Be Not Afraid, Only Believe

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 

                                                                   (Mark 5:22-24, 39-39,  38-42 KJV)

"Do not be afraid, only believe." Jesus told the ruler of the synagogue not to worry himself; that he should not fear; but that he should believe; he should have faith. That is not to say that there is no fear that is healthy. Fear of God can be a good thing.  In the book of Hebrews we read:  "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 'For our God is a consuming fire.'" (Heb 12:28-29)

Fear and faith. Which shall we live by? Where there is no faith, you will most often find fear. Where there is no fear, there faith is found. According to Lutheran Theologian, Paul Tillich, "Fear is the absence of faith." Now that is not to say we totally lack faith if we get anxious over something. But, a little bit of anxiety should not turn into a fear that keeps us from moving forward in life. Fear should not stop us in our tracks! Fear should not keep us from living life in Christ.

I live in a rural community. There are a few small cities near by. In two of them, I find myself most comfortable. In another, I am not. I am not comfortable with the rudeness and arrogance I hear people aiming at one another of late. Some of them will even claim that they have to correct people because they love all people so much. Unbelievable! I know that the reason that they most probably do this is because they live in fear. It is a very sad thing to witness people living with so much fear. But, I admit that this bullying of others, that stems from fear, does make me a bit anxious as well (ok, a lot anxious) and so I avoid that community as much as possible. I do my business in the communities where people live in real community; where they show grace and mercy; respect and kindness to one another.

Over and over again Jesus told people not to fear and to have faith. Is that knot in your stomach, born of fear, something you really want to live with for the rest of your life? Believe in God, Trust in the promises that He has made to all who believe in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

"...be not afraid, only believe." Believe and live an abundant life in Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do What Is Right; Live In Peace

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

                                                                                        (1 Pet 3:8-12 KJV)

Do what is right and live in peace!  Rioters and looters have committed unimaginable harm to people they don't even know over the last few months. There can be no doubt about that! It must stop!

My question this morning is what can we do to help make the world a better place to live in. How about do what is right so that we might live in more relative peace? We know that in this world there will never be total peace. People will have strong and differing opinions. But, as individuals we could at least attempt to be courteous and seek peace.  As individuals we could at least attempt to stop verbally assaulting people (swearing and screaming at others) and physically threatening others when we don't like what is said. We can actually voice our opinion without being bullies.

May God help us to be kind; to do what is right; and to live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Patience

                                                                        1 John 1:8

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 

                               (James :7-9 KJV)

Holding grudges against others does no one any good including ourselves. There can be no peace within ourselves when anger fills our hearts. If living reconciled to others is actually our desire then we will forgive and not harbor judges in our hearts.

If there is a desire to live harmoniously with others then it starts within ourselves. Called to repentance we must each look within ourselves not to remember the harm that others may have in reality or in our perception harmed us but how we may have harmed others. Change will begin when we can recognize our own short-comings. Change does not come by oppression or bullying others in any way. Change comes with repentance for the things that we have done that has harmed others; when we can recognize how our egos and our false gods have been directing our lives. To repent means to turn around; to change our ways.

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord. (Lev 19:18)

Peace would be nice. Harmony would be nice.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Curses And Blessings

"He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys." 2 King 2:23-24 NRSV

Over the years I've gotten pretty accustomed to hearing curse words. I mostly ignore it. But, listening to people curse every time they speak causes me to get a knot in my stomach. Hearing God's name used recklessly makes me a little more than anxious. I hear words come out of people's mouths and I wonder if they realize that God is listening. When we desire that someone be harmed and we think or speak it; they are not just harmless words. Every word, whether it is a blessing or a curse, is like a prayer before God.

The story of Elisha cursing the boys and the bears coming to retaliate against them for disrespecting and bullying God's prophet is a bit disturbing. It can make one really uncomfortable to think that God would answer this prayer (curse) in such a devastating fashion. It causes me to wonder if Elisha had any clue that God would respond in such a dramatic fashion or did the curse simply slip from his lips in a moment of anger or maybe fear when he faced the mob of forty-two alone? But, he was not alone. God was with him.

God doesn't normally send bears to protect His prophets. But, there is no doubt that He is with all who serve Him and He listens to their pleas. Be careful of what words slip through your lips. If someone offends you consider the possibility that they did not mean it the way that it sounded or looked to you. It is up to each of us to decide whether whether our own words will be the words of a bully, a curse in God's name, or if they will be the words of a blessing; God hears it all. Be careful of what you pray for. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Sin Leads To Death

Sin Leads to Death

There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. 
                                                (Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV)

I have always asked my confirmation classes what they think the worst sin is. Of course, the response is always murder. I then proceed to go through all ten of the commandments and teach them how breaking any one of the ten commandments can lead to the death, to the murder of, either or both, the body and the spirit. It usually opens at least one or two eyes to the fact that things like gossiping, bullying, lying, stealing, adultery, and even coveting can actually contribute to physical or spiritual death.  All sin, no matter what it is, drives a wedge between God and us; as well as between our neighbors and ourselves.

God detests all sin. One sin does not make us purer or worse than the next person. It is all detestable to God.  Keep busy, doing the work the Lord has called you to. Keep busy, loving your neighbor as yourself and you will have much less time to stir up trouble for anyone, including yourself. 

And... may the peace of the LORD be with you all...  Pr. J

Salty

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:3-6 NIV)

Being seasoned with salt has a variety of meanings today. For a younger generation than I, it may well mean being disrespectful; even a bully. Being a bully is not being salty. It is evil. Salt; after all, has been used over the generations in many cases to drive away what is evil; to purify; to preserve.

When I was growing up, I was taught that being "salty" meant to be a unique personality; a character. He or she spoke the truth, not to hurt anyone; but, because it was the truth. They lived and spoke in a way that was true to themselves and the truth is that not everyone understood them. Being salty means to me speaking and living the truth in a way that will benefit others by  bringing others to Christ.

Salt is not just a seasoning. It has numerous uses. I use it to chase ants and other bugs out of my yard. A little salt sprinkled on an ant hill will convince those pesky pests to find a new location for their home. But, salt is also a preservative. It helps to keep our food from rotting away. It helps to keep food consumable for a long time to come for our benefit. A little salt is a good thing. Too much salt, as in the case of bullying, can destroy.

Likewise, conversations seasoned with a little salt can help the soul from developing rot from the inside out. Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossia that they were to season their grace-filled conversations with salt.

Yes! Yes, indeed! We ought to make sure that our conversations are filled with grace; but, not just grace for the sake of not offending. We cannot lie for the sake of grace because that is no grace at all. We must proclaim the truth and sometimes the truth will make us sound just a little salty as the lies of the devil are uncovered. It is the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, that will make us whole. Our words and actions should always be full of grace; but, we cannot forget to season them with a bit of salt when necessary. And... it is often necessary so that the mystery of Christ can be proclaimed most fully. As it has been said: grace, grace, and only more grace is no grace at all. We cannot accept anything that will lead others away from faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot say that it is all good. Not everything is good; so sometimes, we need to be reminded to season our conversations with salt so that the truth can be proclaimed and the truth will set others free to be children of God.

May God help us to season our words and our actions with enough salt that the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, will be proclaimed so that those who hear will know the truth and the truth will set them free.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Curses and Blessings

"He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!”  When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys." 2 King 2:23-24 NRSV

Listening to people curse usually causes me to get one of those little knots in my stomach. Hearing God's name used recklessly makes me a little more than anxious. I hear words come out of people's mouths and I wonder if they realize that God is listening. When we desire that someone be harmed and we think or speak it; they are not just harmless words. Every word, whether it is a blessing or a curse, is like a prayer before God.

The story of Elisha cursing the boys and the bears coming to retaliate against them for disrespecting and bullying God's prophet is fascinating. It can even make one a bit uncomfortable to think that God would answer this prayer (curse) in such a devastating fashion. It causes me to wonder if Elisha had any clue that God would respond in such a dramatic fashion or did the curse simply slip from his lips in a moment of anger or fear?

God doesn't normally send bears to protect His prophets. But, there is no doubt that He is with all who serve Him and He listens to their pleas. Be careful then of what words slip through your teeth. It is up to you whether they be the words of a bully, a curse in God's name, or if they be the words of a blessing; God hears it all. Be careful of what you pray for.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Listen

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him." Deut 18:15 NIV

I am not always sure of what congregations expect of a Pastor in today's world. I celebrated the 20th anniversary of ministry to Lutheran congregations this year. One of my first mentors, that many years ago, informed me that included in my unwritten job description was this: "comfort the afflicted and afflict the too comfortable." Comfort the afflicting meant sometimes sharing the message of God would not be taken so kindly by everyone.

Now, prophecy in this context is not about being able to read fortunes or someone's future. Prophets of old were men (and sometimes women) who most often warned people that they needed to change their ways and live according to God's good will for them. Prophets of old did not speak to please the "itching ears." (2 Tim 4:3) They spoke to please God and in doing so to help others to be in a right relationship with God.

Afflicting the too comfortable is simply warning people when they begin to lift up their own abilities to maintain a viable congregation or their own status above trusting the Lord to grow His church. And, that is a major point. It is His church, not ours. We are members of it; but, the church and we as members of it belong to Him. Afflicting the too comfortable happens when pastors and other shepherds remind the flock or members of it that they are worshipping false gods. Sometimes, the false gods end up being the church building. Sometimes, they are our own egos, as we stand back and look and say: "See what I (or we) have done. Isn't it marvelous!" forgetting that without God we can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Sadly, too often, those who are too comfortable are too comfortable in the affliction they bring causing others to be uncomfortable. Yes, I am talking about bullying; I am talking about persecution even within the church.

Pastors are called to point out harm that is being done to others; to the Body of Christ, within faith communities, so that the church on earth might serve God and all of God's people, in unity and in peace. It is not optional for a shepherd to step aside while the sheep are being hunted down by wolves in sheep's clothing. (Matt 7:15)

May Almighty God open the ears of all His children so that we might know His good will for all people and empower us by the Spirit of Christ to follow in His Way.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Live In Peace

"Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy." Prov 12:20 NIV

Very, very tired this morning after reading the national news. It is draining to see so much animosity toward those who do not believe the way some might think everyone should believe.

There is way too much evil in the world. There is way too much bullying of those who do not think or act like some think everyone ought to think or act. Apparently, it has once again gone way past bullying; but, has advanced to actually destroying other people's property. The bullying has advanced to interfering with the rights and freedom of others.

Jesus, himself, did not get involved in the politics of the world. He got involved in the world, for sure. He forgave the sinner. He fed the hungry. He healed the sick. He did not promote violence against those who would not accept his ways. In fact, he loved all people so much that he was willing to die for us. He died that we might live in the peace that only God can give as we are reconciled to God through the shedding of his blood on the cross for us. He died for those who denied him. He died for those who crucified him. He died for you and me. This is the epitome of love; of unconditional love.

Jesus said, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." (John 15:12-14)

This is true love; that we should give our all for others whether we agree with them or not. Unconditional love calls for sacrifice. It calls for peace and reconciliation; not plotting evil against those who disagree with us.

May God help us to respect and love our neighbor no matter who we might think they are; no matter whether we agree with their politics or not, because we are all children of God. 

God's Peace - Pr. J