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July 2010
July 1 The Declaration of Independence begins with these words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Is it self-evident that we are all created equal when you listen to the words we sometimes use to describe others? Is the right to life and liberty self-evident to terrorists and their sympathizers? Is the right to life self-evident when the pro-choice movement denies that right to the unborn? Is it the pursuit of happiness or just happiness that is self-evident today? We expect instant happiness, happiness on demand, change the channel, change the marriage if you’re not satisfied…rather than the pursuit of happiness through sacrifice and hard work?. Is it self-evident that these unalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” come to us from a Creator? These things were self-evident to the founding fathers. They were learned men who had thought and studied deeply about human nature and how we can best govern ourselves. 228 years later we could benefit from renewed study and appreciation of the assumptions underlying our precious independence. July 6 When I was a kid, my fingers used to break out. Some ointments helped a bit, but not much. It turned out to be from nerves, from worrying about things. I grew out of it, maybe matured out of it, until one night during a Fourth of July break. I woke up in the middle of the night scratching a couple fingers furiously. I was worrying about something at the seminary, afraid that it wouldn’t turn out right, and so my digital barometer, my fingers, registered the storm in my soul. A day or two later my morning devotion took me to Psalm 37:8, “Do not fret – it only leads to evil.” “Yeah, that’s true,” I thought, “but…” Diane and I had been away from campus. When we came back, I opened my e-mails and found that my coworkers had already tackled the task that had me worried. “Do not fret – it only leads to evil.” (Repetition is the mother of learning). Oswald Chambers: “Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all your ‘supposing’ on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.” July 7 Yesterday the Federal Government sued Arizona, claiming a state cannot pass an immigration law. National border policy is one thing. It’s another thing to have a heart for aliens. Psalm 105 rehearses the history of Israel. “When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers…, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. Then Israel entered Egypt, Jacob lived as an alien in the land….” (vv. 12, 13, 23) As the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness toward their new home, God gave them the Ten Commandments, including the command to rest on the seventh day. “On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter…nor the alien within your gates.” (Deuteronomy 5:14) God wants His loving care to be experienced by all people. So the alien was to rest just like the citizen of Israel. St. Peter called Christians, “God’s elect, aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Peter 1:1; 2:12). They were not citizens, literally aliens, living in what we now call Turkey. What’s your status and mine? Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20) The word there was often used to refer to a colony of foreigners. We’re more transient than we like to imagine. “I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home?” July 8 July 9 July 19 I’m taking a few days away from church people. Spending most of the last two weeks at our denomination’s convention (that’s why there were no Minutes), I endured pro speeches, I sat through con speeches and rolled my eyes at nit picking and grandstanding. I’m weary of church debates. Speeches sway voters, in denominations as in the country. The Roman statesman Cicero wrote, “Who does not know that the orator’s virtue is pre-eminently manifested either in rousing men’s hearts to anger, hatred, or indignation, or in recalling them…to mildness and mercy?” Do passionate religious speeches speak truth or cover selfishness? Cicero also said, “We were born with an aptitude alike for coaxing and by flattery stealing into favor with those from whom a boon had to be sought, for daunting our antagonists by threats…and establishing our own charges and disproving the allegations of the other side.” (de Oratore, 43, 90) Religious talk can be a veneer for partisan denominational politics…and you and I can use God talk to justify our unrepentant hearts. “Do I make my plans in a worldly manner?” Paul asked his critics. He called on God to witness that he did not. (2 Corinthians 1:17) I will get back with church people. For all our wrangling, these are the folks who still strive to bring me a true word from God. July 20 Excessive heat throughout the country has turned the grass brown. When that happened thousands of years ago, the writers of the Bible saw truths about God. Green grass is a blessing. “He makes grass grow on the hills; He provides food for the cattle” (Psalm 147:8). Green grass feeds the cattle and thereby we, who use the meat, milk and hides of cattle, are blessed and should give thanks to God. When you’re feeling confident of yourself and career… “As for mortals, their days are like grass…; the wind blows over it and it is gone.” Reverence God and His enduring love. “From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:15-17). When illness lays you low, look up and pray. “Do not hide Your face from me when I am in distress. Turn Your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. My heart is blighted and withered like grass” (Psalm 102:2-4). I’ve always found it curious that adults can be counted on to pay more attention to children’s sermons than they pay to adult sermons. That’s because children’s sermons are simple, easy to understand, and not obscured by the preacher’s erudition. God is our Father and in the brown grass of summer He is giving us His children a sermon. July 21 Yesterday rekindled my charge for the future of the church. I spent most of the day touring two companies, not churches, companies that work with steel. At RBI I saw massive machines being constructed and at TMW I saw those machines at work. One machine takes 40,000 pounds of rolled steel, fresh from steel mills, stretches the rolls out, realigns the molecules, and cuts the roll to the exact specifications of the client. By the way, the steel always belongs to the client; never to the company I visited. Talk about stewardship of someone else’s property! There’s a sermon illustration there. Anyway, the other two machines smooth off the surface of the processed steel in efficient and ecologically friendly ways.
After each tour, I asked, “You do all this without clergy?” Excuse me, my cynical nature. Often we ministers pontificate about everything. At each company the answer went straight to prayer. Of course no clergy work there, but management and workers know the blessings of God and they weren't hesitant to tell me about God’s answers to prayer. Two major companies, unashamedly Christian, one even has a cross outside the main entrance. Yup, feeling better about the future of the church. Pastors, let’s equip our lay people. They have the Spirit as much as we do! July 22 Psalm 106 rehearses sins of Israel in the wilderness. One sin was complaining about food. Verse 14-15: “In the wasteland they put God to the test. So He gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them.” Paul teaches how God deals with sexual impurity. “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie…. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.” (Romans 1:25-26) God works this way: You want it? I’ll give it to you but because of your failure to submit to my commands it’ll come with a cost. It’s all very physical, disobedience and punishment. The word “spiritual” doesn’t always help us in our living before God. The word is popular today and does have good meaning (“spiritual,” from the Spirit of God) but the danger comes when we think that “spiritual” means non-material. Being spiritual is enmeshed in our physical lives. When Fed chief Bernanke spoke yesterday, the Dow dropped 109 points. Words have physical impact. The story of Mary and Martha, heard in many churches last Sunday, shows the life impact of spiritual words. (Luke 10:38-42) Another translation of the psalm: “He gave them what they asked, but sent leanness into their soul.” Do you have what you want but still aren’t content? July 23 Yesterday the temperature here approached 100 muggy degrees, miserable weather that always prompts some minister to put this up on the church signboard: “You think this is hot?” If you have doubts about hell, consider the possibility in the wider context of your present spiritual life. In “The Saints Everlasting Rest,” written in 1650, Richard Baxter puts these words on the lips of a person who didn’t think hell was a real possibility…until he found himself there. “How many weeks and months and years did I lose, which if I had improved, I might now have been happy! Could I find no time to study the work for which I had all my time? No time, among all my labors, to labor for eternity? Had I time to eat and drink and sleep and none to save my soul? Could I take time to secure the world and none to try my title to heaven?” (p. 123) Wrote another 17 th century theologian, John Gerhard: “It is wiser to be concerned about escaping this eternal fire by true repentance than to engage in an unprofitable argument as to the nature of this fire.” So the summation, from Baxter: “Study thoroughly this one word – eternity.” (p. 80)July 26
Greetings from Cabot, Pennsylvania! Yesterday I preached at the summer festival
of Concordia Lutheran Ministries, a large provider of care to seniors in western
Pennsylvania. Their outdoor service was held under a large tent, nicely
decorated for the occasion, including clusters of balloo. As I was preaching,
the crowd started to smile because one balloon right above the podium was losing
its air. When I ad-libbed something about hot air and preachers, we all had a
good laugh.
At the end of the service Mr. Keith Frndak, the president of Concordia, gave a
short welcome. He thanked donors to Concordia and quietly said that gifts from
donors had made it possible for 130 residents to continue living in the home
even though the residents could no longer pay. Most of those recipients of this
charity, he said, didn’t even know it had happened. They didn’t even know.
Jesus says, “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you. Do not
let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may
be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew
6:2-4)
Is the church like a balloon losing hot air? Not when our faith is active in
love! July 27 If summer days are slower for your, and I hope they are, it gives you more time to sit and pray. Today’s newspapers report the leak of classified information on the war in Afghanistan. The New York Times says, “The disclosures landed at a crucial moment. Because of difficulties on the ground and mounting casualties in the war, the debate over the U.S. presence in Afghanistan has begun earlier than expected.” Coming home yesterday, I wondered why the flags at the airport were at half-staff. I learned the governor had ordered flags lowered because of a Missouri casualty of the war. Today’s New York Times listed 6 casualties from last week. And more. In an editorial in last Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, Robert Morgenthau wrote that “300,000 returning veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression.” “18 veterans commit suicide every single day—that’s more than 6,500 veterans a year.” Lord God of hosts, stretch forth Your almighty arm to strengthen and protect those who serve in the armed forces of our country. Support them in times of war, and in times of peace keep them from all evil, giving them courage and loyalty. Grant that in all things they may serve with integrity and with honor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. July 28 What’s in a smile? The other day Diane was going through some old stuff and found an old, crayon written rant by one of our daughters. Which daughter we don’t know, but she was young and very unhappy. Here’s what she wrote: She titled it, “Mad at home.” Then her list of complaints: “1. Can’t ride my bike. 2. Can’t have friends over. 3. Can’t have friends over to sleep. 4. Can’t where (wear) what I want. 5. Can’t do what I want. 6. Can’t go where I want. Have to stay….” At that point she ran out of paper, which probably made her even madder. Diane and I both smiled when we read this, as I’m sure we did some 25 years ago. So, what’s in a smile? Many things, for sure. It’s an expression of love. We smile at dear people and, as the years move on, we smile at dear memories. When someone criticizes you, a smile acknowledges that you’re not the center of the universe. Of course, it could be a smirk but it can also be a smile from renewed humility. And your ready smile can be an expression of thanks. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) July 29 Erich Honecker, communist party boss of old East Germany, was arrested eighteen years ago today. After Honecker was deposed but before he was arrested, the East German government asked the church if they’d take him in. The church then turned to Pastor Uwe Holmer. Even though the Holmer family had suffered because of the communist regime, they took Honecker and his wife in. “It is the Christian thing to do,” they said. One time an angry man came up to Pastor Holmer and berated him. “You wouldn’t have done such a thing if you’d been in a communist prison, as I was,” he said. Holmer said, “I haven’t been in your shoes but I venture to say that if you don’t forgive Honecker, your life will be filled with bitterness.” That made the man pause and think. “You’re right,” he admitted. I had many wonderful conversations with Pastor Holmer, a dear man who taught me that unforgiveness is a poison but forgiveness frees. That is a very practical lesson for all of us today.
July 30
July 1 This is not about me but that’s where I’ll start. I’ve been hoping for July 1st since last fall, usually hoping against all the evidence. You see, today is the beginning of a new fiscal year for Concordia Seminary and that means today we’re in the black. The recession clobbered us last fiscal year, our endowments dried up and unrestricted donations were down. With government, accrediting agencies and our denomination watching, we absolutely cannot finish next year in the red. So these last months we cut over 22% out of our new budget. Tough? Without doubt the worst anguish of my life. Here’s my offering to you: In ways no theology book could get into my being, I experienced what living by faith means. Faith means trusting the promises of God against the evidence. There are times when you not only think God has forgotten you but that He’s actually against you. That’s when you hang on to the promises for dear life; you hope. The Father refines His children, tries us, purifies us…all for our good that only He foresees. You get testy, you cry, doubt…but hang on against the evidence. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). And that’s not about me; that’s for you. July 2 John Adams addressed the Continental Congress on July 1, 1776. Thomas Jefferson said that Adams was, “not graceful nor elegant, nor remarkably fluent,” but spoke “with a power of thought and expression that moved us from our seats.” It indeed was effective. The next day, this July 2nd, in 1776 the delegates approved the Declaration of Independence. Adams wrote to his wife Abigail: “The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.” On July 4th the delegates voted a second time for the Declaration of Independence. At noon on July 8th it was read to the public and officially signed on August 2nd. Today, 233 years later, we are entering a long Independence Day weekend that will be celebrated much as John Adams wished. May we also observe our freedom with “solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” (David McCullough, John Adams, p. 127, 130). July 3 “Rabbi Levy saw a man running in the street and asked him, ‘Why do you run?’ He replied, ‘I am running after my good fortune!’ Rabbi Levy tells him, ‘Silly man, your good fortune has been trying to chase you, but you are running too fast.’” (Wayne Muller, “Sabbath,” p.48) The Ten Commandments lead off with the command to worship only the God of Creation and Redemption. That takes place in our hearts. Then the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” should be kept by our lips. The next commandment, the third or fourth, depending on how you count them, says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Where does that take place? In your management of time. God commanded His ancient people to build a day of rest into their schedule. We’ve
lost that wisdom, that rhythm, in our frenzied lives. Jesus
says, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark
July 6 Back
in 1776 the day after Independence Day must have been a day of great hope
for many Americans. But hope is not easily realized.
In August the Continental Army was trapped on What is true in civic life is also true in your personal life. Hope is not easily realized, and unless you nurture your hopes they will turn to despair. Every aspect of your life has a spiritual dimension. Every problem you face, every battle that leaves you wounded or bloodied, can easily replace hope with despair. It takes effort to nourish hope, and nothing is better than the picture of hope, the empty tomb of the resurrected Jesus Christ. He lives and offers the hope that will sustain you. I came across this prayer: O God, You are the answer to our questions. You have promised that one day You will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Then our questions will cease and we will praise You. Grant that we guard the image of hope in our souls. Amen. Guard the image of hope! July 7 Yesterday morning I faced a little dilemma. My cash was down to $5, 5 singles. Not much change around the house. Can I pick up a newspaper and get something for lunch with 5 bucks?
I got the paper and when I read it, I thought, “Shame on me.” Front page headline: “Area food pantries experience ‘skyrocketing’ demand for goods.” A few facts to digest: Visitors to the Community Interfaith Food Pantry in Belleville, Illinois, increased to 450 in June from 352 in May. Catholic Urban Programs in East St. Louis has seen a 40% increase compared to last summer. The Bunkum Road Food Pantry has seen a 60% increase over the past year. The St. Louis Area Foodbank, covering a wider area, has seen a 20% increase in recent months and 7 out of 10 are people who have never gone to a pantry before. And I thought I had a problem. (Belleville News-Democrat, July 6; A1-2)
The early 17th century poet George Herbert wrote, “Be thrifty, but not greedy; therefore give thy need, thine honor and thy friend his due. A miser never was a brave man. Get money to live, then live and use it, or else it is not true that thou hast received.” (“The Temple,” 26)
Perhaps you were expecting a comment about Michael Jackson? July 8 "Sophistry." That word pops into my mind whenever I watch executives testify before a House committee. Oh, the suits squirm! "Answer me with a yes or no," demands an irritated congressman. The executive shifts uneasily and begins a theoretical field trip that answers nothing. "Sophistry" is a line of thinking that seems plausible but is really misleading, even false. But you and I do it too. You fudge the numbers on a loan application. You don't tell your spouse how much you really spent. Sophistry. "Thou shalt not steal." Straight and to the point. "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." (Matthew 11:25) Does the old commandment seem too simple for your sophisticated life? There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known." (Luke 12:2) Sophistry...your ticket to the hot seat. I don't know about you, but the older I get the more I see the benefits of following the simple things I learned as a child. Honesty is still the best policy. July 9 If this Minute can provoke more than a minute of thought, you’ll be better off. “Give me understanding, so that I may keep Your law and obey it with all my heart.” (Psalm 119:34) The psalmist is not into blind obedience but prays for informed obedience. Without some rational understanding why God’s ways are good, our devotion to Him will be shallow, more lip service than 24/7 following. Governor Sanford said his mistress was his soul-mate and he would have to fall in love again with his wife. He’s religious but apparently without understanding. The sanctity of marriage is not blind faith; there’s something very understandable about it. “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18) Your spouse should be soul-mate. Neglect that rational understanding and you’re hiking the Appalachian Trail to shame. Think through the commandments and list some rational here-and-now benefits of what God has revealed. Trying times come when we trust His promises against the evidence, but if we have seen the benefit of His ways in easier times, we’ll be more trusting in the hard times that “all things work together for good.” (Romans 8:28) “Give me understanding, so that I may keep Your law and obey it with all my heart.” July 10 On
this date in 1804 Vice President Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
Burr, always an enigmatic and often a troublesome political figure, was
indicted three years later for treason. “Aaron
Burr…being…under the protection of the laws of the “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). What would happen if more people in government and business were mindful that they will appear in that judgment on that day, the last day? How many relationships would be better off, how many marriages preserved, how many lives brought into the world and cared for… How different so much would be in your life and mine if we lived each day mindful that “We must all appear!” The
Bible teqaches that our only hope at judgment is Jesus.
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke July 13 My name is Connor and I have something to say. I am now free, free to thrive! Mommy and Daddy took me and Christian to Carmen’s. Carmen takes care of little people in her home. Carmen is nice. But big brother Christian got too old for Carmen’s care. So big brother Christian was graduated to Pre-School. Pre-school is someplace else. I don’t know where and I don’t know that I care. What’s important is that I, the Con-man, now can be on my own. I am out from my big brother’s shadow. Do you big people sometimes overshadow other big people? Do you sometimes talk so much about yourself that other people feel less important? Do you listen to people so that they know they are just as important as you? Do you trust other people to do some things on their own or do you have to loom over everything? Do you pray for others or mostly pray about yourself? Opa, why are you so quiet? “Connor, I know what you’re talking about. I am a big brother. Are you trying to prick my conscience?” “Who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.” (Psalm 19:14) July 14 What do you ponder when you go to the cemetery…go alone? A cemetery visit is a time to do what poet George Herbert advised, “By all means find some time to be alone. Salute thyself and see what thy soul wears. Dare to look into thy chest, for it is thine own. Tumble up and down what thou findest there.” (“The Temple,” 25) Instead of tumbling thoughts about time and eternity by visiting the cemetery, some people in Chicago are tumbling confusion and anger. For years the management of Burr Oak Cemetery dug up graves, threw the exhumed bodies on piles, removed the headstones, and resold the plots. The place where the crime seems to have been worst was in the section where babies and children were buried, “Babyland.” Officials estimate that the identity of 100,000 graves is in doubt. Grieving families have been robbed, robbed of going to a loved one’s grave and pondering their place in time before God. I went to a different cemetery in Chicagoland on Saturday. Today is the first anniversary of Carol, our sister-in-law’s funeral. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “Death is the destiny of everyone” but Isaiah 25:8 promises that God “will swallow up death forever.” As the poet said, “By all means find some time to be alone.” “ July 15 In the middle of this workweek, some words about perseverance from Rocky Balboa: “Let me tell you something you already know; the world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now if you know what you’re worth? Now go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him or her or anybody.” In contrast to Rocky’s hard, fight-the-world philosophy, here is a grander view, a heavenly view for this workday: “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who He has given us.” (Romans 5:2-5) July 16 Years ago I was teaching religion class to 8th graders at our parochial school. One day I had enough of their picking on each other, their cliquishness, their hurtful behavior. So I unloaded the standard grown-up lecture they'd probably heard many times. "Pastor, you've got it wrong," interrupted a courageous girl. "How's that?" I asked. "The reason we act that way is we're afraid that we're not going to fit in." Why does that office worker hoard information that would help the rest of you do your job? Why does the up-and-coming professional hide the fact that he's drowning in debt? Why does the fearful woman present herself as having it all together? Is there any way that some of your behavior grows out of a fear that in some way you're not going to fit in? Because we compartmentalize our hectic lives, security in one area of life does not afford security in another. What we need is a security that embraces every aspect of daily living, a centered sense that "It is well with my soul" whatever tries to scare us. "Come unto Me" (Matthew 11:28). July 17 Hail, Adonis! If you lived 2000 years ago in the Roman Empire, chances are good that tomorrow, July 19th you’d be celebrating the Festival of Adonis. According to mythology, Adonis was a beautiful youth who loved and was loved by the goddess Aphrodite. Adonis must have been a real looker because he was also loved the Persephone, the goddess of the underworld. To end the goddesses’ squabble, Zeus decreed that Adonis would spend part of the year in the underworld with Persephone and the rest of the year with Aphrodite in the realm of the living. The Festival of Adonis was the yearly celebration of the marriage of Adonis and Aphrodite, a celebration that always turned to sadness because Adonis would have to return each year to Persephone and the realm of the dead. How different is the One who says, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18). Hail, Adonis? Forget it! Give your thoughts this weekend to the One who is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Or do you imagine you have someone better?
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