Jesus Bids You Take Up Your Cross

Luke 14:25-35 KJV  "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."  (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) Consider the cost of following Jesus. It is not a commitment that we should take lightly.

Humble Yourself In Order To Serve

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

                                                                                    (Phil 2:1-4 KJV)

I was listening to Jordan Peterson yesterday on YouTube. He's not everyone's favorite intellectual person. But, he makes some very good points when it comes to getting along in this world and with others in this world. Basically he says that in order to take care of others you must have your own house in order. It is not so much that you are supposed to think of yourself before you think about others. It is more like get your stuff together so that you are really able to help others. Taking care of yourself is not a selfish pursuit; but, a step in the pursuit of getting along with and helping the world around you.

None of us have our own homes in perfect order. Stuff happens and things fall apart; but, we work at putting things back into right order. But, if our lives our perpetual messes then it is really going to be difficult to serve outside of our own spaces. You cannot even begin to change the world if you cannot change yourself.

Think about others. Humble yourself so that you do not think so highly of yourself that you imagine that you can make things better for others when you are even able to make things better for yourself.

We do not live in a vacuum. Our actions do affect others around us, either positively or negatively. As you move about through your days consider how you affect others by what you do and say as well as by what you don't do. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: "When Christ call a man he bids him come and die." When Christ calls us to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves at the very least our egos must die. in order to serve God and others we must put aside any jealousies and strifes. We must put aside our cravings for more and more worldly things and take care of what God has already given us. Then we will be able to be more helpful in the preservation of the world around us and to help our neighbors preserve what belongs to them. 

May God help us to get our own houses in order that we might be more prepared to serve others to the glory of God through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Desire To Depart And Be With Christ?

Safely home means you made it home; but, does not mean you

escaped all trials and tribulations in the getting there.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (Philippians 1:20-24 NIV)

I have just finished reading Eric Metaxas' Bonhoeffer Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a very good book to read. In recent years, I have not read much literature outside of the Holy Scriptures for at least a couple of reasons. First, I really haven't found much recent work that was worth reading; and secondly, my poor eyesight requires me to wear bifocals which are a bother and to continually adjust the position of the book in order to see the letters. But, when this book was given to me I felt I should at least try. In the reading of Bonhoeffer I recognized another reason that has probably steered me away from reading too much. That reason is because "good literature" is born out of the human condition and the human condition is not in such a good state. What I see in the world around me today is bad enough without being reminded of even more sorrows.

Bonhoeffer brought me to tears more than once as I read about Dietrich's struggle to discern the will of God and then to do it for the good of the people. He strived to be faithful to God and to his call as a child of God and as a pastor. He was unwilling to serve in the German Army, not because he was afraid of dying; but, because he would not participate in the murder of innocent people. Yet, at the same time he was willing to put his own life on the line as he conspired to assassinate Hitler.

I read with tears over and over again the words from a sermon that he preached while he was pastor in London:

No one has yet believed in God and the kingdom of God, no one has yet heard of the realm of the resurrected and not been homesick, from that hour, waiting and looking forward joyfully to being released from bodily existence.

Dietrich knew and desired to be at home with our Father in the Kingdom prepared for us. Yet, very much like St. Paul, while he lived in the flesh here in this world he was willing to serve God and humankind whenever and however God directed him to serve even if it meant being tortured and executed. Executed; after all, would return him home to our Father.

Yes, I wept much through the reading of the book. I wept to see such great love in a man for our God and for all of humankind.  Such love seems so rare.

God help us to love enough to be willing to sacrifice our personal needs so that the will of God is done through us for the good of others.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Consider the Cost of Following Jesus

Billboard of Former Parish

"Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?" Luke 14:27-28

We can either follow Jesus or we can follow someone or something else. But, know this: following Jesus is not always going to be a walk in the park. Following Jesus requires taking up the cross, an instrument of torture and death. Being a follower, a disciple, of Jesus requires a bit of self-discipline. It is not easy going against the grain of society. It is not easy putting aside our own desires to follow in Jesus' footsteps doing the will of our Father in heaven; but, that is exactly what Jesus tells those who are considering following him must do. 

God does not force anyone. But, he does want everyone to follow his only begotten Son into His Kingdom. The way is not easy. It was certainly not easy for Jesus to blaze that path before us. It will not be easy for us to follow him on that path. There will be trials and temptations. There will be persecution. The way is not always easy and many will try to entice us to go in another, easier and less costly, way. There is no other way if our desire is to be reconciled with our Father in His Kingdom.  

"Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

God's Peace - Pr. J

Crash Helmets and Cheap Grace

Grace is not cheap!

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:28-29 NIV)

Reverence and awe; what is that? One of my favorite authors is Annie Dillard. In her book "Teaching a Stone to Talk" she wrote:

"It is madness to wear straw hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may wake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return."

Sometimes, I think that we have probably forgotten who God is. We forget that He is Almighty. We forget that He is the creator of all things. We forget that He who gives us life can also take it away. We seem not to be able to grasp the concept that because He is so great maybe he deserves a little more respect than we give to Him. Maybe, we should pay a little closer attention to His Word.

Over time, the church on earth, in order to grow her numbers, offered up what the German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called "cheap grace. " In his book "The Cost of Discipleship" he wrote:  

"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow upon ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

It is a wonder to me that so often I encounter Christians who think just because Jesus died for all people that all people would be saved. This universal salvation is lie of the devil to please the itching ears of the world. It leads many down the path of destruction. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV) Universal salvation is nothing more than cheap grace. 

On the other hand, Bonhoeffer wrote:

"Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light.'"

and

"It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'ye were bought at a price,' and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."

Yes! Yes! Rejoice for our God loves you so much He was willing to die for you. Sing praises like you mean it; because, hopefully you do mean it. But, let us also understand that we are in the presence of God at all times and in all places. We represent God here in this world. If Christians will not worship Him with reverence and awe; who will?

God is; after all, Almighty. As Lutherans we teach of the first commandment in the small catechism:  

   Thou shalt have no other gods.

   What does this mean?--Answer.

   We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

I am well aware that many in the church today teach that we should never fear God because of His great love for us. We are taught that we shall all be saved. Yet, Jesus tells us: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

and...

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke 12:4-5)

Who has that authority? Only one has that authority; the one who created you and me; the one who created all things. We, who love Him, do not have to fear Him. But in reverence and awe, we are to love, trust, and; yes, worship Him. Be careful that you do not take Him for granted. Do not cheapen the grace that He has bestowed upon you for one day you will meet this One God whom you have taken for granted face to face and then it will be too late to put on a crash helmet. 

Our God is an awesome and the only Almighty God, may we always worship him with reverence and awe.

God's Peace - Pr. J

God Turns Things Around and Upside Down.

The Way Of The Cross: In order to live one must die.

(Billboard from years past in Baraga County, MI)

"It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low." (Ezekiel 20:26 NIV)

God has a way of turning everything around. Those who think too highly of themselves will be brought down. The humble will be lifted up. That is not the way it works in this world; but, that is God's way. 

The LORD promises, through Ezekiel, that the one to whom the crown rightly belongs will ultimately wear it. The one who wears the crown was raised up in humility and reigns in glory at God's right hand. Jesus, who came to serve humankind, was willing to lay his life down, to wear the crown of thorns, and to be lifted up on the cross for our sakes. In this act of sacrifice, he was lifted to the heavenly realms, to ultimately sit at the right hand of God, our Father. The lowly has been exalted...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:1-2)

God's Peace - Pr. J