Mary and Joseph part 2

 Mary and Joseph, part 2

 The night passed quietly. The animals made soft noises from time to time. Zechariah snored loudly from time to time. When Joseph mentioned it to Mary the next morning, she just smiled. She did not say anything about it. Joseph wondered what that meant. After a meager breakfast, as their provisions were starting to run slim, Joseph packed up their blankets and helped Mary onto the donkey. Soon they were on the move again.

 “It won’t be long till we see Jerusalem,” Joseph told Mary. “And then we will be only a short distance from Bethlehem. We will be there by nightfall.” He smiled at his betrothed, hoping she would be all right for this one more day of travel. The excitement of reaching Jerusalem seemed to perk Mary up. She smiled at him, but he felt like she was not telling him something, though what it might be, he did not know.

As they topped one hill, Mary asked, “Joseph, where are we going to stay in Bethlehem?” Joseph had been thinking about that very question. He wondered that himself. But he had an answer ready for Mary, “We will try to stay with Malachi bar Isaiah. He is a cousin of my family and should have plenty of room. If that doesn’t work, then we will stay with Joshua bar Micah. He always said that if I was to come down to Bethlehem to see him, he would have room. If he didn’t, his father Micah would make room for us. One of them will help us out.” Joseph tried to sound confident as he talked to Mary about the family in Bethlehem. He had not seen then for a few years, but he was sure they would have room. This Monday seemed to be the perfect time for them to arrive in Bethlehem. They could find housing, and Mary could be comfortable. She looked like she was in pain.

 They came up to the top of the next hill, and there it was! Jerusalem, the holy city! And there, at the highest point of the city was the temple, gleaming in the sunshine. Joseph turned to Mary with a huge grin on his face. “There is it!” he said, his voice filled with awe. What a magnificent sight the city itself was for them to behold. Every year that Joseph would come to Passover or to Feast of the First fruits, he would be in awe of the city. What a special city. This was where King David had lived, where King Solomon had built the first Temple. True, it has all been rebuilt since the time of the Babylonians, but it was still magnificent. Joseph’s heart swelled with pride as he looked at the Temple. Oh, to be able to go to the Temple to offer a sacrifice. Joseph would do that after his child was born. Mary would have to go through the rite of purification. So, they would be able to go to the Temple then.

As they joined the people on the road leading down into the valley outside of Jerusalem, Joseph brought up something that had been on his mind for a while. “When are we going to head back to Nazareth?” he asked Mary. She had been looking at the people around them as they moved along the road. She turned to him with a questioning look, “I am not sure. Why do you ask?” “Well, if we wait until your purification, we will need somewhere a little more permanent to stay. I will need to let whoever we are staying with know that it will be more than a few nights. We do not even know when the child will be coming,” Joseph said. Mary smiled weakly at him, “I do not think it will be long,” she said. It took Joseph a moment to realize what she meant. “Do you think our child might come soon?”

What could she say? “I do not know. But I feel the pressure that Elizabeth spoke of when I was  staying with her as she delivered John. Perhaps that is what she meant. If so, then we will be parents sooner than we think. I am unsure of all this, having never gone through it before.”  Joseph seemed to increase his pace with those words. Soon they were starting up to Jerusalem. The city rose before them. The mighty walls protecting those inside. Traveling up the hill to the city, one realized how mighty the city truly was. Those walls rose to great heights above the pilgrims as they approached the city gates. Someone began to sing one of the Psalms of Ascent. Joseph lifted his voice and joined with them. Every time he approached the city, he felt like singing. This was King David’s city. This was the place of YHWH’s house. It was a special place.

 Mary and Joseph entered through the Sheep Gate. Joseph was like an excited child as he saw the Temple, the crowds, the markets, the city. He would have gone right to the Temple, but he could not. He would have to purify himself to go to the Temple. And he had Mary who was wearing out from the journey. So, he kept moving, slowing down the streets of the city, winding their way towards the south side of the city, for there they would exit and head to Bethlehem. They stopped long enough to purchase something for lunch. It was a good meal. Better than they had on the journey here. But it cost them much more than they would have paid in Nazareth. Even here in this holy city, people took advantage of others. It should be so. But it was true.

Soon they passed through the Essene Gate on the southwest corner of the city and began to make their way towards Bethlehem. The sun was starting to grow low on the horizon as the evening was coming. Joseph had the hopes that they would make it to Bethlehem before dark. For that to happen, they would need to keep moving. It took longer than he expected getting through Jerusalem. Maybe it was the crowds or maybe it was because Joseph wanting to drink in as much of the city as he could. Whatever the reason, they were moving again.

 As they plodded along, Joseph looked out on the fields and could see the tufts of white on the hills. He could hear the song of the shepherds as they sang to their flocks. Joseph spoke quietly to Mary, not wanting to destroy the moment, “Shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks. Listen to their lovely songs.” It was beautiful to listen to the shepherds singing. They had some amazing voices, Unfortunately, very few people were privileged to hear their songs. Too many people felt that the shepherds were beneath them. They lived out in the fields for weeks at a time. So, they were forgotten by many. Yet, when it came time to for the Passover, the sheep that were raised by these lowly shepherds were desired by all. Joseph thought about that while listening to their song. It made the trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem much easier. Joseph quietly thanked the Lord for the moments that they were having that day. The trip through Jerusalem, the view of the Temple, the sights and sounds of the city and the song of the shepherds.

 The sun was beginning to sink on the horizon. The lights of Bethlehem were starting to show before them. The quiet winking of the lamps filled with oil. Families would light a lamp and set it on a table in the middle of the house so it would give light to all around. Yes, it was comforting to see. Soon they would be in one of those houses. The air was cooling quickly.

 Mary moaned as they plodded along. “Are you all right, Mary?” Joseph asked. “It will only be a short time and we will be at Malachi’s house.” “The time is close, Joseph,” Mary said, a pained look on her face. “Very close.” Joseph suddenly felt worried. Would they make it to Malachi’s house? He breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the village. There, on the left, was where Malachi lived. He walked up to the door and knocked. He knocked again. The door swung open and there stood Malachi. A smile broke out on both men’s faces. They embraced. “Shalom,” they greeted each other. Joseph asked if they might stay with Malachi that night. Unfortunately, Malachi told him, the house was already filled with guests. They had been arriving over the past couple days and there was no more room. Perhaps the inn would have room. What about Joshua bar Micah? Would he have room for them? Malachi did not think so, but Joseph could try. “Shalom,” they shared as Joseph walked away and the door closed. Joseph has not counted on so many other people making the journey. He had not thought about that.

 They received the same reception at Joshua’s house. “Shalom,” but the house was full. Family had been arriving and they were already filled to overflowing. Perhaps the inn would have something. It was worth the try. Joseph looked at Mary and smiled weakly. “They will have room at the inn,” he told her. There is always room. As he knocked on the door, his heart was heavy. He could hear the loud voices from inside, meaning that there were many there already. The innkeeper’s wife would be busy feeding all the guests. The door opened, and the innkeeper looked at Joseph and said, “Shalom, my friend, I hope you are not looking for a room. I have none. I have turned away several already tonight.”

 Joseph looked at him with sadness in his eyes. “Please sir, my wife is near time for the child to come, and we need somewhere to stay tonight. Do you have anyplace where we might stay if only for one night.” The innkeeper picked up his lamp and walked out to see Mary. “You are right, she does need somewhere to rest. But I have no place. The inn is overflowing. Martha told me not another person could come in. She would have my hide if I brought you in. Yet, she would also be upset with me if I turned away a woman great with child. I tell you what I can give you, I have my stable out back. It is nothing much more than a small cave, but it will keep you warm and out of the weather. There are a few animals there, but that might help with warmth. You can stay there if you wish. I will let you stay for no charge. Tomorrow morning, come inside and we will feed you.” The innkeeper led the couple to the stable, and left his lamp with them, “for light, should you need it,” he said.

 Mary thanked him. Joseph helped her down off the donkey. He made a bed for her in the straw, pushing the animals out of the way. Their donkey seemed pleased to have a place with straw, and a trough with water.

 Mary lay down on the straw, looked at Joseph and asked, “How you ever delivered a child?” He looked at her, his eyes big as saucers. “No,” he said, “but I have helped Enoch the shepherd in Bethlehem deliver his lambs. It might not be that different.” He smiled, hoping that his answer would suffice.

 “It is enough,” Mary said. With a loud groan, she said, “It is time!”

 

 

Mary and Joseph, part 1

This morning, the eve of Christmas Eve, I was thinking about Mary and Joseph and what might have been going on in their lives. As I thought about it, I felt called to write the following. It is not historically correct. If you enjoy it, let me know. If you do not like it, move on to something else. Yes, I will be using modern days and dates, with Jesus being born in 4 B.C on December 25th. 

They had been traveling for a several days. It was now the Sabbath. They were unable to travel on this day because it was the day of rest for the Lord. They were gathered with other families as they were traveling to their hometowns. Caesar Augustus had issued a decree that everyone was to go to their hometown to be counted, which meant that they were going to have to pay more taxes. Joseph thought to himself, "There is always more taxes. We can barely afford the taxes as it is." But he knew that he had to head to Bethlehem with his betrothed. He was from the City of David. 

Sitting with others who were heading south, they shared their food with one another. It was nice to have others with whom to travel. It would have been a long, lonely trip if he had to make the trip by himself. Yet, if he was by himself, he might have been much closer to Bethlehem, but Mary, his betrothed was great with child. So, they had to move slowly and carefully. She was such a good woman. There were sometimes when she grumbled about the roughness of the ride on the donkey. Mary's father has given them the donkey for the trip. He wanted his daughter and future grandchild to be as comfortable as possible. It was tough for her to be comfortable. It would soon be time for the baby to born. Joseph was praying that they would make it to Bethlehem. He did not want his baby to born somewhere along the trip. That would not be pleasant, though it did happen to others throughout the years.

He looked over at Mary and smiled. He loved her greatly. They had a difficult time about 8 months ago. Yes, they were betrothed. But they were faithful to the Law. They did not engage in those actions that would lead to the way of family. They knew this was according to the Law of YHWH. It had been difficult for Mary was a pretty woman. But he knew that he wanted to follow the will of God. He was doing all he could to be a God–fearing husband. He would never give in to the sinful actions. He was looking forward to the time when the betrothal would be over. 

And then, it happened. Mary came to him with news that shook his world. "Joseph, I am with child," she had said to him. He stared at her. His mind was a jumble. "What? How? When? Who?" The questions tumbled from his lips. He could not believe she would do this awful thing. Did she not care about what YHWH said? Did she not care for him as much as he cared for her? Why would she do such a thing?

She reached out and took his hands. He shook them free. He could not believe it. "Joseph, please listen. I have not been unfaithful..." "Of course, you have," Joseph shouted. "You had to be. There is no other way for you to be with child." He began to shake. He could not believe what he was hearing. "I must think," he said. Turning from her. She grabbed his arm, “Wait,” she pleaded. “Please, let me tell you what happened.”  Joseph stopped, turned towards Mary. He was sure that the look on his face was not pleasant. She as taken aback by the way he looked at her. But then she continued to explain to him. It was an incredible story. It was beyond belief. He listened but at the same time he shook his head in disbelief.

An angel had appeared to her, she explained. The angel even had a name, “Gabriel.” Really? The angel told her that she was blessed by YHWH. He had chosen her to carry His Son, the Son of David. “What?” Joseph said, perhaps too harshly for the situation but he was upset and could not believe she would invoke the name of YHWH or David. She did not stop. She was looking at him steadily, eyes open, with no sign of deception on her face. He had come to know her expressions. He knew them so well. He had memorized every part of her face and all her expressions. He could tell when she was hiding something, but that did not seem possible now. Yet…

She continued. She was told that she would become with child. The child would be the Son of David, the promised one. Just hearing that made Joseph’s heart leap, but he pushed those feelings away as it was impossible. She had even asked Gabriel how it was possible since she had never been with a man. She was pure and was going to remain that way until the time of the betrothal was over. Gabriel told her that she would still be pure for Joseph. This would be a great act of the Spirit of YHWH. She would be with child without ever having been with a man, for this child would not be born of human will or a man’s desire but would be the Son of God. The Son of God! At that, Joseph said, “I must think,” and he walked out the door, leaving Mary standing there, with that look of pleading.

Joseph loved Mary with his whole heart. She was a dear woman, a precious jewel among women. But how could this be? He walked around the village of Nazareth, trying to figure out what to do, what to say. He did not return to Mary that day. In fact, he came to a decision, one he did not want to make but it was the only one he could make. He would divorce her. It broke his heart to do so. He so loved her. But how could he accept that she was unfaithful? How could he accept another man’s child? That is the only answer there could be, it was another man’s child. So, he would divorce her. Yes, that is it. But he could not do it openly. He would do it quietly, only her family and the priest would know the reason. He did not want her stoned for adultery. As much as it hurt him, he could not do that to Mary. She was a part of his life and heart. Yes, he would divorce her quietly. He would tell her tomorrow. He would sleep on it tonight and tell her the next day what he had decided. He knew it was the right thing to do.

That night, he slept. It was not a good sleep, but he slept. Fitfully. He loved Mary. But he could not live that way. He could not accept her explanation. It was just too incredible, too impossible. Then, in the middle of the night, something amazing happened. An angel appeared to him. It was Gabriel. But that is not possible, yet here he was, in his dreams. Was it a dream? And he was told to take Mary as his wife for she had not been adulterous. She was still pure, a virgin. The angel reminded him of that which Isaiah had written so many years before – the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and he shall be called Immanuel. Yes, he will be “God with us.”

Joseph sat up straight on his bed. He knew what he needed to do. He would take Mary as his wife. He would declare the child his own so that there would be no questions, no adulterous talk. He would bear the burden of the shame of her being with child while they were betrothed. He would accept that people will think that he could not control his passion for his wife. It would be tricky, but he would accept it.

He quickly dressed, though it was early morning, and rushed to the place where Mary was staying. He knocked loudly till her father came to the door. He explained he needed to talk with Mary. No, it could not wait. He needed to talk to her now. They met in the main room of the house. Taking her hands in his, he looked into her eyes and said, “I believe you.” Then he told her that Gabriel had come to him. He shared all that was said. Mary had tears of joy in her eyes as they embraced. Yes, it would be all right. They trusted that what they were facing was from the LORD. As such, they were sure they could face it together.

Mary had left to go see her cousin Elizabeth. Joseph accepted it. He was aware that she was going to see if what the angel has said to her was true. For if Elizabeth was with child, after all the years of barrenness, then anything is possible for YHWH to accomplish. He would take that time and prepare the house for her return.

After 3 months, she returned, she was beginning to show that she was in the way of motherhood. Joseph accepted the looks of others. He accepted that they thought he was not faithful to the ways of the Law. That was all right. He knew the truth. This too would pass, as do all scandals. Something else would come along and they would focus on that. Until then, Joseph would shoulder the burden of guilt that others placed upon them, even though they had no guilt for they had done nothing wrong.

Looking over at Mary, as she sat upon the ground, next to their donkey, Joseph’s heart was full of love. He loved her greatly. She was even more beautiful as she was expecting the child. But she looked uncomfortable. “Are you all, Mary?” he asked her. “Yes, it is just getting close to the time,” she replied. “We will be in Bethlehem in two days,” he said. “Then you will be more comfortable.” She smiled at him, weary from travel and from carrying the baby. “We should rest now, for tomorrow we will cross the Jordan River.” They were not traveling through the land of the Samaritans. No self–respecting Child of Abraham would travel through that land.

They rose with the others the next day. It was Sunday, the first day of the week. Perhaps they would make it to Bethlehem by that evening. Joseph had said so, looking at Mary. But the look in her eyes told him that they would not make it that night. She was getting more and more uncomfortable. The time was close. Hopefully they would make to Bethlehem before the child arrived.

Joseph led the donkey while Mary sat upon it. They slowly plodded along. Those with whom they had spent the night had begun to pull away from them. They could travel faster. They did not have a woman who was great with child. Joseph thought of Elizabeth, wondering how she could handle childbirth at her age. “How did she do it?” Joseph asked Mary suddenly as they walked along. “Who?” Mary responded. Joseph laughed. “I was just thinking about Elizabeth and her child. How did she handle the childbirth in her old age? That must have been difficult.” Mary agreed, “Yet Elizabeth was so happy to have a child that she laughed in joy, even after all the pain. It gave me hope this child’s birth won’t be too difficult.” Mary said. “Elizabeth looked so happy when they gave her the child. They all wanted to name the child after this person or that person, but Zechariah would have none of it. When they brought him to be circumcised, he said, ‘His name will be John,’ That surprised us all. Why John? Then Zechariah told us that the angel Gabriel had told him to name the child John. So that is what he did. John.”

“Have you thought anymore about our child’s name?” Joseph asked. “He will be called Jesus,” Mary said firmly. “Yes, Jesus, the name the angel gave to us,” Joseph said. “The family will not be happy about that. They were wanting him to name for your father or for the High Priest. They will not understand why he should be called Jesus.” “That’s all right,” she said. “They have had a hard time understanding all that has gone on in our lives. They did not like the fact that I am with child before the betrothal was concluded. They could not accept our explanation.” “Can you blame them?” he responded. “It is unbelievable. An angel, a virgin birth, God’s Son. All of that is so beyond what might be expected. It would have been easier to accept that we had committed the sin that led to this child’s conception.” They smiled at each other. They had had this conversation many times. “Yes, he shall be named Jesus,” Joseph said.

Time passed. They stopped for lunch. The river crossing would take place after lunch. It was not a pleasant thing to do, but it was the only way. They could not travel through the land of those Samaritans. Soon, they were on the eastern bank of the river. They watched as other crossed. They could see where they must go travel avoid the deep water. Mary would remain on the donkey as they crossed the river. They stood in line as people ahead of them moved forward. Soon, they stepped into the river. It was cold, but that was expected at this time of the year. Why could Caesar not have given this order in the summer, when it would have been so much easier to cross the river. But here they were. As Joseph led the donkey into the Jordan River, he wished that a miracle would happen, like it did when the children of Israel entered the Promised Land. Why could not the LORD stop the river from flowing when I am taking the mother of His Son across the river? They I would not be wet and cold. Nor would the donkey or Mary. With every step, he thought about how miraculous that was they the people crossed the river on dry ground instead of plodding through the water and mud. Mary held tight to the donkey, confident that Joseph would lead the across the river. Soon, they were going up the far bank of the Jordan River, walking on dry ground once again.

Like the other travelers, they stopped to wring the water out of their robes. Perhaps they could put another mile or so behind them before they stopped for the night. Joseph helped Mary back on the donkey and they started west. It would not be long before they would begin to see signs of the Holy City. It was exciting to go to Jerusalem. This trip had been unexpected. It gave them another chance to see this special city. It was so much more than Nazareth. They came from a tiny village of no importance. No one famous ever came from Nazareth. There was not much to it. But Jerusalem! The Temple! The sights, sounds and smells of the city would be amazing. The excitement was building.

Tomorrow would be the day they passed through the city on the way to Bethlehem. They should be David’s City by Monday evening if everything goes well.

The other travelers were starting to make camp there ahead of them. “Joseph!” called Zechariah, “Come share our fire.” Looking at Mary, she smiled her agreement. It would be a pleasant to share Zechariah’s fire and company. He, too, was going to Bethlehem. He was traveling from Capernaum, they had met two days ago on the road. Yes, one last night on the cold, hard ground and then they would be able to sleep in a bed.

To be continued.

 

9/11, 21 years later.

 Shock. I watched in horror as there was a terrible crash. How was this possible? It couldn't be. Smoke. Thick smoke rolling from both buildings. I had just watched as a passenger jet liner had crashed into a building. One could be an accident. Two? It had to be on purpose. There must be something going on.

Unreal. The sky was blue, the beautiful blue of a September sky. The smell of wood smoke filled the air. Chatter taking place. Apple butter kettles were starting to cook. Smiles. Friendly talk. The day began so peacefully. Laughter. Kids watching, talking with the folks that were cooking. It was time for school. Loading the kids up. Car heading out. Smiles all around. 

Arrival at school. Told of a plane hitting one of the twin towers in New York City. Must be an accident. And what is the twin towers? I really did not pay attention to what was in the Big Apple. Until that day. Lots of talk. Discussion. What happened? Keeping folks calm. Getting school ready. Confirmation class at Hoffman, IL was going to begin. 

Then it happened again. Another plane. Another tower. More smoke. More fire. Watching on a TV. No internet like 2022. It was overwhelming. To see the tower smoking. To see the fire. What was happening?

Class is over. During class another plane strikes the Pentegon. Now what? Is it war? Is it going to continue? Could it get any worse?

Then the collapse. Smoke. Fear. Watching people run. Over and over again. Seeing it on the news. Replays. One plane. Two planes. Three planes. One tower. Two towers. Fear. What can you do?

Getting the children together at school. Sitting them down. Talking to them about what our Lord Jesus Christ does for us. The safety and security He gives to us, even in such a tragic time. Is there fear? Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are there tears? Take it to the Lord in prayer. So we did. We prayed. We sang. We thanked God for His protection. We prayed for those who lost loved ones. We prayed for those trying to help out. We prayed and then prayed some more. 

And then, in a moment of faith, we joined in the Lord's Prayer. In that moment, we knew that we were in the hands of the Father. There was nowhere safer for us to be. Thanks be to God.

Did we forget? Did we let our memories forget what took place? Have we allowed the events of today to lead us to forget that day? I hope not. I pray not. At that time we said, we will never forget. Later it was said, Lest we forget. Today, I fear that is said, We have forgotten. May it not be so.

Lord, have mercy

 I cannot imagine the pain, what it must be like to be one of the parents, one of the teachers, one of the children in Uvalde, TX this morning. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be one of the patrons, one of the workers, or one of the community members in Buffalo, NY in the days following the mass murder. I cannot imagine...no I cannot. 

Terrible events. Murder. Massacre. Death. These things are so terrible. They happen. Just when we think we have moved beyond such events, another one happens. Just when we think we have a handle of what is going on in life, something takes place.

Awful. Terrible. Nothing brings into focus the fact that we must do something to change the way things are in our communities. There will be talk about gun control. There will be talk about red flag laws. There will be talk about one party being the party of hate. There will be all sorts of  things being talked about. There will be talk about mental illness. There will be hand wringing and then it will begin, the placing of blame upon someone missing something and not reporting it. There will be blame. There will be so much said. 

What can be done so this won't happen again? What laws can be put into place? What kind of security can be put into place to stop this from happening? We will try to figure this out.

There is one need - Jesus. We have pushed the Lord out of the way, setting Him on the shelf, making sure that no one pushes the message of the Gospel upon anyone. We need to bring that message back into hearts and lives.

This last Sunday I preached about peace. I mentioned that the peace of this world can be shattered in a moment. And it was in Uvalde. In that moment, the peace that they felt was shattered, broken. People's hearts and lives were broken. Where is the peace? Where the peace to be found in this situation? What can be said? Where? What? So many questions.

Peace cannot be found in the things in this world. We live in a broken, sinful world. Evil is present each day. Evil cannot be stopped because it does not follow the law, it does not care for others. Evil could care less about anyone but itself, and it wants to destroy and cause more pain and suffering. We will put more laws in place. We will put more security in place. There will be things put in place. Will it stop evil? No. Will it stop someone from doing such a horrific act? No. Why? Because evil does not care. Evil seeks only to create chaos, pain and suffering. Period. 

So where is peace found. "In me is peace..." Jesus said in John 16:33a. There is the only place to find peace. In Jesus Christ. In faith in Him. In this fallen, broken world, we need to turn to Jesus. We need to turn to Him each and every day, not just in such a tragedy, but in days where there is no tragedy. As Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This is terrible. This should not have happened. But I will tell you this, it will happen again. Not because of lack of gun control, or lack of security, or whatever. It will happen because there is evil in this world. It is only as Christ changes hearts and lives will things change. Only in Christ.

It isn't just in such tragedy that we find pain and suffering. It happens when cancer takes a life, when heart disease takes a life, when a traffic accident takes a life, when a person takes his own life, when there is abuse, when there is hatred, when there is anger, when there is personal attack. All of these are from evil, from this world. In Christ alone, can this be changed. 

I pray for the folks in Uvalde. I pray for the folks in Buffalo. I pray for folks in the hospital. I pray for folks undergoing treatments. I pray for folks in difficult and painful situations. I pray that the ONE, Jesus Christ will come into their lives, into their brokenness, and bring them personal peace that is found in Him. Yes, we live in a broken world, but we have One who has overcome the world. Look to Jesus Christ for peace.

My Journey to the Doctor of Ministry

 This last Friday, May 20th, I had the pleasure of receiving my Doctor of Ministry degree. I had begun work on the Doctor of Ministry degree in 2012, returning to the classroom and academic studies after 25 years of not being in the classroom. It was a challenge, but thanks be to God I received the guidance from the Lord, and support from Penny and my family, and also St. Paul's, Troy, IL and St. John, Clarinda, IA. It was a long and difficult journey, but here I am, having completed the journey and received the degree of Doctor of Ministry. 

Yes, it was great. I enjoyed it. Did I enjoy all the work - um, maybe...ok, yes it was good, and yet it was challenging. To do the work that was necessary was not easy. Penny kept encouraging me when I was ready to give in and cry "uncle." So I ended up writing my Major Applied Project (MAP), which is the "dissertation" of the Doctor of Ministry program, "In Search of the Best Practices in Preaching Christian Stewardship." 

Why did I go into the program? On day I was attending a Symposium on Homiletics at Concordia Seminary (when I was serving in Troy, IL I was within 45 minutes of the Seminary so I took advantage of the continuing education options available), and I began to think about my preaching (that is what homiletics is, the art of preaching). How as I doing with it. It had been over 20 years that I had been in the ministry and I begin to think about how my preaching was doing. I looked around at the various examples of preaching that I saw in different places and I was not really thrilled. I saw a real issue with most preaching - it was shallow, did not offer much, was not done well, etc. I know, sounds judgmental. But there is poor preaching in the world today. Too often, the pastor is afraid to offend anyone so he ends up saying nothing worthwhile. The Gospel is watered down. Or the Law is preached with no Gospel application at all. Or it is just an awful sermon. I thought, "Am I like that? Is my preaching getting shallow, or worse, is it getting worthless or awful?" 

So I began to think that I needed to work on my preaching. I needed to improve (still do, by the way) my preaching. But I also know myself. To try to do that on my own, meant that I would start, get busy with parish life, and not get around to finishing that which I began. Contrary to what some folks think, the pastor works more than just one or two hours a week. You get busy with congregation life and don't make time for continued independent study. 

So I thought maybe I would look into the Doctor of Ministry program, with the focus being homiletics. As I looked into it, thought about it, prayed about it, I finally thought I would bring the topic up to Penny. I figured she would be the voice of reason in this whole process and would tell me all the reasons I should not do it. We talked and she said, "I think you should do it." I was floored. I told her I thought she would be the one to talk me out of this tomfoolery. Yet she said to go for it. So I thought, ok, maybe I should see what my kids thought. I asked both Rachael and Matthew what they thought. And they both said to go for it. Really? I was not expecting that. 

So I approached the congregation (St. Paul's, Troy, IL) elders and talked with them. They also agreed it was a good idea. So I applied. I began my first class in nearly 25 years in January 2012. From there I would take classes each winter and summer. At first they were 2 weeks residental class. Then it became 1 week residental classes. I finished all the course work by summer 2018, which was right at the time I was starting to serve as the national LWML pastoral counselor (2017-2021). All I had left was the MAP. That is all. 

I started and stopped on the research and writing of the MAP several times. I even almost dropped out of the program because I was not sure if I could write the MAP. But when I found out that if I dropped out, I would have to do all the coursework again if I reapplied, and with Penny telling me to get it finished and not drop out, and encrouagement from my children, I stayed in the program. In March of 2019, I took the call to St. John, Clarinda, IA. Covid hit. I had cataract surgery, 2 knee replacments and I finished my service as LWML pastoral counselor (in June 2021). So I returned to writing in earnest, and by the end of August 2021, I had the MAP written, sent to my advisor, made corrections, sent it back (I had sent each chapter to Dr. Peter, my advisor, as I was writing), and by October 2021, I had the MAP completed. I defended my MAP in November of 2021, and I was done. Completed. Finished. No more work on it. nearly 10 years after I started, I was done. I began the journey in January 2012 and by January 2022, I was finished. Praise be to God!

Did it help me? I believe it did. It challenged me to think about my preaching. It showed me different ways to preach. It helped me to see how to bring the Word of God into the lives of the hearers. It assisted me to become a better preacher and a better pastor. It also helped me define and develop my understanding of stewardship and how to apply that into sermons. I am still working on that. I think there is much that I can do to continue to improve in both my preaching and in my application of stewardship, but having gone through the Doctor of Ministry program helped me greatly. 

That is a little of the journey that I took. A ten year journey through hills and valleys, over mountains and through tunnels, finally arriving at the place where I walked across the platform to receive my degree as the picture shows. 

Was I happy? 

 What do you think? 

Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement. Penny was my biggest supporter and encourager. My family was supportive and encouraging. The congregations I served, St. Paul, Troy, IL and St. John, Clarinda, IA were very supportive. I received finacial support from individuals, the Southern Illinois District LWML, and St. John, Clarinda. I greatly appreciate all that support. 

Now, let's get going on preaching God's Word and living the life of a Christian steward.

Thoughts on Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day. For those who have born children, I wish you a blessed Mother's day. Today I think about what it means to be a mother. My lovely wife, Penny, has given birth to our two wonderful children, Rachael and Matthew. That makes today a special Mother's Day. Yet, I also remember that we had a third child, one that we lost early in the pregnancy. Penny was a mother before she gave birth to Rachael, it is just that our first child was not carried to term. We rejoice that the Lord has blessed us with both Rachael and Matthew, both of whom are a blessing to us. Thank you Penny for being that very Christian and loving mother to our children. 

I say that because there are many women who have lost children, being unable to carry them to term because of many different reasons. On Mother's Day, there are women whose hearts are heavy because they have not been able to give birth to their children. Today we need to lift them up in our prayers, remembering that they are mothers too, those they may not have the opportunity to hold and love their children after birth. I give thanks to God for those women who may well be sad on this day. God bless you and give you strength and comfort today. 

Then I thought, there are many women who have taken on the role of mother, even though they had not given birth to the children they raise. There are many who have been adoptive or foster mothers, showing love to children who have not had the blessing to be raised by their birth mothers. I know this for sure because I was not raised by my birth mother. I give thanks to Gen Foerster Osborne Brawner, the woman who raised me and my brothers. I would not be the man I am today if it was not for the fact that she took on the opportunity to raise me when I was 3 years-old. There are women today who raise their grandchildren, their nieces and nephews, and children that are not blood at all. 

If you have the opportunity to talk with your mother today, please do so. Remember that you will not always have your mother present in this world, for one day, they will pass from this life. Then you will not be able to call them on Mother's Day and talk with them. Tell them today how much you love them.

Yes, I know that there are mothers who have been less than stellar. There are those who were not good at raising their children. There are those who do not know Christ and therefore do not raise their children to know Christ. There are mothers who are physically and emotionally abusive. I am sorry for those children who must go through this. I pray that those children will be removed from those terrible situations. And for those who have been removed from those situations, I encourage you to forgive those abusive and unloving mothers for the way that they treated you. That does not mean you must condone those things that they did, nor do you have to go back into those situations. But as Christ has forgiven you, forgive them for the terrible things they did (or didn't) do to you. 

So many emotions on Mother's Day. Personally, I give thanks to God for the mothers I have know - my birth mother, the mother who raised me, the mother of my children, my mother-in-law, and my daughter. Thank You Lord, for each one of them. 

Happy and blessed Mother's Day.

The new life in Christ

 The joy of Easter still rings in my ears and in my thoughts. I can still hear those wonderful words, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." (Luke 24:5b-6 ESV) He is not here. He has risen. Not "He will rise" or "He still has to rise," but He has risen. The event has already taken place. Jesus, the One who was crucified and buried, has risen from the dead. Never again will He die. Paul writes, "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him." (Romans 6:9 ESV) New life, eternal life, never again to die.

Jesus is the risen and living one. John writes what Jesus says to the seven churches in Revelation. To Smyrna, we hear, "The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life." (Rev. 2:8 ESV) The living Lord! The living Savior. He died and rose again.

That is the focus of the message of the Gospel. Jesus came to pay the price of our sins, to suffer in our stead, to die for us and to rise again to life - to give to us forgiveness, faith and eternal life. That eternal life is more than just a hope. It is more than just an ethereal existence in some other form of being, some sort of spirit living in the air, floating around bodyless, as though the physical, the body itself is the problem and we have to discard the body in order to reach a higher level of existence. That is the teaching of the gnostics of the 1st and 2nd centuries, that wanted people to believe that all physical life was sinful and needed to be removed from you by some higher knowledge, so that once you reach that level, you no longer need the terrible, physical body. They would tell you that you are better off without it (even while living in this world, if you reached their level, you could then act however you wanted, because you transcend the physical and live in the knowledged, the gnostic level which frees you from responsibility for the physical actions - I know, a vague generalization but just wanted to say that.)

No, the body is not what we must be rid of. It is the sin that must be removed from us. And in Christ, that takes place. So when we die, this body, laid in the ground or cremated, is not the problem. Instead, there is more life to come. For Christ will raise these bodies from the grave, from the dust and will give to us a glorified body like His, to live with Him eternally in the new heaven and new earth (and there can be much discussion about what that means, but not here, not at this time). 

He rises. And in that resurrection, He assures us that we shall live also. I think of this as I prepare to go to a funeral of a Christian who died. The message needs to be one of the resurrection. Don't tell me about how good the person was. Tell me what Christ has done for her, that she has received forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ, a gift given to her through the working of the Holy Spirit. Tell me about the new life she has in Christ. Tell me that she will rise from the dead, this body sown in sorrow will be raised in joy, this mortal body will be raised immortal. That is the message I need to hear. That is the message the family needs to hear. 

That is the message of Easter. Ringing loud and clear in my ears on this day. He is risen! And in Him, all shall rise again to life eternal! Praise be to God!

Thoughts on gardening

Wind! Need I say more? Those of you in this area, you understand what I am talking about. As I watched the weather this morning, the meterologist said that the wind gusts would only be up to 30 mph. That seems to be pretty strong winds. Then he stated that there were 60 mph wind gusts over the weekend. The you realize taht 30 mph is not so bad for a wind gust. Did I really just say that? Yes I did. It was so windy on Friday and Saturday, actually windy all last week. After the storms came through Saturday evening, it calmed down for a little while. That was so nice. 

Potatoes have been planted. It was a week after Good Friday, which I have always heard was a time to plant potatoes. That day and also St. Patrick's Day. But we had googled the time to plant potatoes, and it said that this last weekend was the time to plant them. I am glad to hear that, because we did not have the time last weekend. We plant our potatoes in plastic tubs. Filling the tubs with dirt, then the potatoes, more dirt and then straw. We did it last year and it worked really well. Instead of having to dig the potatoes, you just have to lift the tub up, and then dirt falls out (the bottom is cut out of the tub), and there are the potatoes. Makes it simple. I pray that this year goes as well for us.

We have not planted anything in the garden yet. We are going to sow some turnip seeds this year. We have not done that before. So we will see how they do. Should be interesting. 

Gardening is a fun thing to do. We also like to plant flowers. I like zinnias because they draw butterflies. The irises are coming up nicely. So are the hostos and lily of the valley. Tulips look good. Waiting for the lilies we have planted the past couple years to come up. We take our Easter lilies and plant them in the yard. They come up each year. So we are waiting for them to poke their heads through the ground. Has not happened yet. We have a couple of lilies from the year to plant as well.

If you are going to garden or plant flowers, go for it. Enjoy it. Penny and I have been raising gardens and flowers for many years. It has been fun and we enjoyed the time together working the ground and planting the seeds and plants. We will see how the garden grows this year. 

Have fun playing in the dirt!

Thinking about the resurrection

 The week has been ticking along. Today is the middle of the week. Just another week, another day of doing the regular daily chores. Going to work. Going to school. Going about the day as a retired person. Living as a single parent. Living as a married couple. Living as a single person. Living as an older person. The days continue on.

Today is Wednesday. Here is the question: What did this last weekend have to do with your everyday life? The weekend came. The weekend went. Some people went to church. Some people stayed home. Some people sang songs of praise. Some people did not even think about those songs of praise. Some people said, "He is risen!" Others did not even think about the resurrection. Does it make a difference?

Yes it does. For you see, Jesus rose from the dead on that first day of the week so many years ago. He died on the cross, was laid in the tomb and then came back to life. What does that mean? It means that He defeated sin, death and the devil. He faced the Law and paid the price for your sins. He took on the power of the devil and defeated him. He was placed in the grave and rose victorious, destroying the power of the grave. 

He did that for everyone. You, me, every single person in this world. It did not matter if someone believed in Him or not. He died and rose for each and every person. He died and rose for the Roman soldier that crucified Him, for the pharisee that hated Him, for the disciple that followed Him, for the person who trusted in Him, for the person who did not trust in Him, for the person who followed Him and cried at seeing Him carrying the cross and for the person who could care less about what He did. Jesus death and resurrection was for all people, leaving no one out of that which He did.

So what does it mean for you? It means that Jesus died and rose for you. That which you need is to believe in Him as your Lord and Savior. Through faith in Jesus, you receive the blessings of forgiveneess of sins. Through faith in Jesus, you are given the promise of life eternal in heaven. Through faith in Jesus, you will receive the wonderful gift of the resurrection of the body on the Last Day. All who die believing in Jesus will rise to a new life, bodily, with a glorified body.

That carries me through the week. That encourages me on this Wednesday, to face today because Jesus Christ lives. He lives and grants me daily breath. He lives and I shall conquer death. He lives and is with me in everything I face each and every day. He lives to guide me through this Wednesday - in both the good and the bad, the positive and the negative. 

I can face today because Jesus lives for me! You can face today because He lives for you! Yes, I do need to believe in Him. Yes I do need to praise His name. Yes I do need to worship Him. Yes I do need to receive His body and blood in the Lord's Supper. Yes I do need to live in Christ each day. It makes a difference. I give thanks for His resurrection for it carries me through today. 

Starting the day

I have a hard time thinking about what it must have been like for Jesus on that Thursday morning. Nothing that happened was a surprise to Him. He knew what was going to take place later that day. He knew that within 24 hours, He would be hanging on a cross. He had told His disciples numerous times that He was going to die on the cross. Just as recently as earlier in this week He had told them that the Son of Man would be lifted up and would draw all people to Himself. John records that He said this to show what kind of death He was going to die. No surprise to Jesus.

I was thinking about today being Maundy Thursday, the day He tells us to love one another as He loves us, then showing us that He gives us the Sacrament of the Altar, where we receive His body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine. Loving us greatly, He goes to the cross. So when He rises on Thursday morning, He knows what the day is going to bring. 

What a weight to carry. I think about how difficult it is to get up when you know that you are going to have to face a rough day. When you have to go to the bosses office for a situation that is difficult, makes it hard to get going. I think about how difficult it was to get up and face the day when I was going to have a complete knee replacement, or when I was going to have to have another heart cath. It made the day overwhelming to face, a weight on the shoulders. 

Can you imagine how it must have been for Jesus? We get a feeling for that when He is in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was overwhelmed. He as carrying a heavy weight (my sins, your sins, the full weight of the Law). He prayed to the Father, sweating the great drops of blood, having an angel come to comfort and strengthen Him. We see the weight. 

Starting that Thursday, knowing what was coming. He sends His disciples to set up the place for them to eat the Passover, knowing what was to come later. "This is my body," He says. "This is my blood poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins." He knows that He will give His life for the salvation of all people. He knows that as He sits down for breakfast that morning. Was He able to eat breakfast? I know what I am very nervous about something, eating is difficult. Was He able to eat? I just can't imagine.

I am so thankful I really don't know what each day will bring. Yes, I make plans. I have a schedule that tells me what will take place. I pray to the Father that He would lead me through the day, praying that what I plan is according to His will. Then I go about my day. Thankfully, I do not know all that will take place. 

But Jesus did. And I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Him. I give thanks that He went through the day, moving steadily to the cross, to the grave and then, to the resurrection! Thanks be to Jesus.

Thinking about Tuesday

Today is Tuesday. Not just any Tuesday. This is Tueday of Holy Week. What does that mean? For most of us, it probably means another day of work, school or retirement. It is just another Tuesday, in another week, in just another month in this year of 2022. 

Being Tuesday in Holy Week, there are generally no special services, no "great" events (such as the institution of the Sacrament of the Altar, betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, death) in the life of Jesus. So it is just another Tuesday which shall pass by as we look towards the end of the week.

Yet, we must realize that on that Tuesday during the Passover week, Jesus was in Jerusalem. During the day, the Sadducees and Pharisees were trying to find some way to discredit Jesus, to cause people to doubt that He was a special Teacher, or to find some way to get Him arrested so they could get Him out of their way. So why is this important? Because Jesus continued to show Himself to be One who knows the Word, and was able to answer any questions without failing, without bringing out a false teaching and without giving them a reason to arrest Him. 

He is sinless. He does nothing wrong. Which is important when it comes to His sacrifice on the cross. If Jesus told a lie, if Jesus gave a false teaching, if Jesus did not faithfully and perfectly follow the will and the word of the Father, He would not have been the sinless sacrifice. He is the perfect, sinless, Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

This Tuesday of Holy Week is important. It might be overlooked by most of us, but it is important for us to understand that it has an impact upon what will take place on Thursday and Friday of this week. Thanks be to God that He sent His sinless Son into this world, incarnate as a man, to take the sins of world (your sins and my sins), pays the price of the Law, suffers and dies for the salvation of all people. Each day this week, we look forward to Sunday - the resurrection! That is a grand and glorious day. I can't wait.

Thoughts on a windy day

 It is a windy day today. They are saying that we could have some major wind gusts. I heard on the news this morning that Omaha already had a 58 mph gust this morning. That is some mighty strong wind. Do you ever wonder how wind forms? Put simply, watch the weather people or google it. I know it has to do with isobars, high and low pressure systems, and so on. As the isobars get tighter, there is more wind. 

I thought about what Jesus told Nicodemus: The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8 ESV) What is Jesus talking about? He is talking about the work of the Holy Spirit. He works in the hearts and lives of people, each and every day. He brings people to faith in Jesus Christ (conversion) and He continues to help people to remain in faith daily (regneration). He helps each one of us to continue to live in faith in Jesus. He keeps you and me in faith.

This is the work of the Spirit. If you want to get a feel for the work of the Holy Spirit, I would encourage you to read what Martin Luther wrote on the 3rd Article of the Apostles' Creed. He did a good job explaing the work of the Spirit. "I believe I cannot by my own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, strengthen me with His gifts..." Yes, it is the work of the Spirit to bring us to faith and to keep us in the faith.

He does this through the Means of Grace - Word and Sacraments. Through the Word and Baptism He brings us to faith. Through Word, Baptism and Lord's Supper, He strengthens our faith.

All of this ran through my thoughts as I listened to the wind blow. Thanks be to God that we have the Holy Spirit working in our lives each and every day. As you listen to the wind, I encourage you to think about how the Spirit works in your life. And give thanks to Him for all He does in your life.

 What was the weather like 3 years ago? I can't remember. If the one picture of the church is taken that very day 3 years ago, then it was a nice day. Do any of you that were here 3 years ago at St. John, Clarinda, IA, remember what that day was like?

This is the picture that came up on my memories. If that is the church on that day, it must have been a beautiful day. What a nice blue sky there was. 

What was taking place on that day, March 31, 2019? I was installed as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Clarinda, IA. Yep, I had been called to serve the saints here in Clarinda, I had accepted that call and was installed 3 years ago. It was an exciting day. It was thrilling to be installed as the pastor of the congregation. A new direction in ministry - what do I mean? It means that I had new people to minister to, a new congregation to lead, a new community to get to know and a new state to live in. Some things are the same - the proclamation of Law and Gospel, the sharing of the love of Christ, the teaching of God's Word, and the loving of the people. What are the differences? A new community. New people. New state. New opportunities. 

I know that Penny and I were excited to start a new life and ministry here in Clarinda. The look on Penny's face that day said it all.

She was going to take a picture of all of us pastors who were there, and the camera wouldn't work right for her. So she brought it up to me so that we could get a picture. She was happy. I was happy. The family was happy (you can see Shirley Rex, Penny's mom who has moved to Clarinda 6 months ago, Matthew and Chelsey Schuessler in the front pew). And I think that St. John's members were happy. 

I could not have imagined the things that were going to happen. A year later, Covid happened. 15 days to flatten the curve ended up being 2 years of crazy times. I would never have thought that I would have a police officer come into the church and tell me that we could not have a worship service. We started in person services 6 weeks after the shut down. We have continued to record services and put them on YouTube. We have been continuing to reach out with the message of the Gospel. 

What a crazy time. And what a good time. I continue to be thankful to be here. We continue to move forward with trying to figure out how we can share the Gospel. We are learning to live our mission statement: Sent to reveal God's love to the world. 

What will the next years be like? They will be blessings. How do I know that? Because I am serving the Lord with gladness. I am doing the work of the Lord as pastor here in this congregation. And I am living as a child of God.

Let's work together to share Christ. Happy anniversary St. John. 

 

Reflection for this morning

 The slap that is heard around the world. Do you know what I am talking about. I have heard several different people on the news refer to it that way. If you have not heard about it, good for you. Those who have heard about it, probably wish you had not. What am I talking about? Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the Oscar awards. 

I condemn his actions. Will Smith was wrong. That type of action, which is assault, should not take place. You might say he was just protecting the honor of his wife. OK, I get that. But physical violence is not the answer. For if Will Smith can do that, why can't I? If he can act that way when he feels that something inappropriate was said, why can't someone else? It was just a slap. What? So it is OK to slap someone because you do not like what he or she said? Nope, it is wrong. He should not have done it. He was wrong for doing it.

If it was all right, then what is to stop someone that gets upset with what I say in a sermon on Sunday morning from coming up and slapping me? Or what is to stop someone who hears you say that they do not like, from coming up to you and slapping you? Nothing. So it is wrong for him to do such a thing.

But then again, it put the Oscars back into the public view. I did not even know they were going on. Did you? But now many people are back to talking about them. Should they take Will Smith's award from him? Who would even think about that question if it was not for the action he did? Did you know any of the movies that were given awards? I did not. I did not care. I think that many people did not care. But now all of a sudden, we are hearing about it once again. 

More than that, I wish they would just let it go. It was wrong. Will Smith was wrong for what he did. But why keep talking about it? Why keep giving him more air time? Many news networks have spent more time with this slap than they have with other news worthy items. Let it go. Condemn it, and move on. Yet they will not. We hear it again and again. Just stop.

As I think about it, I think that we need to learn two things. 1) Be careful how you talk about someone else. This is an 8th commandment issue. "Speak well of him..." Let your words, the things that you say, be worthy of the child of God. Do not make fun of people. Do not speak poorly of people. Instead, build people up. Speak positively. Let your words build others up and bring glory to the Lord. Ask yourself, is what you are saying something that you would say if you were standing in front of Jesus Himself? Because remember this, He is with you in everything you are doing.

2) Physical violence is wrong. This is a 5th commandment issue. We should protect our fellow humans. We should not physically attack them. Instead, we should protect the physical well being of others. Do not hit others. Do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body. Do not slap someone because you do not like what they said. 

Well, I guess that is enough said about this situation. Now, to go out and live according to what I just said. Lord, help me to live as Your child, in words and in actions. 

Not so serious ramblings

 What in the world is this? I got up to let the dogs out this morning, they like to go out after being in all night. Imagine that. It was 4:45 a.m. Don't judge me. I normally get up at 5 and it was Friday, no alarm was set. That made it a good Friday to sleep in. So why was I getting up at 4:45 a.m.? Because Wrigley, the chocolate lab, was at the side of the bed asking to go outside. I would have told her to wait till the alarm went off, fifteen minutes later, but it was Friday. So I got up. She is the easy one. Zeb, the golden, is a little more difficult. He likes to get his ears scratched when he gets up, so he will sit up, push his head against me, and I have to rub his ears. It takes several minutes for this to take place. He won't lumber down the stairs until he feels like he has had enought scratches. 

So we finally got downstairs. Put my coat on to let them out and BAM! What is this? Snow? I thought it was supposed to rain. OK, in all fairness, they were talking about possible snow with the rain because is was going to be a little colder than they originally thought, but you know, I doubted them. But there it was. The ground was white. Snow flakes size of small hamsters were falling from the sky. It was a wet, slushy snow. And I wasn't really ready to face it. Ugh.

That is how Friday began. And now, looking out, a wintry mix is coming down. I gave the dogs a bit of walk today, hat, gloves and all. Sloppy, messy, and they loved it. It is amazing what we will do for our dogs. They give me such joy. I willingly walk in the snow and rain, just because they are special to me. I give thanks for them.

So what is my point today? I don't have one. These are the ramblings of my mind. And that is how I am rambling. I hope you enjoy this Friday. I know I will. What will we do today? Not sure we will do much. The trip to Mission Central was called off because of folks not wanting to drive in this nasty weather. So we will go another time. We will continue to support the mission of reaching out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even if we did not go to Mission Central. 

Enjoy your day!

Just general rambling

 First world problems. Can you talk about them at this time? What I mean, the moment you say something about how things are here in this community, someone will say, "At least you aren't sitting in a subway with no heat or water like they are in Ukraine." And "bam," suddenly you are not supposed to have any problems in life because you are not living in Ukraine.

Understand, I get that the people in Ukraine are sufferings. It is absolutely ridiculous that Russian invaded Ukraine. It should not have happened. It is wrong. The suffering that the people are going through is terrible. My heart goes out for them. I pray for them. I support the work of various organizations that are helping them out. It hurts to see families separated, people getting killed, towns being devasted. It should not be taking place in this world today. 

Yet it is. It shows the wickedness of people in the world today. It shows how sin destroys lives. Sin shows itself as the Russians turn their guns on the people of Ukraine. It shows itself as people shoot each other. But we also must understand that this is showing itself in our country too. As people shoot each other in the cities, not just Chicago, LA or New York City. I saw that over the weekend it took place in Omaha. But we are not hearing about it now that the war in Ukraine is happening. Yet 2 police officers were shot last night, and the news doesn't report it. We turn on our police officers and then hail as a hero a police officer in Ukraine that was killed. Children are going hungry in our communities, but we only see the children in Ukraine. We need to see that we need to reach out to the people in our own communities to help them. If it breaks our hearts to see children hungry in the Ukraine and the refugee camps, it should also break our hearts that children are hungry in our towns and cities. It should break our hearts so much that, just as we send support to those refugee camps, we should support organizations that help folks in our own town. 

But back to what I started with. When you say that you are upset with paying the high price of gas, do you ever get made to feel guilty about it? It is presented as one or the other. I would postulate (using that just to sound like I know what I am talking about) that you can be upset with the situation in Ukraine and upset with the price of gas in your town. You can be upset over the Russian invasion and you can be upset with the soaring inflation. (And you cannot blame the war in Ukraine for everything that is happening in America, because gas prices were going up before the war, even told that it would reach record levels - before the war happened, inflation was going up prior to the war, it was difficult to get workers before the war, and so on.) 

So when I get upset about having to pay more for the food that we eat, it does not mean i have no empathy for the people of Ukraine. When I get upset that gas prices are through the roof and are at record highs, it does not mean I do not care about people who are displaced from their homes. I can feel both things. I can get upset and even angry over the mistreatment of the Ukrainians, while also being upset and angry that the screws are being put to the people of America with outrageous prices for the basics of life here in America. 

What amazes me is that we will complain about the price of gas at $3.89, while sitting in line at a coffee shop that charges $4.75 for a cup of Cappucinno. I am not saying that you can't have that cup of joe. You can. You can sit in a warm house while feeling upset that the folks are not in warm houses. It is what happens in this world. Remember that challenges that folks had while the world was at war in the 1940s. What am I saying? We can have empathy for the people in Ukraine, while will being upset with the unfairness and ridiculousness of the things going on in our country. 

Bottom line, let's work together to make life better for people here and in Ukraine. Let's find ways to bring inflation down here in America, while also helping to bring relief to people in need here and across the pond. 

All right, just rambling, probably because my alarn clock reset itself to get me up an hour earlier than usual. Oh, you poor baby, getting up an hour early. Just remember that people in the Ukraine were woke up during the night with their town being shelled by the Russians. Ok. I get it. But I did not have to get up early. First world problems.

Thoughts on Monday morning

 Well, that is not what we want. The snow, I mean. Friday was so nice. Sunshine, warm temps. When you get into the 60s, pushing 70s, you think spring. Saturday was a bit rainy. Was nice to have the rain. When it wasn't raining, it was a nice day. Walking around the yard, I saw flowers starting to push through the ground. Tulips and daffodils. 

Then comes the colder wearther. 30s aren't really that bad, but after 60s, they are cold. When it went from 69 to 29, the body shivers. Now there is snow. Really? Snow? March 7th. I know it is still winter. I know folks will say, "That is Iowa." The reality is, that is the midwest, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. I don't know about Michigan or Indiana. But the weather in the midwest can go from spring to summer to spring again in a 24 hour period. It can be beautiful in the morning and terrible in the evening. 

But I really was ready for winter to be done. I wanted this weather through December, January and February. Here in March, I am ready for spring. But then again, any moisture that we get is good. I am thankful for the snow, because it is moisture that the ground needs. It sounds like more snow on Thursday. Let it snow. It will be gone soon. Today's snow, about 2 inches, will be gone by tomorrow. It is clearing off, the sun will be shining, so the snow will begin to melt off. Even if we get 4-6 inches on Thursday, it will be gone by the weekend. That is the way snow in March and April is. You can get 12 inches and it will be gone within a day or two. 

So what do I think? I thank God for the moisture. I thank God for caring for the planet. I thank God for another day in which I can live in His grace and mercy. 

As Lent has begun, I continue to work on "The Cry of the Heart" for Wednesday evenings. Sundays help us to see what Jesus does for us in His Passion. Praise be to God for the gift on His Son who is our Savior. I will see you at worship, either Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday. 

Introductory Thoughts for "The Cry of the Heart" Lent 2022

 

As I began working on the 2022 Lenten series, “The Cry of the Heart,” I wrote these thoughts. They are the beginning of the thinking to our Wednesday evening Lenten services. This is the raw writing that presents the basic thoughts of this pastor as he began developing a sermon series.

 

Why? That is the universal question that is asked of God. Why did this happen? Why did You not stop the shooter from going into the school? Why did my child get into drugs? Why does my spouse not love me anymore? Why have bad things happened to me even though I have followed Your will? So many "whys" as asked of God. It is the cry of the heart that is broken, a life that is cracked, or crushed. Again and again the cry goes out.

Within the world, as our lives begin to break down, we hear the voices of those around us, or perhaps even that voice inside us, that sounds like Job's wife after the kids have been killed, the livestock taken, the material wealth has disappeared, followed by the health going downhill until there is nothing to do but to sit in ashes and scrape the sores on the body, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.” (Job 2:9)

That is often the advice we get from folks around us. Curse God and die. Perhaps it is not a physical death that is spoken of by Job’s wife. To curse God could indeed lead to our spiritual death. So to curse God does lead to our death, spiritually speaking. That is the real goal of Satan as he attacked Job, was to drive a wedge between Job and God. Take all the earthly, material items from Job, take his family, take all he holds dear, and Job will curse God. Job will walk away from God, from trusting Him, from following Him.

That truly is the focus of what Satan tries to do to each of us; to lead us to curse God and die. So the events in our lives are tragic – the loss of a love one; the slow crippling outcome of a disease; the terror of loneliness; the emptiness of standing by a grace; the sour words of a doctor with terrible news after an endless series of tests or an unsuccessful surgery. All of these can be used by Satan to encourage us to curse God and die.

But we don’t get there immediately, if ever. Instead, as events happen, as the skies darken and the winds pick up, the lightning flashes, and the waves break over the bow of our ship called “life,” we look back on our Lord, asleep in the rear of the boat and ask the question, “Why?” Why does He sleep? Why does He not do something? We rush to our Lord, try to shake Him awake, and cry out to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38) What is going one? Why is He not doing something? The boat of life is being swamped, water pours in with each wave, we are bailing as fast as we can but are falling behind. The boat is sitting lower and lower in the water, and Jesus sleeps. He sleeps. We forget the words of the Psalmist, “At the set time that I appoint, I will judge with equity.” (Psalm 75:2) Or as Habakkuk writes, “The Lord answered me:…if it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3)

As we get anxious, as it seems the Lord will not be there or answer the cry of our heart as our boat is sinking, He says to us, “Therefore wait for me.” (Zephaniah 3:8a) Isaiah knew the cry of one who is needing the Lord to act, he was watching Israel self–destruct, the people of God turning away, and he desired for God to act, to wake up, and help the people in this critical time. Isaiah says, “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from Jacob, and I will hope in him.” (Isaiah 8:17)

So, for each of us, crying out to the Lord in the midst of our struggles, even as we cry out “why?”, can echo the words of David as he writes, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14) It is not easy. We hear the words, but we still cry out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And the Psalmist says to us again, “Our soul waits for the Lord, he is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20)

Why? As we wait in faith, we cry “Why?” We do not understand the situation. It is overwhelming. It is difficult. It is more than we can handle. The cry of the heart as the pains build, the frustration overwhelms, the fears rush in like waters before the winds of a hurricane, a tidal surge that threatens everything that we are. Why? Why? Our eyes are filled with tears, our legs are giving out. We can relate to David’s words, “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.” (Psalm 6:6) Oh, if only the Lord would hear my cry of pain! If only He could give answer to me in my struggles.

This Lenten series will put into words the cry of the heart. It will lay bare the soul of the one who is struggling in life. And then it will bring the healing words of God. Jesus, rising up at the stern of the boat, says to our storms, “Peace! Be Still!” and with the depth of love shown by one who came into our world, because human just as we are, faced the pains, the heartache, and the loss even as we do, only to take all we struggle with upon His shoulders. He carries it to the cross. That is the focus of this Lenten series. The Lord knows. The Lord hears. The Lord is with us. He hears the cry of the heart, and in His time, in His way, in His love, He brings to us what we truly need!

Come, let us climb into the boat together with the Lord. Let us face the storms together as we travel to the cross. Know this, Jesus is with you in all you face. He hears the cry of your heart! And He loves and cares for you.

Here it is! Lent has arrived.

 Lent begins today. Today is called Ash Wednesday. It will be 40 (46) days till Easter at this point. We will spend the next 6 weeks focused on the actions of Jesus Christ. Often the focus of Lent becomes what we do. What will we give up? How will we prepare ourselves? How deeply will we repent of our sins? Looking at ourselves, we feel like we are getting ready for the Passion of our Lord.

But wait a moment, it really isn't about us. Our actions, our piety, our prayers, are not to be the focus of Lent. The focus is upon His Passion. Jesus takes our sins. For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV) God sent His Son to be our Savior. The focus of our lives is not to be upon our actions, for that takes us back to the Law, but upon His actions, for He alone is the One who can pay the price of our sins. Yes, I do pray, as I do every day. I do devotions, as I do every day. I do works of piety, as I do every day. But those are not the focus of my life of faith. My focus is my Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank You Jesus for becoming a man for me, for my salvation. Thank You for taking my sins. Thank You for taking upon Yourself my sins. I praise Your name that I have been given new life through the waters of my Baptism, dead to sin and alive to God in You. Living in my Baptism, I see the new life that You have given me. 

These next 40 days will be ones that are filled with the working of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament in my life. I repent of my sins, even as I do every day. Returning to my Baptism, I walk this path to the cross of Jesus Christ, following my Savior, who walks the path in my stead. 

Lent is here. Bring it on! For I look to Jesus Christ alone! Praise be to Him for His life, His death and His resurrection. 

A new week begins.

Monday has rolled around again. It seems like it happens every week at the same time. Sunday starts the week. Bible study and worship set the stage for the rest of the week. I am reminded again and again that the Lord is guiding me through all that I will face throughout the week. That message encourages me and helps me as I face whatever happens. I praise the name of my Lord Jesus Christ for His love, for the reality that He faced the fullness of the Law on my behalf, paying the price of my sins, and then giving to me forgiveness, strength for living each day of my life and the wonderful sure and certain hope of life eternal on that day when I breathe my last. 

So Monday has rolled around. As I start this week, I do so with confidence. That is confidence that helps me no matter the situation. Health or sickness, easy living or difficult situations, the Lord is with me. Wow! I want you to know this: That message is for you too. Believing in Jesus gives you strength to face whatever you are going through this week. Be certain that the Lord will guide you today.

I pray for the folks in Ukraine. Watching the rocket blasts in one of the cities, makes me cringe. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be in that situation. I know that several generations ago, people were living through this kind of disaster and destruction. Who would have thought that in the 21st century this would be taking place? Once again, I want to take you back to what I said above - the Lord is with the people of Ukraine. He will protect them and help them through this. Does that mean that no one will be hurt? No. Does it mean there will be no destruction? No. As sad as it is, those things happen in a fallen, sinful world that does not follow the will of God. We see the Russians acting in a way that is not in accord with the will of God. This kind of destruction and harm is not in accord with the way the Lord would have folks act. Sin does that. It leads to hurt, harm and death. 

Lord, have mercy. Lord give strength. Lord give protection. Lord, please, I pray for the Ukrainians, lifting them up to You, asking You to help them. In Jesus' name, 

More thoughts as I sit looking at the cold outdoors

 Boy is it cold outside. I know it is still February, but it is really cold! As I was letting the dogs back inside this morning, I told them (yes, I talk to my dogs like they can understand what I am saying) that I think that this might be our last big blast of bitter cold air. We will have cold air, but then again, when it gets into the 50s regularly in March, the 30s and even 20s will feel mighty cold. It all depends on what you have as an average temp as to what is cold. What is crazy is that Monday, it was 63 degrees. We opend a few windows to let fresh air in the house. Only to have to shut them again because of how the cold came rushing back in. Yesterday morning was a surprise (Tuesday) when there was a glaze of ice on everything. Was not expecting that. Perhaps snow tomorrow. We will see. 

Pray for the folks in Ukraine. The invasion has begun. It has not been intense (I can say that from the middle of the USA where I am not really facing the military might) but I still cannot imagine what they must be going through. Will a tank roll down the streets of the towns on the border? It blows my mind to think that might happen to some of those towns in Ukraine. As terrible as it is in some of the cities around our country with the shootings that take place regularly, the sound of gunfire in neighborhoos, I imagine it is much worse when it is not small arms fire but military weapon fire (rifles, cannons, tanks). So lift up all the folks in prayer. Ask the Lord to protect the people of Ukraine. Also ask the Lord to protect the soldiers on both sides. They are doing what they are told by their leaders. Pray that the leaders of all the nations will realize the disaster that this brings on so many levels, and will back down and find a better way to act.

Puzzling. Shift thinking. We are doing the winter time activity for our house - puzzles. They are a fun diversion. There is not really much to watch on TV, we don't have Hulu or Netflix, or whatever other folks have. Some puzzles are more challenging than others. They really make you think, to train your eyes, to think about the picture and how it might go together. You have to be careful you don't put a piece in the wrong place, because it will make it harder, if not impossible to complete. So it is in life. If you put the wrong piece in your life, life gets harder. Here is where I encourage you to listen to the Word of the Lord, to follow His guidance in your life, and see how He helps you put your life together, from when you are young till your are in the last days of your life. Each piece in your life is important. Keep that focus.

Looking at the world scene

Is this what it was like? I have been thinking about that recently. With Russia set to invade the Ukraine, I sit and wonder if this means that the world is on the verge of a major war.  Each morning, as I turn on the news, I wonder if the breaking news will be that Russia had invaded, that war has broken out. We hear that if Russia invades, there will massive economic sanctions set against them. I don't know if that will help or not. I don't even know if that will take place or not. Our leadership has shown itself to be weak on the world scene, so will it suddenly become strong? I wonder. I don't have the answer.

But is this what it was like when the world knew that there was always the threat of Hitler to lead Germany against Poland and other nations in Europe. People waited to hear on the radio if Hitler had invaded. It seemed inevitable and yet, there was all the talk that preceded it. Chamberlin had met with Hitler and came away with the news that Hitler would not invade. Then came the day when he did. It was a terrible time. I wasn't around at that time, but from all that I hear and read, it was a tense time. 

I wonder if folks feel the same way. Will war break out? Will Russia invade? Will our men and women be involved in trying to help Urkraine? Or will we as a nation allow Russia to take that nation, saying we don't support it, and yet, doing little to stop it? I don't have the answer. I hope that Putin will back down and not invade. Many lives will be saved. So much of the nation will be saved from the destruction of war. I watch the news with the shelling taking place even before war has started, since it is the Russian back separtist that are doing the shellling, and my heart goes out to the people who are facing it. Can you imagine trying to go about your life with shells falling in and around your town? It is crazy enough that we have a nation where violence and killing are out of control. But imagine having shells falling in your neighborhood. It just blows my mind. I can't fathom it.

What can you and I do? We can pray. We pray that the Lord would move Putin to back down. We pray for the people of Ukraine. We pray for the soldiers, on both sides, for many of them will die if the invasion happens. We pray that the Spirit would guide the world leaders would do the right thing to protect the lives of so many people around the world. We pray for the world to be at peace. 

Is this what it was like? Waiting to hear that a world crisis will happen...

Tuesday morning ramblings.

 Winter continues on, as we find ourselves midway through the month of February. But it sure hasn't felt like winter. Yes, we have had some cold day and even colder nights. But we have also have relatively warm days and warm nights. There has not been too much moisture this winter. We had a couple of snows, but not really that much. Snow did hang on for a while on the north side of buildings, and hillsides while the south side of buildings and hills have been snow free for quite some time. Winter - it has not been what winter tends to be. 

I have really enjoyed the sunshine. It feels so good to walk outside in the sun, to see the blue skies, to start hearing the birds singing in the trees. Yesterday a flock of about a dozen robins zoomed through the yard, chattering away, and landing in the neighbors pine trees. I was amazed. I wondered what they were talking about and what made them zoom through the yard like they did. I figure it must have been all the sunshine and blue skies that made them act the way they did. 

One of our members saw a bunch of eagles in trees. When I talk about a bunch, I mean, a BUNCH! One pitcure that she took had 30 eagles in the picture (I counted them). They were young and old. I have to admit that I was envious. We have looked for eagles all through this last week and had very little luck seeing them. I looked at those pictures and wished...if only. She had let me know where they were, whih was over by Nebraska City, NE and Percival, IA. I thought about it for a moment. 

Then I stopped and realized it was not to be. Why? First and foremost, I was taking Penny out to dinner for Valentine's Day. We were looking forward to a good meal together on a special day. We began dating on February 16, 1979 at a Valentine's Day dance at high school. Who would have thought that on that night many years ago, we would be together, having raised a family, and served various congregations around the country. I have been blessed to have Penny in my life. She is such a blessing to me. I thank God for bringing us together. I remember being at that dance and nervously asking her if she wanted to start dating. I was so afraid she would say no. But she said yes. We were just kids. Really, we were kids. I was 17 and she was 14. Can you imagine? And yet, here we are. Wow! Thanks Penny, for the wonderful life we have shared together. Love you!

Back to the eagles. We could have eaten later but we had a Board of Education meeting at church, so we had to eat early enough to be done before the meeting. So, with those things in mind, I was envious of the member for having such an opportunity to see so many eagles. I am beginnning to wonder if they are starting to think about going north. I did see that Canada was still a frozen tundra, so maybe they will be around for a while longer and Penny and I will get the chance to watch them. I love taking pictures of them. Always searching for the perfect picture. 

This is one we happened to see a few weeks ago. The intensity in the eagles eyes is something to behold. They are majestic creatures that God created. His desire to create such wonderful birds, wow. What an amazing God that made us. He is the Creater and Preserver. He makes all. He preserves all. Praise be to God.