Self-Insufficient

Almost two years ago, inspired by things I was reading and listening to and a bad cholesterol number, I resolved to get myself back into shape. I wanted to be strong enough to care for myself. I wanted to be strong enough to protect my family and those around me. I wanted to be strong enough for whatever emergencies might come our way.

In our backyard, chickens (and a goose) roam the orchard. Not only do we get more than enough eggs to share, but enough to preserve them in lime to get us through the winter. Though the fruit trees were planted by others, we have been making jam and drying the extras so that we can enjoy healthy snacks year round. We aren’t great gardeners, but I keep trying. Not only because fresh veggies just taste better, but because of the great satisfaction that comes from eating food we have grown ourselves. (Eventually we might even break even for all the money we have spent building beds and setting up irrigation.)

When my summer jobs and my hours working in the cafeteria could no longer cover my school bills, I couldn’t accept the idea of student loans. My dad offered to loan me money, interest free, but I couldn’t take it. I did what I had wanted to do since September 2001, my senior year of high school, I walked into the recruiter’s office and asked, “How do I join?”

Being self-sufficient is important to me. I want (need?) to be able to take care of myself and those around me. The stronger I am, the more I can do for others. As Paul says, “Let him work hard doing good with his own hands, so that he has something to share with a person who is in need” (Eph 4:8).

In my drive for self-sufficiency, my prayers often suffer. My first instinct is always “I will handle it” and not “take it to the Lord in prayer”. I pray daily as part of my devotions, praying through the scriptures. I pray in my sermon preparations, at meals, before bed, and for and with my family and the flock the Lord has given me. I believe in the power of prayer and the promises of God, but I confess that I am not always good at prayer. I am not as diligent in my prayers as Paul encourages, “Pray continually” (1 Thess 5:17).

These last weeks, I have been helpless. This month I have been worthless. All my workouts, all my growing and tending, all my financial security, all my learning and study, they are all insufficient. I am self-insufficient. My family is hurting. We have been completely caught off guard and blindsided by a grave diagnosis for one very close to us. I, who always have the words to say for others, was at a loss for words in my own home. I have no wisdom, no solution, no power to protect. I can do nothing to make things better.

We were still processing this hard news when we received word that a close family friend has fallen asleep in Jesus. She was suddenly and unexpectedly taken from this life. Her teen son is left with his grandparents. She had survived cancer and other serious health challenges. She had worked hard to care for the life the Lord had given her. He called her home. We love this family. They took us in when we were homeless due to my foolishness, even though their own lives were full of hardships. Her father is like an uncle to my wife. He was a positive influence and mentor to me when I was studying to be a pastor. Our hearts break for them. My heart aches from the loss. My wife and I held each other and wept. We are thankful for the hope of the resurrection. We do have the peace of Christ, but we are still shocked and sad. I can’t do anything about it. Nothing I can do will make it better.

Then this morning another message came. My uncle is in the hospital. Though they don’t know exactly what happened, he is on life support. I can barely think about it right now. I don’t know what to think. My heart is heavy. There is nothing I can do to make it better.

Except there is: I can pray. Prayer is the believer’s conversation with the Lord. All the hurt, all the pain, all the questions, all the fear and worry, God opens his ears to hear. The anger I feel over an unjust and sin-torn world, God understands. All the tears and sorrow which flows from our hearts, has also flowed from his. Jesus says, “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking and it will be open for you…If you know how to give good gifts to your children, though you are evil, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt 7:7, 11). He promises, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you” (John 16:23). As Christians were being hunted down and persecuted throughout the world, St. Peter encouraged them “Cast all you anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Paul promised the in his letter to the Romans that the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, knows the heart of God and he prays with us in ways words cannot even express. Along with the warrior king, David, the Christian can always bring all that is on our hearts to God. He will hear. He will act powerfully, mercifully, and wisely to bless us.

I live my life to be self-sufficient, but I am not, nor have I ever been sufficient. I feel like pleading to God to make it all go away. I know the devil is using these troubles to torment those I love. I can’t do anything to make it better, but God has spoken. “My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will be glad to boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may shelter me. That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10). I can be glad even though I am self-insufficient, and I can’t do a thing to help. These times have brought me to my knees for all those I love. In times like these I pray with an earnestness that I rarely have before. It is how I am always called to pray. Those we love are not in my weak hands. They are not under my unsteady care. They don’t depend on my foolish mind. They belong to the Lord. To him we pray. In Jesus name, God hears.

(Re)Evaluating Risk in a Sinful World

The weather has been beautiful, the sun shining, the temperature mild. After a few busy months and some catching up on the projects I had bene postponing, I finally rolled the bike out of the garage for a ride. A meeting in Eugene gave the opportunity. The motorcycle can turn a long boring drive into an energizing treat.

Of course, riding a motorcycle is risky. Two wheels are less stable than four. Without roof, doors, seatbelts, and airbags the rider’s fragile body is exposed. A light machine with high horsepower makes acceleration instant and speed easy. No one can say riding a motorcycle is without risk. Then again, tens of thousands die in automobile accidents every year. Many more are seriously injured. Driving a car is never without risk, especially in a town where yellow means speed up and red means one more car gets to go. On roads where cell phones still attract the eye no driver, rider, cyclist, or even pedestrian is truly risk free. It is much safer to stay home. Maybe live life through a screen. Yet we know to live life, sometimes you have to bear some risks.

Sometimes people take unnecessary risks. People jump out of airplanes and off bridges or cliffs. Others hike deep into the wilderness with the wild animals and no stores to buy more supplies. Often, they are without cell service and hospitals are far away. A well-done steak has the same nutrition as one that is rare. Hard boiled eggs are less likely to have salmonella than sunny side up. It’s probably best not to think about the risk of that delicious greasy burrito from that run down taco stand. Yet people seek these risks on purpose.

We can’t really live without risk. We have tended to allow others to take risks they want. Other risks societies might endure because we value what may be gained. Explorers risked life and livelihood for crown and country to find new lands, vast resources, and avenues of trade. Wars have sent tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands to their death to win liberty, to free slaves, to stop the growing evil of the world, and to fight terror where it grows. Men work dangerous jobs to provide for their families and supply their nation. Women risk their lives (less today than 100 years ago) and their bodies to bring new life into the world. When the goal is great or noble and we see the value, we take the risk.

Of course, we can also do what we can to lessen risks. I wear every piece of gear I can when I swing my leg over the bike. Helmet, gloves, boots, armored jacket, and tough pants, even fluorescent yellow so I can be seen and special earplugs to protect my hearing are all part of my every ride. Sometimes I might miss the wind in my hair. It would be more convenient to just hop on in shorts, t-shirt, and tennis shoes, but road rash and a cracked skull are too big a risk to take. Even when we decide risks are worth it, we do what we can to reduce it.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we didn’t even know the risk. We heard stories from China. We saw the full hospitals in Italy. We lacked the PPE. We didn’t have any treatments. We didn’t know for certain how it spread. Faced with what seemed like it could have been infinite risks, we took and accepted drastic measures. As we learned more and gained experience through the months, we adjusted, hoping to keep some of what we valued while still limiting the risks. Business, homes, and churches, reduced their capacity. We began social distancing. We covered our faces. Much of life wasn’t the same, but we did what we could to reduce the risk.

As Christians we know our times are in God’s hands (Ps. 31), so while we do not put the Lord our God to the test (Mt 4), neither do we cower in fear (Ps 91). We also know that no one EVER escapes death. With only one exception, death is undefeated. “Man is destined to die once and then face judgment” (Heb. 9:27).  We also have the promise of the risen Savior Jesus, “whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:26). We both cherish every moment, our time of grace, which God gives us to live on earth, “For me to live is Christ,” but we also look forward to the angels taking us to Abraham’s side (Lk 16), “to die is gain” (Phlp. 1:21).

Our freedom from fear of sickness and death is only part of the Christians evaluation of pandemic risk. We also know that God has called us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Even though we may have no fear, neither will we put our neighbor at unnecessary risk. We have worn our masks, stayed home from events, distanced ourselves, limited our attendance, so that we might not get others sick, and so that we might not get sick ourselves and contribute to community spread.

To truly evaluate risk though, we need the other half the the equation, what do we gain for the risk and what do we lose if we forgo.  To avoid risk during the pandemic, some have lost their life’s work, others their livelihoods. Children have lost schooling and a year of development and time with friends and fun and play. To avoid risk, the sick have suffered alone and families have missed already scarce time with the people they love. To avoid risk we have forgone much human interaction we both need and crave. No smiles from strangers, no hugs from a friend, no long conversations with a neighbor or acquaintance, no events for the community to come together. It will take years to know the fullness of all we have lost.

At first it seemed like our church’s sacrifice out of love for each other and our neighbor wasn’t so grave. “The Word of God is living and active” (Heb 4:11) and “My word which goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire” (Is 55:10). Live streams, video chats, and recorded messages mean no one had to lose access o the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, was still at work among us. We could gather in small groups, stay distanced, and still receive Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. The Lord’s promise to be with those who gather together in his name (Mt 18) means that Jesus gathers with us no matter how small the group. Singing might not be as joyful and exuberant with a mask on but the words still resound in our hearts and God is still praised.

However, our worship is more than hearing and receiving the meal of the Lord’s body and blood individually. We are the body of Christ, the family of believers. Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, and all the more as the day approaches” (Heb 10:25). It is precisely in dark and difficult times that Christians are told to be together. God knows we need this. “Let us also consider carefully how to spur one another on to love and good works” (Heb 10:24). The Lord’s Supper is the body of Christ and the life-giving blood of the Lord no matter how many are kneeling at the Lord’s table, but “because there is one bread, we who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). Our participation, communion, at the table of the Lord feeds our soul and strengthens our communion with each other. Something is lost in social distance. We, who are brothers and sisters in Christ are made to be together to carry each other’s burdens with love and build one another up. Paul says “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (2 Cor 13:12). For us a firm handshake, a hug, sitting together, and sharing a cup of coffee together has meaning for us. I don’t believe masks are evil, dangerous, a conspiracy, or a symbol, but they do separate us from one another. They do contribute to an overall atmosphere and attitude of fear. They ma be a small sacrifice, a worthy sacrifice, but they do interrupt our normal interactions and communications, both verbal and nonverbal. At a time when the risk of sickness was high, we were willing do all this out lof love for our neighbors and good stewardship of the lives God has given us.

Is it time to reevaluate our risk? I think so. As of Monday, all people over 16 can receive the vaccine. They are readily available and easy to get. Since before Easter, many, a majority of our congregation has been fully vaccinated, others are now partly vaccinated. From all the numbers, the vaccines are highly effective. The sun is out bolstering our systems with vitamin D. Treatments have been developed to treat the disease. Hospitals are not overflowing with Covid patients. The risk to each other has lowered. The risk from us to the community is lower. Can I still force anyone to forgo that which the Lord has established for our blessing?

As of this Sunday, we at Beautiful Savior will no longer say anything about restrictions and mandates. If you still feel more comfortable in a mask and with some distance, we will respect you. I will wear my mask for anyone who would like me to. Though I have researched the vaccines and will get the second shot soon (I think it is safe and effective), I will not tell others what they should do with their health. If you want to have a Biblical discussion on vaccines, I am ready to listen and share my thoughts. I won’t, however, ask for your status, nor should you feel obligated to announce it. The pews will stay farther apart in the sanctuary; however, seats will no longer be assigned. Sit wherever you wish. If you are comfortable, we will invite more than one family to come forward to the Lord’s table. I will still hand each individual the elements. If you do not wish to be so close at the rail, you and your family may still receive the Lord’s Supper separately, just tell the usher. We will, of course, continue to livestream and post our weekly sermons on Monday or Tuesday.

If you have a different evaluation of risk for yourself and your family, you may share your concerns privately with me. We will do all we can to support and serve you. If you have concerns about what the government has mandated, I understand. Note that the capacity limits for churches are called “recommendations”. More importantly, the government does not have the authority to tell us what we may or may not, must or must not do as part of our life of faith. For all the reasons I have stated above, I think it is important to balance the risk of sickness with our trust in God and all the blessings he intends for us when we gather together around his Word and Sacraments. As always, I am more than happy to discuss any of this in the light of God’s Word. Please continue to pray for each other, our neighbors, our community, and all those in authority. In God’s Grace, Pastor Luke Tembreull

A Sermon Leftover: Zechariah, Fate, and Prayer

This was originally a part of Wednesday’s Sermon, but it was too long and not quite aligned with the theme. Instead of throwing out the work, I share it for those who might find it interesting:

In Greek tragedy, the oracle prophesied to King Laios. His son would kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified the king resolved no son of his would live. When a strong health boy was born. The king left him exposed in the wilderness, but a shepherd took pity on him and rescued him. Years later, Oedipus met his father on the road. The headstrong young man refused to get out of the way of the king’s men. He didn’t know it was his father. They fought. In the skirmish the king was killed. Oedipus then approached Thebes and found the city in mourning. Some warrior, maybe a robber had slain him and all his men. This was while the city was already in crisis. A sphynx was interrupting travel and devouring all who took her path without answering her riddles. Oedipus solved both problems at once; he defeated the sphynx and won the queen’s heart, not knowing she was his own mother. As a common theme in Greek myths, by trying to change his fate, King Laios brought it about. If Oedipus had only known his father and mother, such a horror would never needed to happen.

This is how the Greeks wrestled with this question, how much control do any of us have over our own destinies? Have the Fates’ already spun their thread? Are our decisions just cogs in a machine no one can control? Even the gods, powerful yet fickle, couldn’t escape the decrees of fate. How could any man?

Christians have asked and continued to ask similar questions, but in answer, instead of the warning don’t test the Fates, we receive the comfort to trust the will of our God, to pray to him earnestly, and know that he not only hears you, he listens to you and takes your prayers into consideration. In a mystery beyond our comprehension, our prayers even change God’s mind. He doesn’t answer always in the time we would like or in the way we imagine, but the angel’s words to Zechariah still carry God’s message to us today, Fear not, God has listened to your prayer.

God had a plan. From the creation of the world, he had promised the seed of the woman to crush the serpent’s head. He promised Abraham, all nations will be blessed by you. And David, I will establish your throne forever. He promised his people Israel that he would establish for them a perfect kingdom that would never end. They waited. They prayed. They longed. They hoped for these promises to come true. God told them to look for a messenger, a prophet, who would go before the Lord like Elijah to prepare the way for the Lord. And now, not as unthinking and unwilling and unsuspecting victims of fate, but as a righteous man and his wife, who lived in faith according to the word of the Lord, now the Lord told Zechariah and Elizabeth their prayers had been answered. Prayers they had long forgotten and given up hope on were part of God’s eternal plans to bring about salvation. In their old age, they would have a son. He was not only the answer to the prayers of a couple longing for a child, but for a whole nation, longing for salvation.

This isn’t fate. This wasn’t their destiny. Instead this is God’s plan. In a mystery we cannot understand, his hands are in our history. His ears take our prayers into account. At times, the God who never changes, even relents, he changes his mind when people respond in faith. Hezekiah receive 15 more years. Nineveh was not destroyed like Jonah had said. God does not control our actions. We do not have a fate written in the stars or on the thread of life. God in his infinite wisdom uses our free actions, our heartfelt prayers, to accomplish his will in everything. (This is a mystery we cannot unravel what God knows and wills and what human beings decide and do and pray, but this is a mystery we leave to God. How can we expect to understand or even know fully him who holds all things together. This is one place where our reason fails, and we will accept God at what he says, because we preach Christ crucified, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men.)

St. Paul told the Corinthians that all his plans, as many as the promises God has made they are yes in [Christ Jesus, the Son of God]. For that reason we say amen through him to the glory of God. God’s answer to Zechariah’s prayer was a yes, but a yes for the salvation of his people. When we pray, for whatever we pray, God answers yes, yes according to all he has promised you. He weaves your prayers into the tapestry of his history. His word, his promise, his answer are always and only yes in Jesus and his work.

Do not forget your prayers, dear children of God. Speak to your God. Pour out your heart to him. Ask him anything, and know that he listens to you. Do not doubt, do not despair, do not give up hope when it seems that God is silent. For hundreds of years God’s people wondered when they would hear from God. When would God listen and answer their prayers? Then out of that silence, God spoke, John, the forerunner to the Messiah would be born. Out of the silence, the silence of the world, the silence of our doubts and fears, the silence of our minds, God speaks, fear not your prayer has been answered. Fear not, in Christ, God answers your prayers. He answers them in his own time. He answers in his own way. He answers with his grace and love. HIs answer may not come today. His answer may not be in the way we desire. His answer may not even come in this life. His answer, his yes, will always be seen, felt, experienced, when he comes again. Then we will see all he has done. Then we will marvel at his power to answer our prayers. Then God himself will visit us and he himself will speak to us. Then we will know: he answers for the salvation of all his people.

Rejoice always?

I threw a huge hissy fit. I yelled, even growled in frustration. The dogs, always hovering around the kitchen, tucked their tails and ran.

My lovely bride came to check on me, “Can I help?” she asked appeasingly.

“No,” I snapped. “Go away. I hate this recipe. It’s stupid. Look at this mess, and now they are burnt and falling apart. Garbage. Might as well throw it away. I have made garbage.”

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” she delicately tried.

“No. It’s garbage. Stop cheering me up.” I think at some point, the child came in to share her confidence that it would be fine and express her love and concern for me. Even she failed. I was seeing red, and nothing was going to change my mood.

This little incident comes to mind today, as I consider a COVID Thanksgiving and a year in which everything seems like hot garbage. What a mess! All our hard work. All our plans. All our time. All our efforts. Nothing. School. Garbage. Work. Garbage. Even nature’s great beauty in our wonderful state took a hit this year. Love and unity? Garbage. A stable society? The Future? Garbage. Relationships with our friends? Our neighbors? Our family? Ruined, everything is ruined. We can’t even get together. We are told not to travel. The 2020 pan is still smoking. The dog still doesn’t know why everyone is so angry.

Then the Apostle Paul has the audacity to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” No, Paul, not this time. Paul, stop cheering us up. Paul, you don’t understand. Paul, if you only knew what sort of year this was. Paul, if you could only see how rough the future was looking. You can’t really mean, always, rejoice always. That has to be an exaggeration. I will say it again: Rejoice!

In case we are tempted to think that maybe Paul didn’t understand, couldn’t know our struggles, or didn’t understand how bad life could get, maybe we should review his history with the Philippians. Just in their town, he was arrested for healing a demon possessed girl. He was accused of disturbing the peace. They beat him with rods, and without being able to say a word in his defense they threw him in the cold dark prison, binding him and Silas hand and foot in the stocks. My and hands start to tingle if I don’t move them for a few minutes, how many hours did Paul endure. Still he uses that word, always, and proved it as he and Silas passed the time singing joyful hymns to the Lord, happy to share in the suffering of Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always!  I will say it again: Rejoice! Paul knew all about bad times, still he encouraged, rejoice!

His future wasn’t looking all that great either. As he wrote these words, Paul was under house arrest (sound familiar?); while better than a dungeon, he, a Romans citizen, couldn’t come and go as he pleased. He was awaiting his day in court before Emperor Nero (yes, that Nero.) His future is as uncertain as it could be. He could be convicted, imprisoned, or executed. Even if he was released if his past journeys were any indication of his future, he could expect more hardship and trouble in the future. Though he doesn’t mention to the Philippians, his thorn in the flesh was not going to be taken away. Yet, even in his current confinement and his uncertain future, Paul speaks in the clearest terms, Rejoice in the Lord always!  I will say it again: Rejoice!

Paul doesn’t stop there, and his next words give context for our rejoicing: Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. The Lord is near you to protect you and keep you. The Lord is near you and sees your life, its struggles and successes. The Lord is near you to forgive you, to strengthen you, and when you are wronged to bring you justice. The Lord is near; this is his promise to you. You don’t need to worry about your present troubles. You don’t need to fight for your rights, for your happiness, to make sure that you are getting all you can out of every moment in this life. You can live in gentleness and love for one another. The Lord is near. As he has come to redeem you, so also he will come to fulfill all his promises to you and take you with him in glory. Therefore, Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Instead of focusing on all the garbage the world of sin throws our way, Paul turns our focus toward God, his blessings and his care. Paul even saw reasons for thanksgiving in the worst times, because nothing would separate him from the love of God. Once that relationship with God is right, everything else can fall into place. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God’s peace which never fails is reason to rejoice and pray with thanksgiving always.

I felt justified for my hissy fit. My favorite cookbook had betrayed me. I followed the instructions, even when they seemed unnecessarily complicated. The “Best Ever Crab Cakes” were falling apart in the pan. I felt justified for my hissy fit, but I wasn’t. First, we were going to be eating crab cakes, hardly bread and water. A caring church member had given us so much crab that these cakes were from the leftovers of a crab feast. As it turned out, though they weren’t pretty, they were (as my wife tried to tell me the would be) delicious. We did (after I eventually stopped pouting) enjoy a nice family meal. I can laugh about my temper tantrum now.

I don’t think the Apostle Paul was saying that he was happy with his circumstances. He wasn’t merely looking on the bright side of a raw deal. No, rather, Paul and all Christians have a joy overrides those frustrations, a multitude of reasons to give thanks in every situation, and a peace which no one can fully explain or begin to understand.

This year might seem like a mess which is only fit for the trash. We will likely have those times when we feel like yelling in our frustration or giving in to our worry, but as tomorrow is Thanksgiving, let us take our encouragement from the Apostle Paul. Instead, rejoice! Especially in the bad times, especially when we are separated from those we love and confined to our homes, and especially when our futures seem so uncertain. Rejoice. Rejoice always. It is worth repeating again: Rejoice! God’s love has not failed you. God has not forgotten his plans for you. God has not withdrawn his blessings from your life. You have the treasure of priceless worth, God’s own Son has humbled himself to the point of death and has been exalted to the highest place. You have the peace beyond all understanding, your sins are forgiven, full and free. In Christ, you have God’s approval and will receive his glory. How can we rejoice now and keep rejoicing no matter what? Paul shares his own secret, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.  Happy Thanksgiving 2020.

(I think the whole book of Philippians would be worth reading today. It isn’t very long. If nothing else, I encourage you to read chapter 4 verses 1-14. When our flesh begins to grumble, think about these things.)

Ready for the Surprise

Teaching Tuesday

Matthew 24:42—Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

The party had been months in the planning. The hardest part was figuring out how to get his wife out of the house so that he could decorate, cook the food, invite in the guests and stage the surprise. He pulled it all off without a hitch. Everything was set to go, except, not knowing what he was planning, she kept delaying coming back home. The guest waited and waited. They wanted to eat. They wanted to celebrate, but they got distracted. Some started playing games; some went home; some sat down to watch some tv. Only a few kept watching; only a few hid; only a few yelled surprise; only a few got to enjoy the party with the guest of honor.  Waiting is hard to do, but sometimes it is necessary.

Who is going to be surprised when Jesus comes back? It isn’t going to be Jesus.Two days before he was going to be betrayed, Jesus told his followers that they were going to need to be ready at all times for his return. After Jesus died, he ascended into heaven. He is preparing a place there for all believers, and when it is ready he will come back to take us to be with him. We know we will be surprised on that day. The question we need to ask is this: will we be ready? Jesus is throwing the party. He has prepared the banquet hall. Jesus is setting the table and inviting the guests. His invitation goes out to you. When he returns, may he find us waiting with faith, so that we will be joyfully surprised.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, while you were on earth you taught that no one would know the day or the hour of your return and commanded us to be ready for that day. Keep us ready. Keep the lamps of our faith burning. Keep our hearts eager. Keep our lives pure by the washing you have given us. Make us eager for the day of your return. Come, quickly Lord Jesus. Amen

Hymn 207 vs 1, 5, 6

Monday Family Devotion: Righteous Anger and Amazing Forgiveness

Galatians 5:19-23—The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

For the second time in his life, Jesus was sickened and filled with holy anger as he entered the temple and saw what was happening. The place where everyone went to worship God, the place meant for hearing the Word, the place where people learned the truth: there is no forgiveness without blood, God’s house was filled with dishonest money changers. The temple courts were filled with salesmen, gouging those worshipers who needed to buy a lamb or dove for sacrifice. Jesus flipped tables and drove out the animals; he forbid anyone from entering the temple to sell any merchandise. In sadness he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nation’s? But you have made it a ‘den of robbers’.”

God created us to love and serve him above all things. God created us to love and serve our neighbors as ourselves. Yet, far too often we serve ourselves first. Far too often we don’t care about what happens to others. Too often the acts of the sinful nature which Paul names are found in our hearts and lives. As we see Jesus anger in the temple, we realize how God feels about such sins. Jesus hates sin and those who commit it.

Jesus’ actions are a call to repentance, but they are also a comfort. It is for those people that Jesus died. With his every breath that week, he called his enemies to repentance, desiring to save them. Jesus calls us to repentance. He dies for us. He forgives our sins. He forgets his anger and prays for our life before the Father. He sends his Spirit into our hearts, so that instead of the acts of the sinful nature, we can produce the fruits of the Spirit.

Prayer: Dear God, you hate sin. In our weakness and rebellion, we sin every day. I am sorry for my sins. O Lord, have mercy on me and do not treat me as my sins deserve. Do not drive me from your presence as Jesus drove out the merchants in the temple. For his sake, because of his perfect life and innocent death, forgive me all my sins. Send your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may produce the fruits of repentance.

Hymn 98 (Especially verses 1, 4, 5, 6)

What about my Plans?

“If you want to hear God laugh, just tell him your plans.”

I don’t like that saying. First, I think it is a little too pithy and cute. When our plans fall apart, it doesn’t make me feel better to imagine God laughing at me. Second, I don’t think God ever laughs at our hardships. He laughs with derision at the attempts of his enemies to thwart him (Psalm 2). He delights in his people and their praise (Psalm 149.) He boasts about our faith (Job). Yet I cannot think of one time when God had fun messing with his own people. Finally, I don’t like that saying because it hits too close to home. I like my plans. I think they’re good plans. I want to follow through with them. I want to see them succeed. It makes my life easier when things go as planned. Sometimes my heart aches for the plans that fall apart.

My heart isn’t aching, but today was a little frustrating. My grass needed to be mowed last week. The orchard where the chickens scratch about is resembling a jungle. The forecast has been all rain from now until Easter (not that I will have time to mow next week anyway.) This morning the sun appeared. I had a good productive morning already. I made some service preparations. I taught a child. I did some studying. I walked the dogs (in the rain), so when the sun came out,I saw my chance. Time to mow.

It always takes me longer to get out of the house, I had to find work pants, water, sunflower seeds, headphones, boots, church keys, and car keys. I don’t know why that takes so long, but it does. The mower needs a new battery. (I’m not complaining, since it is really nice that I get to use it in the first place. I planned to jump it with my truck. The ignition is jammed and won’t turn. After fighting it for a few minutes, I decided to use the other car. After all this, I only made it about ¼ through the work before Oregon did its thing. Wet and a little cranky, I put the lawn mower away and got cleaned up to do my normal work, as I ate my lunch, the sun reappeared. I don’t think God was laughing at me and my plans, but I do know my lovely bride was.

That is just one of hundreds of every day examples of the plans we make and what becomes of them. Often the interruption is even more frustrating. Speaking of interruptions, I think it is safe to say no one’s year is going as planned. Vacations are cancelled. (I don’t have high hopes for my own, scheduled in June.) Flights are grounded. School children are home. Colleges have moved online. Medical procedures are being postponed. Stores are closed. Projects have been put on hold. Easter is only a week away but instead of planning for a breakfast and a joyfully robust service, I am arranging schedules so that I can at least see the people the Lord has entrusted to me and serve them the meal the Lord has given them to eat. When we will be able to meet together fully, no one knows. Our lives are in limbo. Our plans are shattered, and we don’t know enough about tomorrow to fit those pieces back together into anything useful.

I’m not laughing. No one is. We are still in the early stages of shock at how quickly our lives got turned upside down. As every new deadline passes, as every plan falls away, as milestones are missed, as insecurity grows, as money gets tight, our plans are going to look feebler and more foolish. The Lord isn’t laughing.

I am not going to tell you to look on the bright side; however, we can all learn from this. Jesus told a parable about a man who made his plans. He had a big harvest. He built his barns, and then he was ready to sit back and enjoy life, but his life was cut short. (Luke 12:16-21) Instead of making plans, God gives us the blessings of each day to use wisely for us and for others. Even in the limited lives we are living now, we have so much to use. We have our time for family, for friends, for prayers, for encouragement, for study, and for praise. Now is not the time to sit back and wait until you can plan for tomorrow. It is good to do those projects you have put off. It is good to get reacquainted with those who share your roof. It is good to learn to appreciate your daily bread, even if it becomes the daily beans.

As the rain poured down on my lawn mowing aspirations, I thought of James chapter 4, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city, spend a year there, do business, and make a profit.’ You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? Indeed, it is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.” In a way, nothing has changed with this stay at home order and the viral threat. We never knew what day our lives would end. We don’t know if this virus will touch any of us or even anyone near to us. We can make long term plans, but tomorrow is out of our hands. “Instead, it is better for you to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live, and we will do this or that.’” What relief that is! Forget about your control! Forget about your plans! Live in his!

Right now, everyone has a theory about what the next few weeks and months may look like. Some paint a dire picture, others believe this is all an overreaction. Everyone wants a plan, a plan for the medical needs, a plan for the economy, and a plan for us to get back to our lives. Maybe in this case, God does laugh. He laughs not because we are struggling, but because we think we know. Even with all our charts and data, even with the best experts in the world trying to solve this puzzle, we know so little. Every reasonable expert I have listened to says exactly that: we don’t know enough. “But right now, you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So, for the one who knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it, this is sin.” We all have the right thing to do. Love your neighbor (yes, even if that means maintaining a safe distance for the time being.) We have work God has put into our hands. This interruption is not the time for lounging around the house binging Netflix, or wallowing in self-pity, or worrying in panicked fear. Trust the Lord. Your plans might be ruined, but his never are.

Well, the sun is back out, but I don’t think I will have the time to mow the grass today. (Maybe Thursday?) I guess some ruined plans can be worth a laugh. In fact, for me, for all who trust in God, your Savior, all our ruined plans will one day be worth a laugh, because we know our God’s plan. His plan brought his Son to a cross. His plan raised him up on the third day. His plan is to gather all his people to himself forever, maybe, just maybe, my plans aren’t so vital in comparison.