Halloween? Reformation Day? Which is it?

Happy Halloween. Blessed Reformation Day. Which is it? Which do you "celebrate"? Which do you participate in?

That is a challenging question for one who is a church leader. Can I dress up and enjoy the trick-or-treating? Or do I have to withdraw from it and remember the way Martin Luther saved the church from the evils of works and the Roman Church?

There are those who would say, "No, you cannot celebrate Halloween. It is a pagan festival honoring the devil. Avoid it!" They would be correct at one thing, if you are celebrating Halloween to honor the devil, then it should be avoided. As a child of God, I will not do anything to honor the one who brings death and destruction to the goodness of the creation of God.

But they are wrong. The children going out trick-or-treating could care less about honoring the devil. Putting on a costume does not mean I am paying homage to the devil. It means that I am participating in an activity that brings smiles to faces and candy to children (and their parents). Perhaps it is a holiday which is meant to give more business to the dentists. Maybe they are the bad ones in this whole thing. No, I guess not. We can't get upset with dentists because we give candy to children who will then have tooth decay. Be sure to brush when you are done with the candy.

I have no problem with Halloween. I know that there are brothers and sisters in Christ who do have. I will respect that. At the same time, I will also ask that they respect those of us who will dress as ghosts and goblins, zombies and supermen, Spiderman and Wonder Woman. Me, I love to see the kids. I love to see the teens dressed up and going around. Are they too old? Of course not. If they want to enjoy the day, why should we stop them? It is better than going out and destroying property on this night. Come to my table at Light the Night. No age limit. I will give candy to young and old. Just let me enjoy your costume and bring a smile to my face.

Can we celebrate Reformation day? Why yes we can. It is the day when the Lord began to bring the Church back to the teachings of the Bible, the sole source for doctrine and practice in His Church. So today I will talk about Luther in chapel. I have been teaching the 7/8 grade day school kids about Luther and the Reformation. I taught the 5/6 grade day school class about the Reformation yesterday.

But if we allow our remembrance of the Reformation to elevate Luther to the place of "savior" of the church, then we are just as wrong as those who "honor" the devil on Halloween. Luther is not the savior of the church. He was merely a tool that God used to bring His Word back into the forefront of the Church and its teachings. We do not worship Luther. That would be wrong. That is wrong. At times the very ones that demand that we do not celebrate Halloween will turn around and elevate Luther to the point where it seems as those we are worshiping him rather than God. Wrong! Can't do that. I would rather not mention Luther at all than worship him. He is a mere man. God is still the God of the Church. Jesus is still the only Savior. Period.

So what will I do? I will enjoy this day. I will remember what God did through Luther. I will celebrate the wonder of God and His Word and the power He has to change lives and give salvation. I will dress up as something and enjoy giving candy out to children who pass by my table tonight at Light the Night.

I have no problem with either. Both can be a part of this day. When the day is over, I will still thank God for the day. It is all about our Lord and His presence in this created world. I will worship Him alone. Not Satan. Not Luther. Only Jesus Christ.

Happy Halloween. Blessed Reformation Day. What kind of candy do you have?

Watching the Clock

Watching the clock. The minutes ticking by. Slowly. The hours, they don't seem to make any movement. There goes one hour, but it must have taken more than 60 minutes to pass. It seemed more like 120 minutes. Or more. Why is time going so slowly? Why can't time speed up?

Watching the clock. It comes to us at many times. Late at night, while we wait for morning. Eyes open when they should be closed. Waiting. Watching. Wondering when the long hours of the night will be over. Yesterday was a mess. Today will be a start to a new day. Maybe it will be better. Yesterday was a good day. I don't look forward to today because... Watching the clock.

Sitting at the desk. Watching the clock. When will this shift be over? Can it go much slower? Sitting in the classroom. Listening to the teacher drone on and on. Why does that second seem to have stopped? Am I in an episode of the Twilight Zone? Has time stopped? Will it ever start up again?

You have been there. I have been there. Often the situation is difficult. Something is going on. Pain. Physical pain. Mental pain. Spiritual pain. It doesn't matter. It is still pain. And pain seems to make the clock stop moving. We long for the night to be over because there is the hope that in the daylight there will be relief. Maybe. We hope. We pray.

Watching the clock. And while we watch, the Lord watches over us. We might forget that. It might slip away from us because of what we are facing but it is true. The Lord is there. Holding us in His hand. He is there to comfort us, assure us, help us, lead us through whatever it is that is making the clock stop. "I will not leave, nor forsake you," the Lord promises. "I will be with you always," He says to you.

When you are in that situation, turn away from the clock. Look to the Word, the Savior, the One who is there for you. Trust that He will continue to lead you, to help you. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, knows what you need. He is praying for you even as you don't know what to say. He is taking You to the very throne of the Almighty, the One who made you.

Know this. God is with you, even in those ticking minutes. He is still holding you. Will the pain leave? Will health return? Will sleep come? Will the shift be over? Those I cannot answer. Will God be with me? That I can answer with a resounding "YES!" That is not my word. It is His promise.

And God has never broken a promise.

The Great Need

What are you feeling? How are you feeling? Anxious? Afraid? Blessed? Excited? Bored? Upset? Weak? Strong? Happy? Sad? How are YOU feeling? 

We ask that often. "How is it going?" It is a way to say hello. It isn't an invitation to actually say how you are doing. The person asking often doesn't have the time to hear your answer. So we respond with the bland, "Good." "OK." "Fine." or something similar. We don't really say how we are doing. We hold that in. We let it stay inside of us. 

Perhaps that is why folks are willing to talk with their pastor. They hope that he has time to talk to them. No, that isn't true. They hope that he has time to listen to them, to let them open up, to pour out their heart, their joys, their fears, their feelings. 

As a pastor, I listen. I don't always have the right words to say. Many times, it isn't about having the right words to say. It is about being that caring heart that actually listens to what they have to say. As a pastor, the one thing that I know is that the Lord has called me to be that one that the needy, the hurting, the weak, the ill, the sin-sick, the emotionally drained can come to and talk to. To know that there is one who is willing to listen.

Then to bring one thing forward, the love of Christ, the message that while the world around them is too busy, too unwilling to listen, to filled with anxiety and pain in itself, there is one who will listen. Who will bring the word of the Healer to them. That word is the message of the love of Christ, that touches the heart and life in many different ways. 

The pastor listens. He cares. He wants to be the one that represents the Rock, the Healer, the Savior, the Lover, the Teacher, the One who cares in every situation. The speaks only when he can bring Christ into the conversation. He lets the hurting pour herself/himself out. He is there for that person, for that moment, no other moment matters because that person at that time needs Christ and he is Christ's representative for that person. 

Take a moment and say a prayer - for the person who is hurting, upset, anxious, fearful. Then thank Jesus for His love. And when you are ready to say "Amen," stop and say, "Thank You for the one who listened to me in my pain." 

Your pastor is there for you. I am there for you.