For all the saints...

All Saints' Day. November 1st is the day when we remember those dearly departed who have entered into their eternal rest. It is a day that has really disappeared from the thoughts of folks, Christian folks. The focus is on Halloween, All Saints' Eve, Hallowed Eve.

I find that to be amazing. Why? We, Christians, have lost the focus of that which is to come for us - life eternal in heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For that is what All Saints' Day reminds us of - the fact that as we remain in faith, believing in Jesus as our Savior, we will go to heaven for eternity. This world, this world in which we live and breath and work, is but a temporary place. When our Lord Jesus comes on the Last Day, this world, this universe, will cease to exit. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, whatever that truly means. I know, we have ideas about what it means, as theologians, we come up with our best explanation, using Scripture to give us parts of what it means, but in the end, all we know is that the current earth will be no more and there will be a new life, a new place, which will be perfect, holy, just as our Lord Jesus Christ is holy. Now, before we get into a discussion of what Jesus means when He talks about heaven, eternity, let's agree that we know it is coming, it is perfect but in the end, we really can't understand it.

Stop for a moment and think about that loved one who has passed away, either recently or in the years gone by. Who is it? What was their relationship with you? What was their relationship with the Lord? That last question becomes the important one. What was their relationship with the Lord? Strong faith? Weak faith? A faith that held to Christ in the midst of pain and suffering? A faith that was there when needed but was struggling through the mundane days of life? It doesn't matter. Was there faith? Did they believe in Jesus as their Savior?

Faith of a child - that is all it takes. The faith that says, "Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ as my only Savior." That is what it is about, not how much faith, how strong faith. But a faith in Christ. Period. Actions that follow the faith are wonderful. But they don't save. Remember yesterday, Reformation day? Justification by grace through faith? The hallmark of Scripture? Salvation is a gift to those who believe. It is not earned by how much you do. Grace. Period. Did he/she believe? Yes, then they are saved. They have eternal life.

They are one of those that we sing, "For all the saints, who from their labors rest..." They are one of those in the white robes before the throne that John sees in Revelation 7. All praise to God for the salvation He gives through His Son.

All Saints' Day is a day of the proclamation of God's grace and mercy. It is a day in which we say, "Thanks be to God that He saved that person." That person, your loved one, your friend, did not save themselves. They did not get themselves into heaven by being faithful or by doing the right thing. They were saved by grace through faith. All Saints' Day reminds us that God saves. That He gives eternal life. That He is the One who takes sinners and makes them saints, gives them life eternal.

I think of my loved ones who died in faith. I rejoice for them. For they have received the crown of eternal life. One day, through Christ, I too will enter into heaven. One day, this heart will stop, this life on earth will cease, and I will begin life eternal with my Savior. Until then, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. And I thank Him for saving those who have gone before me.

A blessed and happy All Saints' Day.

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.

Falling into rambling

Ah, the chill in the air. The heat has abated and the coolness of fall has arrived. Beautiful blue skies, marked with white clouds drifting along on the light breeze. Yes, fall. Clouds roll in, threat of rain. Darkness comes earlier. The sun sets early and rises late. Yes, fall.

If there is a season that I really enjoy, it is fall. The cool nights, the warm days. The smells of fall. The feel. The sounds, or lack of sounds. All are a part of fall. Where have the birds gone? They are there, just not singing like they were in the spring and summer. Where is the sunshine? It is still there, just not as long as in the summer. Where are the green leaves? They are changing into the yellows, reds, oranges and browns that color the trees of summer.

So many things that we can count on when fall arrives. Penny always says that the weather changes from summer to fall right around my birthday (Sept. 21) which is right around the time of the start of Autumn.

This year is was right on time. It was hot and sticky on Thursday the 20th and cool and less humid by the evening of the 21st. Saturday morning, as I went to Cracker Barrel for Men's Breakfast, I wore a jacket. Two days earlier, I was in shorts and shirt sleeve, not dreaming of wearing a coat. Welcome fall, it is good to see you.

The change of the seasons always make me think about the order of the universe that God created. Things are in order. The sun rises and sets in such a way that you can actually say exactly when it happens. The seasons come just a the time they are to come. Days, weeks, months, years are in order. Perhaps you don't even think about it. Can you imagine what it would be like if sunrise was random, depending not upon the order of creation but on the whim of who know what or whom? Today the sun rises at 4:13 a.m. and yesterday it rose at 9:03 a.m. and who knows when it will rise tomorrow? Thank You Lord for giving us order in creation and order in our lives.

Anyway, I just was thinking of fall and felt like rambling. I pray that you have a blessed day today. Know that the Lord of all is with you. He never leaves you nor does He forsake you.

Go out and enjoy the day, even if it is only for a few minutes at lunch time.

9/11 memories

A day of reflection. 9/11. Who cannot help but reflect when this day arrives? It is true that there are those who never lived through this day. Those born after 2001. There are no students in our school that were here on that day. Consider that those who are 17 and younger were born after that fateful day in 2001. It is hard to imagine that what we lived through is nothing more than a history lesson. And even then, who knows how it will be taught in schools around the nation and around the world. Is it a day of infamy? Or what kind of day is it?

A sunny day, apple butter time at Bethlehem Lutheran, Ferrin, IL. Apples peeled. Fires started. Kettles on. Apples poured in the kettles. Sun coming up. Blue skies. Rachael and Matthew were ready for school and wandered out to be with the folks cooking. Fun times. A grand day. The smell of wood fire in the air. This is what life is all about.

Then the reminder, life is not so beautiful. The shock. Disbelief. What happened? An accident? One plane, maybe. Then the 2nd plane. Complete shock. Watching the news feeds showing the second plane going into the second tower. What? How? Why? Who? So many questions. So much confusion. This shouldn't be happening. It couldn't be happening. What can I do? What can I say? Um, I don't know.

And then, shock of all shock. Watching as one tower begins to collapse, then the other. Hearing of the Pentagon. Hearing of the plane in Pennsylvania. What is happening? Is this just the beginning? Is there going to be more? Planes grounded. People stuck in cities, countries, that they did not plan to be stuck in. What were they going to do? What were we going to do?

Prayers. Lots of prayers. Gathering children together at Trinity Lutheran School, Hoffman, IL. Talking, praying, reaching out with the love of Christ.

There it is. There is what was needed. Not rhetoric. Not speeches. Not let's go get them, whoever they are. But Christ. Only the love of Christ could cover the pain of the day. That shouldn't surprise us. It is the love of Christ that covers the pain of any tragedy, any death. It is a reminder of our great need for the Savior, for His presence in our lives. We need. And that which we need is Christ!

He knows the hurt. He knows the shock. He knows what we are going through - then and now. It is only Christ that helps us through the pain and loss of death, through the sting of death. And it does sting. Knowing that all those folks died in an instant when the planes went into the buildings. Knowing that there were people in the buildings when they collapsed. Hearing of the heroics of emergency personnel that were there to save people only to lose their lives. The crushing agony of the great loss of life. Lord, wrap Your arms around us, for we are in shock.

Still in shock. Perhaps not from the event of 9/11/01 but from the events of today. The accident, the surgery, the illness, the betrayal, the actions of those around, actions that are unkind, nasty, upsetting. The world we live in. Only the arms of the Lord, arms that have nail scarred hands, wrapped around us can help us through the moment, the pain, the suffering, the shock. Only hearing the words form the lips of the Savior, the One who gave His life upon the cross for wretched sinners, sinners who would kill others. Wretched sinners who treat others with disdain. Wretched sinners who speak words that hurt, that maim and that destroy the life of the person who is at the center of such actions.

Yes, the Savior, Jesus Christ. His love. His presence. His life. His death. His resurrection. That needs to be the focus of our remembrance. Share that news. Share that love. Live in Him. We see what happens when we don't live in Christ. We see lives ruined, destroyed, people crushed, hurt, walking shells of what they used to be - all because of sinful people like you and me.

Lord, forgive. Forgive me. Forgive my anger. Forgive my hate. Forgive my unkind words. Forgive my selfish actions. Forgive. And lead me to forgive. Lead me to love. Help me.

Yes, remembering 9/11. It is important. We cannot forget. We will not forget. But we also must let the love of Christ cover it. We must not forget, we cannot forget His love. Apply Christ to your memory. Apply Christ to your actions. For Christ is all in all.

We need Christ.

Tuesday morning chirping

A warm morning, window open, listening to the crickets chirping. There is something relaxing about the sound. It is still dark out. The sun hasn't started to rise yet. At this time of the summer, it is getting later and later and sunset is getting earlier. Yesterday was Labor Day, making it the unofficial end of the summer. There are still some hot days ahead of us, warm days and yet, we know that fall is on its way. It will be with us soon.

As I listened to the crickets, I thought, won't be long till they won't be heard again. So I better take advantage of listening to their song. What are they saying? As I listened, I realized that they are praising God for giving them life. They are joining with all creation in lifting up praise to the heavenly Father as they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Created. Created by God to be crickets. They weren't created to be anything other than crickets.

Just like you and me are created by God to be who we are. Yes, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God wanted you to be you. He made you special, different from others. Oh yes, you are human. You were created male or female. There are similarities between all humans, which is great news when the doctor has to do something for us. He/she doesn't have to figure out what we are first. The doctor knows the way the body is made. He/she knows what needs to be done and how to do it. Praise the Lord for that!

Yet you are different from anyone else. God made you special. He made you - YOU. That is right, he made you to be you. Rejoice in who you are. Rejoice in the gifts you have been given. Give thanks to the Lord that He looks upon you, knows who you are and calls you by name. Think about how wonderful that is! Out of the millions and millions of people that are alive (all right 6+ billion), God knows your name. He calls you by name. He loves you. He cares for you. He made you to be you so that you can live as you. Wow! That is amazing, just as you are amazing.

All that from listening to the crickets. It is great what a simple little black insect can teach me this morning. Listening to them chirp, listening to them on this warm September morning, I know, they are praising God as long as they have life. So too, shall I.