I type this I am tearing up. But I do feel joy as well. While I know I wont see any more of his amazing touchdowns, I also wont have to see another of those uniquely Favreian interceptions. And I know he is not going to disappear. I look forward to many decades of Brett Favre, the emotional and sincere regular ol Joe, either working as a broadcaster or a commentator. Fox better sign him NOW.

Will there be any tears when the Packers retire #4? Or how about when Favre ends up in Canton? You bet. I'll have my Kleenex handy.

Motivation

2008-02-26T16:01:00.003-06:00

What motivates a heart surgeon to become better at her work? What motivates a Major League pitcher to shave a whole point off his ERA? Why does a man give his co-worker a box of cookies? Why does a Christian support her neighbor?

It's hard to say. But we naturally know what types of motivation are honorable and which ones are a bit disgusting, quite frankly. A heart surgeon might have a natural curiosity for medical science or a calling to help those who are sick. Those would be honorable motivations for a surgeon to become the best. But other motivations might be money, pride, the admiration of her colleagues. Are those what motivate your doctor?

A professional pitcher might work extremely hard in the off-season to improve his pitching so that his team would have a better chance of winning. But unfortunately nothing motivates a ball player more than being in the final year before free-agency, when he can freely offer his services to the highest bidder. A great season can add millions to the payday check. The Indians have a pitcher in that boat in 2008... at least the Tribe will reap the benefits for one season.

Or how about that man who gave the cookies to the woman in the first cubical? We have no idea what motivated him to do that, but I sure can tell you what they're saying around the water cooler. Let's just say most people think he's expecting something from our young co-worker in return for the chocolate chips.

Romans 15:2 says "Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor." When a Christian reaches out to someone else in love, what is the motivation? Is she motivated by the good feeling she receives from doing a good dead? Is the motivation the hope that he will be liked? Maybe, its the idea: If I'm nice to him, he will be nice to me. Paul doesn't see it that way in Romans. Our motivation for loving our neighbor should not be self-centered. Don't love your neighbor so that you can be loved, or so you can feel good, or so they might return the favor some day. And for heavens sake don't EVER love your neighbor so you can go to heaven. That's the most selfish motivation out there.

Love your neighbor just to love them. Help those in need because they need help. Love is our motivation.

If faith is a journey... then loving others for the right reasons is the first exercise we do as we begin training for the journey. It's our core action as people who have said "yes" to Jesus' call to follow him.

The Moon Turned Orange Last Night

2008-02-21T15:28:00.001-06:00

The moon turned orange last night.

For the first time in my life I saw the moon turn orange.

I've heard of blue moons and moon's over Miami, but I've never heard of an orange moon.

The moon turned orange last night.

I live 20 miles from Chicago and usually don't see a whole lot of spectacular things in the sky because the city is too bright. The stars are dim here.

The most exciting things in the sky are Southwest Airlines' jets coming in low for a landing at Midway. But yesterday there was something else to look at in the sky.

The moon turned orange last night.

I wondered what it must have been like standing 200 years ago in the spot from which i observed this lunar miracle... before the glow of our mega-city... When the stars were bright and the full moon would illumine your world like a second sun.

How amazing an orange moon would have been. How frightening. Are the gods fighting? Was the moon on fire? Is the world coming to an end?

The moon turned orange last night.

Such an event was probably talked about for many days afterwards. Maybe even years. What great or terrible event happened to cause this? Centuries ago they might have talked about it for generations.

But no one is really talking about the orange moon today. Oh sure it came up at breakfast, somewhere between McCain's affair and the Sox in Spring Training. But otherwise its forgotten.

The moon turned orange last night.

We don't get moved by the spectacular as much as people did years ago. We can pop in the spectacular anytime with DVDs. We can search for the spectacular on YouTube.

But real spectacular things are happening every day. Far more amazing than any movie or video clip. God is on the loose! God is changing the lives of people right now. He touched your life today.

The moon turned orange last night.

Did you see it?

The Simple Big Questions

2008-01-24T11:41:00.000-06:00

I was reading from Hebrews 6 today. The author gives this advice: "So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God (Heb 6:1)."

I know where the author is coming from. Can't we stop talking over and over about the basics? Do we need to say "Jesus loves you" again and again? Do we have to stick to the mantra of believing in Jesus... repenting your sins... living your faith... week after week, month after month? Can't we just do it without the reminders? Can't we just love our neighbor without thinking about it, just as we blink without thinking about it?

Hmmmmm... We are all sinners, though. Every day we face an inner conflict between what God is calling us to do through the Spirit and what our human nature is calling us to do. Paul describes that reality so well in Romans 7. Daily we need to repent of our sin and receive the free gift of forgiveness given to us in baptism. Yeah this is basic stuff, but even the most mature Christian must face these questions and issues all the time.

Faithful people never get beyond the basics. They struggle with them every day. Oh sure, our faith does mature. Prayer is a good example of that. A five-year-old is taught to fold his hands and say "Now I lay me..." This is a perfectly good way to pray. But a Christian who's faith has matured understands that prayer can be done in silence, in crowds, with hands in the air, or hands by your side. A mature Christian knows that in its essence prayer is understanding that you are in communication with God always. That's what Paul means by saying "pray without ceasing" in 1 Thessalonians.

A five-year-old might not understand such "mature" concepts so prays the same prayers at the same times. Why? Because Mommy said so! Unfortunately too many Christians never grow up in their understanding of faith. I am convinced that millions of Christian men do not pray regularly because they think they have to pray like they did when they were five. And quite honestly a grown man should not have to pray "Now I lay me..." A Christian who's faith has matured understands that spirituality is far more powerful and amazing than the Romper Room pictures we may have been taught as a kindergartner.

So yes we need to grow up. Yes it is a blessing when our faith matures. But will we ever be able to skip the basics? Not until Christ writes his Word in our hearts completely and reveals to us all the mysteries of God.

The Bright Light of Hope

2008-01-05T15:31:00.000-06:00

2008 has begun just about the same way that 2007 ended for me, with my eyes fixed on the difficult stories coming out in the news. Bad news is nothing new, but this past week there have been two stories that have hit close to home. First, there was the story of an apartment fire a week ago that killed three people and displaced dozens more. As the smoke cleared this past week the motives behind the fire became more grizzly. Now an angry grandfather stands accused of purposely starting the fire in order to kill his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. The second story to come out this week involved another fire at a laundromat on Thursday that killed two people. It turned out one of those who died was a man who was often helped out at a local homeless shelter. Good friends of mine knew this man well and are deeply hurt by this tragedy. It is hard to find hope in the news stories that began this year.

Also in the news this week was the Iowa Caucuses. Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were the winners in the first contest of the 2008 presidential race. I don't bring this up to talk politics, but instead I want to bring up their interesting connection to the word "hope." Huckabee is the former governor of Arkansas who wants to become president. Sound familiar? But that's not all that's familiar about him. His hometown is a placed called Hope, Arkansas. Sounds even more familiar. You must be kidding, you ask? I'm not kidding. Look it up. Illinois Senator Barack Obama is also looking to become president. Obama is connected to the word "hope" through his book titled The Audacity of Hope in which he lays out his vision for putting the government back on track: a hopeless task in the eyes of most.

Obama pulled the title for his book from a sermon series his pastor had given years ago. They must have been some good sermons because the title reflects the reality that the world, like politics, seems to be in a hopeless situation. But of course nothing is ever hopeless in Jesus Christ. Faithful people can audaciously hold on to hope even in the face of so much bad news. We find such hope in the lives of people who press ahead even as they are struck time and time again by the pain of sin and death. God gives us such audacious hope through Jesus Christ.

Now the world approaches January 6 and the festival called the Epiphany of Our Lord. We remember the star that stopped above Bethlehem and the wise men who thought it wise to leave their homes and make the journey to pay homage to Jesus. He is Messiah and as such he is born to bring hope to a world that usually only sees hopelessness. When King Herod heard about this so called Messiah "he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him (Matthew 2:3)." Might it be that Herod's power, and the power of others in Jerusalem, was the cause of some of this hopelessness? You bet they were afraid.

Herod is not the sole source of human suffering, however. For as long as there have been humans there have been humans who have fallen into the traps of sin and have felt the sting of mortality. The cold hand of this reality has led too many good people into the pit of despair, convinced there is no hope left in the world. There are those who would say that there is no hope for the world in light all the horrible news of 2008. But let me tell you... There is hope!

The light of Christ's love has stopped over our world and illumines our cold, dark reality with hope. I have seen it so clearly this week. Every family that was displaced by Saturday's fire was placed in at least a temporary home by Monday. The community collected enough clothing by midweek to help the dozens who lost their homes four times over. And our local homeless shelters continue to operate because of the generosity of many, the leadership of staff and countless volunteers doing God's work now, in this place. Yes, there is hope!

But hope only begins with the amazing response of our brothers and sisters. Hope comes fully to light through Jesus Christ. Jesus' hope is audacious hope for the men and women who's lives ended far to early through these tragedies. In Romans Paul recognizes that sin continues and people still fall victim to senseless tragedy. Its not too hard to recognize that. But upon that reality the bright light of hope shines. Paul says in Romans 5:20-21 "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

No sin, no power, no tragedy can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The innocent victims of darkness are promised God's love and the comfort of his embrace. Nothing can extinguish the light of hope that shines on this world. This is good news for 2008. In Christ there is always hope. No wonder the wise men traveled so far to pay homage to Jesus. Wise men and women continue to pay him homage by living their faith every day. In Christ the light of hope shines upon us.

The Meaning of Christmas

2007-12-24T09:56:00.000-06:00

I loved watching the holiday Christmas specials on TV when I was a child. Every year the networks would preempt their regular programing to show specials that connected with the Christmas season; a time before VHS tapes and long before DVDs and On Demand. If you were going to watch Christmas specials you would have to check the TV Guide and make sure you were in front of the TV at the right time.

They would show Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snow Man, and Santa Claus is Coming To Town. I loved them all. But my favorite was A Charlie Brown Christmas. I don't exactly know why it was my favorite at the time, but I can certainly tell you why it is my favorite Christmas show today. In fact I love A Charlie Brown Christmas more today than I ever did as a child. When I watch the other 3 "classics" with my kids today, I scratch my head wondering what I saw in those sloppy shows. But when I watch Charlie Brown today I sit in awe thinking: what a masterpiece!

You know how the story goes... Charlie Brown is depressed feeling as if all the hustle and bustle of Christmas has left him behind. "I just don't understand Christmas, I guess," he says. "I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed." He gets some advice from his "psychologist" Lucy, and signs up to direct a Christmas pageant. But that only leaves Chuck more melancholy. When it is determined that the stage needs a Christmas tree he goes out for one with his friend Linus. The other children suggested Charlie get a plastic or a pink aluminum tree, but Chuck chooses the only live tree for sale: the classic Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Of course the tree is a disaster. He is laughed at and wonders what Christmas is all about.

Which brings us to the climax of the show. The resident theologian of the Peanuts gang, Linus, gives Charlie Brown the answer. He simply quotes Luke 2, telling the story of Jesus' birth. Linus does not interpret the words. He does not explain why Christmas is all about this reading from Scripture, he simply tells the story. Inspired by Linus' reading Charlie attempts to make his tree a winner, but is disappointed when he "kills" the tree after putting on one ornament. "Oh! Everything I touch gets ruined!" he says. The story does not end there, however, for it seems the rest of the Peanuts gang was also inspired by the reading from Luke. They help Charlie Brown decorate his tree.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is wonderful on so many levels. The music is fantastic. The themes are adult and its message is as appropriate today as it was in 1965 (the year the show premiered). The true meaning of Christmas is not found in pink aluminum Christmas trees, nor is it found in the presents and the stuff and the hoopla. The true meaning of Christmas is found in a child, in a manger, and in Bethlehem. The true message of Christmas is given by angels to shepherds in the fields: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" The true meaning of Christmas is not preached to the audience in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Instead, it is lived out by the characters through their change of attitude. They live Christ's peace by helping their fellow "Blockhead." Good news and joy is offered to everyone!

You just don't find that truth in the other Christmas specials of my youth. There is no mention at all of the true meaning of Christmas in Frosty or Rudolph. Most television executives were convinced A Charlie Brown Christmas would bomb. "No one wants to hear the King James Version of the Christmas story told to them," they said. Of course they were wrong.

May the true meaning of Christmas and its message of peace, hope, and salvation be in your heart. It brings joy to the melancholy and gives hope to the depressed. It is solid rock for a holiday that too often feels plastic and artificial. It is a Christmas message for kids, yes, but it actually improves with age.

May the gift of the Messiah bring you joy and move you to greater faith!

Get Out the Radio

2007-11-28T09:35:00.001-06:00

My favorite football team is the Green Bay Packers. When you are born in Wisconsin you are born with cheese in your blood, brats on your mind, and a love for all things green and gold.

The Packers play their biggest regular season game in years tomorrow night at Dallas. The game will be televised on the NFL Network. I don't get the NFL Network in my home. Neither do millions of viewers across the country. Packer fans in many areas of Wisconsin and Cowboy fans in most of Texas will not be able to watch the game in their homes.

While I can't say I have heard the voices of too many disgruntled fans. I have read several articles about the war of words going on between the NFL Network and "Big Cable" (the cable companies). The NFL calls Big Cable greedy because put their channel on the cable package that reaches the most customers. Big Cable says they are being hijacked and will not pay the huge amounts of money the NFL demands. Bottom line: I don't get to watch the game.

It's funny... I don't feel all that upset about not being able to see the game. Actually, the whole thing reminds me that the NFL and the Packers are a game and a business. If they won't show me their product I'm not going to buy in. And besides, I have sat through too many miserable Packer games where they tear my heart out and blowing a game they should have easily won. That's the last thing I need to suffer through tomorrow night. (See how optimistic I am.)

Putting things in the proper perspective is a great help to me. It's a gift of my faith. Oh I still may pull out the radio and listen. And I will grumble if three or four interceptions cost them the game. But maybe, just maybe, I won't let all of that prevent me from embracing the blessings of the day.

"Pray without Ceasing"

2007-11-08T09:09:00.000-06:00

I took my daughter to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's on Monday night. I hung around for the couple hours while she played and ate with her friends. Sitting in a booth, reading my National Geographic, I noticed a man was praying in a corner booth, about 20 feet in front of me. He and his family had been at the restaurant about as long as I had. I assumed they were a Muslim family because the mother was wearing a Hijab, a traditional Muslim head covering. The mother and her two children where no longer at the table, but the man/husband/father was still there, alone, with his eyes closed, his hands in the air, palms facing him, and quietly chanting words in Arabic.

I had seen similar scenes in movies, usually involving terrorists about follow through on some plot. But this was no terrorist and his only plot was praying to Allah (God.) What a shame that my American bias must first think of terrorists when I see a Muslim man living out his faith.

My moment of self examination didn't end there. After confessing my prejudices I found myself needing to confess that I had turned from God. At no point that afternoon had I really thought about God, and certainly not at Chuck E. Cheese. I was more concerned with my "all-you-can-eat" salad with extra pickled beets on the side. I was more concerned with Death Valley and the meaning of memory: articles I had been reading in my magazine. My Muslim brother ahead of me had not forgotten God though. At the appropriate time, he prayed, even though he was surround my childish games, mediocre pizza, kids going crazy, and dozens of parents chasing after their crazy kids. He remembered God's presence in his life and I believe he benefited from that remembrance.

Muslims are called to pray to Allah five times-a-day: Fajr (pre-dawn), Dhuhr (noon), 'Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (after sunset), and 'Isha (evening). No matter where they are they should pray to God at those appointed times. If the sun has just gone down you pray to God, even if you are in the middle of a Chuck E. Cheese.

An important mantra in my journey of faith has been Paul's conclusion to 1 Thessalonians: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for that is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess 5:16-18)" When we forget about the enduring presence of God in our lives we cut ourselves off from guidance and love that God wants to offer us through Christ. Praying without ceasing means remembering God in all places and in all circumstances. If set times for prayer help Muslims to remember God's presence it's a good thing. I thank God for the witness of that truth God set before me on Monday.

Even They Go to Heaven?

2007-10-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

There are very few small questions when it comes to faith and God, but some questions are bigger than others. I received a e-mail today asking me whether people who are not baptized can go to heaven? How about those who were raised as Mormons, Muslims, or Hindus, can they go to heaven? This was my response:

There are two stories (one from the Bible, one that a friend of mine once told me) that come to mind when I think about how people who are not baptized can get into heaven, or how can those who are Muslims or Mormons can.

First I think about the Book of Jonah. In the story of Jonah God calls him to give a message to the city of Nineveh: "repent from your ways or God will destroy Nineveh." Jonah does not want to do this, but after the whole whale incident he is convinced to do what God called him to do. The people of Nineveh are not Jewish and are great sinners. They deserve the fate God has promised to give them. Jonah sure thinks so. But after they receive Jonah's message from God all the people of Nineveh do indeed repent, from the king on down, and God changed his mind about destroying them and did not do it. This a nice message about God's forgiveness.

But the Book of Jonah does not end there. Jonah is furious that God chose to not destroy Nineveh and so he goes and pouts. The bottom line message from God then is "Who do you think you are to pout about me changing my mind about Nineveh?" God can condemn or save anyone he chooses to save, regardless of what we think. You, a mortal creature, are not capable of seeing or understanding all the reasons God may choose to save or condemn another creature. Leave the saving and condemning to God the Father.

So when I think about the saving power of baptism, I don't think about it in terms of who is going to be condemned because they are not baptized, I think about it in terms of who is going to be saved because of the baptism. God can condemn and save anyone God chooses to condemn or save, all I know is that through the water and Word in baptism I, and everyone who is baptized in Christ, is promised by God eternal life with Christ. What God does with those who are not baptized is God's choice, though I believe the mercy he shows to Nineveh can be the same mercy and love God has shown, and will show, to those not baptized.

Which brings me to my other story... A man I once knew grew up in Washington State and loved going to see Mt. Rainer. Mt. Rainer is a grand, majestic mountain that looks different depending on where you are standing when you look at it. What all the views have in common is that they are of a mountain, but you really cannot be sure that they are of the same mountain unless you walked around Mt. Rainer yourself. Though they look different, the Mt. Rainer viewed from the north is indeed the same Mt. Rainer viewed from the south.

Well God is of course greater than Mt. Rainer, but lets compare God to Mt. Rainer anyhow. There is no way for one person to stand in one spot and be able to see all of Mt. Rainer. Well, likewise there is no way for our human minds to contain everything there is to know about God. What we do know about God has be revealed to us through Christ. We are standing from one vantage point looking at God... and let me tell you what we see in ABSOLUTELY TRUE. What we know about God through Christ and his Word is true. I believe it, as should you. But I also understand that my Jewish brothers and sisters might be looking at God from a different perspective. What they are looking at might be true also, I'm not going to say its not, but I will without any hesitation stay my view is of God is correct. I believe that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. I believe we are promised forgiveness and made righteous through our baptism into Christ's death. I believe we are promised the same resurrection life our Lord lived on Easter.

Again, I am open to the possibility that our Muslim, Hindu, and Mormon brothers and sisters may also be looking at the same God as we are. Therefore I will befriend them. I will work with them to help others and to strive for peace. But that does not mean I agree with them or will worship like them. It does not mean I will pick and choose what things I like and don't like about other religions with the hope that I can simultaneously stand at 10 different spots around Mt. Rainer. The breakfast buffet religion does not work for mortals created by God. And I do believe that some religious groups may not be looking at God at all, and are instead looking at Mt. St. Helens.

I am a Lutheran Christian and subscribe to our confessions and point of view regarding Jesus and God 100%. Faith and baptism then, for me, is solely a question of what God is working through the power of the sacrament, instead of what God is not doing to those who do not believe exactly as me.

Seek no delight in the possiblity that those who don't believe as you do might be condemned. Do not limit God with your faith. Believe what you believe 100%, but understand that God cannot be boxed in your brain.

"But God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the gourd?'

'It is,' he said. 'And I'm so angry I wish I were dead.'
But the LORD said, 'You have been concerned about this gourd, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?'" (Jonah 4:9-11)