The Heart of a Pastor

God's gas station

The epistle text for this Sunday (11th Sunday after Pentecost) is from Hebrews 11 where it talks about faith.  Verse 1 says this, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

When I hear this basic definition of faith from Hebrews 11 I picture this "formula" in my mind: 
<HOPE> --> add some <ASSURANCE> --> and this leads to a held <CONVICTION> of something.

OR

<HOPE of something more to this life> --> add <ASSURANCE that Jesus died for your sins that you may have eternal life> --> this leads to a <CONVICTION> or <FAITH> that there is indeed something more to this life.

But what happens when we stop going to worship or stop praying or stop engaging scripture?  We stop hearing or experiencing this ASSURANCE that we all need to hear.  Therefore we start to run out of "gas".  And I definitely know this feeling.  I don't stop going to worship but I have experienced times when my prayer life and devotional practices have slowed down.  It is in those moments when I feel "tired".  Basically...running out of gas.  I spend all my time feeding others and encouraging others to "refuel" their faith that I sometimes forget to practice what I preach.  Busyness is one of Satan's best weapons.  We think we are doing God's work when all the while we are draining our own faith life.  Satan loves nothing more.

And I think that is what has been happening to me this summer.  I haven't been pulling up to "God's gas station" nearly enough.  I haven't been "feeding" myself nearly enough and because of that I have felt a little drained all summer long. 

Well...that's going to stop.

We need to constantly hear and experience the assurance of forgiveness and salvation to endure in this world.  We need our hope re-energized and our convictions strengthened.  This can not be done in isolation from God or others.  Throughout scripture God has proved to be faithful.  God has proved to be true.  This we can not receive from the world -- its only from God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I have committed myself to a running program to re-energize my body and to train for a 1/2 marathon.  Now I need to commit myself (once again) to re-energizing my heart and soul (on a regular basis) through a more regular prayer and devotional life.  Busyness aside -- God needs to come first.

So stay in the Word.  Keep praying.  And hear God's assurance of forgiveness and salvation for your life.  Jesus died FOR YOU and FOR ME. 

I think I am starting to feel a little bit better.  Amen.
-edh-

I35W bridge collapses

Many, if not all, of you know by now that the Minneapolis/St. Paul area was struck by a terrible disaster that has effected my people far and wide.  The I35W bridge collasped on Wednesday around 6pm (peak rush hour).  My wife and I were with some friends at the Mall of America yesterday when we heard the news, but the magnitude of the event did not totally strike me until I arrived home and turned on the TV.

First and foremost, please pray for the victims and their families, the rescue workers and all those involved and/or affected by this terrible tragedy. 

I live over 3 hours away from the bridge but as I sat watching the intro to The Today Show this morning, I could not hold back the tears.  Its amazing...one minute you are driving on a bridge minding your own business and the next blink of your eye your in the river wondering what just happened.  I can't even begin to fathom what that would be like.  You don't expect things like this to happen.  Bridges are not suppose to fall from underneath you.  Hopefully authorities can figure out what happened and work to prevent this from happening again.

But it is in times like this I am even more grateful for our awesome and loving God.  God is our strong tower.  God is our mighty fortress.  And God will never tumble, fail or fall away.  In times such as these I turn to and hold on to God who comforts me.  And I know that God will comfort those who have lost loved ones.  God will be with the rescue workers.  God will be there among the rubble until the last survivor is found and the last body is pulled from it and laid to rest.  God is awesome and God is faithful. 

Loving God, comfort us in our time of need.  Be with the victims, families, rescue workers and all those involved with this tragedy.  Words cannot adequately express our feelings now, but we know that you are faithful.  Thank you God for always being faithful and for being with us always.  You never desert us and you never leave us to fend for ourselves.  Thank you God!!!  Through Christ we pray...Amen.

-edh-

The Church and unity

It seems that everyone in the world (this may be a SLIGHT exaggeration) has been talking about the recent Vatican statement about the true nature of the Church.  By now my comments may be old news but I still feel lead to make some comments in response and to share my faith, so here I go:

Why am I a Lutheran?  This is an interesting question and one that I believe every Lutheran needs to ask of themselves every day.  Even if you are not a Lutheran, answering why you are part of a particular denomination is important.  Recently a brother in Christ, Chris, has embarked on a very important journey; asking this very same question.  He is a former Lutheran making the move to the Catholic Church (follow the link and check out his blog to read more about his journey).  I may not agree with some of his answers, but we are still brothers in Christ and I still have a great deal of respect for him.  Chris is asking questions and not taking anything at face value.

And even though the Vatican has issued a very stern statement about the "true nature of the Church" I still have a great deal of respect for all my Catholic brothers and sisters.  Rome may have their firm stance on what constitutes the Church and Protestants have theirs but behind all the rhetoric, we are all still brothers and sisters in Christ.  We acknowledge "...one holy catholic church...", we uphold scripture and believe in salvation through Jesus Christ. 

As Lutherans we have varying doctrines that Catholics are not going to teach such as: the priesthood of all believers and simul iustus et peceator (simultaneously righteous/saint and a sinner) among others.   But what ever our differences, Jesus prays that we may be one "My prayer is not for them (the disciples) alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one..." (John 17:20)  I believe in Jesus Christ though the witness of the first apostles.  I am every bit a part of the Church.  Jesus died that I may live and no one can take that away from me. 

But what does it mean to be one...the Lutheran Confessions assert:
Concerning the Church:
"It is also taught that at all times there must be and remain one holy, Christian church.  It is the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel.

For it is enough for the true unity of the Christian church that there the gospel is preached harmoniously according to the pure understanding and the sacraments are administered in conformity with the divine Word.  It is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that uniform ceremonies instituted by human beings, be observed everywhere." (Augsburg Confession VII)

What is the Church?
Likewise, although the Christian church is, properly speaking, nothing else than the assembly of all believers and saints..." (Augsburg Confession VIII)

But we cannot end with a quote from the Lutheran Confessions for they are not the sole authority in our lives.  I believe in the authority of scripture so let's hear what the apostle Paul has to say: "If you confess with you mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)  Faith comes first through the Holy Spirit and our confession follows.

Through faith we are one.  Jesus is our authority and I believe we can celebrate that as common ground if nothing else.  So why am I Lutheran?  It is a question I ask myself everyday.  I take nothing for granted.  But in the end I am a Christian...AND...in the end...denominations will not matter.  We are brothers and sisters through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So let's celebrate THAT and move on in proclaiming this Good News.

Praise be to God, always and forever. Amen!
-edh-

Dangerous Wonder

I just finished the book I spoke about in my last post, Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith.  This is about the 6th time I have read this book and each time I highlight something new and make new notes in the margins.  If you want a book that's not about theology but rather about living this is your book.  It is about breaking the rules and living by the spirit of the law rather than by the letter of the law.  It is about being "reckless" in your faith - reckless in such a way that your faith shines through in helping and serving people rather than through dogma and rules.  It is about being amazed and blown away by the love and grace of God.  Dangerous Wonder shatters the myth that you MUST "color inside the lines" and shows how God encourages and welcomes "outside-the-lines coloring".  This book slapped me in the face with the reality that following Jesus is fun, wild and dangerous; and the only way to grasp that reality is by re-claiming our "childlike faith". 

"Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15)

As I was reading I jotted down some quotes, from the book, that really struck me and I would like to share a couple of them with you.  I am curious how they strike you:

"Predictability and faith cannot coexist...take surprise out of faith and all that is left is dry and dead religion.  Take away mystery from the Gospel and all that is left is frozen and petrified dogma.  Lose your awe of God and you are left with an impotent deity." (pg.28)

"Could it be that one of the significant problems in the church is noise?  Modern faith might be undermined more by activity and noise than by immorality and lack of commitment.  Maybe we have become so active and noisy that we have drowned out the thin silence of God." (pg.81)

Right now I am thinking I need to be a little more "childlike" in my faith.  I need to slow down and focus on listening to the still, small voice of God (the thin silence)...

-edh-

Suffering

"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." (Romans 5:1-5)

When I was preparing my sermon on Thursday I stumbled across the sermon I preached three years ago.  It was the very first sermon I preached at Salem Lutheran Church on June 6, 2004.  The text that Sunday was also Romans 5:1-5.  This means that I have finally reached the point in my ministry here where I get to repeat the lectionary cycle.  So I decided to read that first sermon partly because I wanted to see how I interpreted the text back then but mostly to see how (if any) I had grown over the last three years.

I then got to thinking about how I, the community, the church and the world has changed over the last three years.  I got to thinking about the sufferings we have experienced.  I then got to thinking that even though we have gone through sufferings, we are still here and we are stronger for them. 

"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God."  It is because of this peace that we can endure and overcome suffering.  It is because of the promise from God, that when we go through the fire we will not be burned (Isaiah 43), that we can face suffering with hope.

...but when I go through suffering, I don't always think about this hope...

I know there will be times when I will complain about any suffering I may experience.  I will whine and be miserable.  But in those times I pray that God may slap me in the face with the reminder that I am not alone and therefore make me stronger.  I thank God for this "refining process".  I thank God for strengthening me through the years.  And I thank God for the opportunity to share in his glory.

"Oh God, slap me in the face with your love and grace when I whine in suffering.  Remind me that you are there to strengthen and guide me through the fire.  Through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord I pray, Amen!"

One more thing...
My wife and I have a wedding today and a graduation tomorrow (Sunday).  After that we head on vacation for a few days to visit friends, so I may not be able to update this site until Thursday.  Take care and may God bless your comings and going.

-edh-

Hope does not disappoint

"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)

I have read this text a number of times.  I have preached on this text and have studied it in Bible study, but now I see it differently.  In light of Andrew's situation, recovering from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq, I wonder how Andrew would hear this text.  And as I wonder about that, I find myself wondering how we as Christians should hear this text.

We are reminded very quickly by Paul of OUR situation because of God's love through Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus died and rose from the grave (which he did FOR YOU and FOR ME), we have access to a peace and grace beyond all understanding - a free gift given through faith.  And through this faith, we look forward to our ultimate glory that we will share with God someday...

...but we live in the here and now -- with suffering...

I have a hard time thinking that one should "boast" about their sufferings - especially when one is faced with a life without their God-given legs.  Does Andrew "boast" in his suffering?  I don't know.  Would I boast in that kind of suffering?  Part of me says "I hope I would", but another part of of me says "I don't know what I would do". 

Another question that comes to mind is this:  Does one have to suffer in order to experience hope?  Is it only through suffering that we truly understand God's grace and love?  And as a close friend of mine asks, "Do I suffer enough?"

Being a good Lutheran I understand Luther's comments that we are not to search for "our cross" or our own sufferings.  That is not the point.  I understand that suffering will naturally come our way.  Maybe it has to do with how we approach suffering - how we respond to it.  Do we become bitter and angry or do we look at it as a way to grow closer to God - a reminder that we NEED God?  Maybe I am asking the wrong questions or looking at this the wrong way.  But maybe the point is that any suffering we face on this earth is nothing compared to the glory we will experience with God someday through faith.  We live here for but a moment, but our New Life with Christ is forever.

I am not sure how Andrew is responding to his "suffering" but my prayer for him is that he knows and has assurance that he will experience a glory with God that one cannot fully imagine.

So I guess hope does not disappoint.  "Suffering"...take your best shot, I cling to my faith in Christ - anticipating a life that you cannot take away.  Praise be to God and AMEN!
-edh-

A Prayer of Martin Luther

"Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled.  My Lord,fill it.  I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.  I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor.  I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and I am unable to trust you altogether.  O Lord, help me.  Strengthen my faith and trust in you.  In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have.  I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor.  I am a sinner; you are upright.  With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness.  Therefore I will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give. Amen" (ELW - pg. 87)

I stumbled across this prayer as I was paging through a copy of the ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship).  We are in the process of exploring this new worship resource.  I am not sure why I was paging through the prayers at 7:30 on this Sunday morning, but I was.  As my eyes glossed over the various prayers, my eyes stopped at this prayer.  My eyes did not stop because I saw it was by Martin Luther (maybe that caught my attention) but what held me was the opening sentence --"Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled." 

I am always amazed at the humility of Luther.  He never thought himself worthy of the calling to preach, teach or lead worship.  And as he says in his sacristy prayer - one I use every time I prepare to preach, teach or lead worship - "if it were left up to me, I would surely bring it all to ruin."  And even more than that, Luther never felt himself worthy to call himself a Christian.  I can definitely relate to that - not his humility, but not feeling worthy to be called a Christian.  I sometimes feel weak in faith and cold in love.  I need God to strengthen me and warm me with his love.  I need God to speak to me.

Then this morning a 3 year old showed me love that energized me for worship.  As I was greeting people before worship, a 3 year old from my congregation came running out of the sanctuary to show me her Scooby Doo fruit snacks.  I bent over to speak to her face to face and showed her my genuine excitement because I love Scooby Doo fruit snacks -- something I told her.  She immediately ran back into the sanctuary.  A couple minutes late she came running back out and handed me a pack of fruit snacks.  I looked up and her mom smiled at me in approval.  My heart was filled with love by a tiny act of love by a 3 year old little girl who hides behind mom's leg when I come to greet her.  Who knew a 3 year old and Scooby Doo could prepare me for worship.

"Thank you God for warming my heart with love, for filling this 'empty vessel' and for strengthening my faith through a simple act by a 3 year old"

When we need it, God provides.  I am indeed not worthy to be a pastor in his church, but God empowers me to lead his people through the Holy Spirit.  Thank you, God and Amen. -edh-

Believing in God vs. Believing God

A parishioner of mine stopped by my office on Saturday morning.  He said he had heard something on the radio and wanted to share it with me -- to give me something to think about.  So I offer this comment to you as something to think and/or talk about. 

The comment was heard on a secular radio station and he did not remember the exact context but a guy called in and said, "I don't believe in God -- I believe God."  I was intrigued when I heard that.  I am not sure if I have ever heard a comment like that before, but later I thought what a confession of faith.

My initial thoughts are these:

(1) Believing in God -- This seems to mean that one basically believes in the concept of God at the very least.  You can say "I believe in God" but do you really follow God?  You can believe God exists but not follow him.  With a statement like this a person can give the impression they follow God without actually saying it.

(2) Believing God -- This seems to mean that you not only believe in God but that you believe what God has to say.  You believe the Word that Jesus Christ has died for you and for me and has broken the bonds of death.  Believing God means action, because if you believe God has saved you through Jesus Christ, then why wouldn't you want to tell others?

(3) Maybe I am reading to much into these two phrases --  Now that is a distinct possibility.  When people say "I believe in God" are they also saying that they believe God?  For some I believe this to be true, but not for all. 

(4) John 3:16 -- "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that all who believe in Him may not perish but have everlasting life."  Now I am running into a contradiction.  Maybe saying "I believe IN God" is good enough.  Now I don't know.  Maybe if your belief is IN God then that automatically means that you believe God.  But then again, sometimes I have a hard time believing that God forgives ALL my sins.  So maybe there is something more to this.

What are your thoughts?  Do you believe in God or do you believe God?  Is there a difference for you?  Am I reading too much into this?  What else would you add? 

This is just something to think about so I offer this to you.  God bless you and take care.  -edh-

Virginia Tech shooting

By now many of you have already heard about the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech.  If you have not, I break this news to you with a heavy heart.  Follow this link for more information.

First and foremost our prayers are needed for the family and friends of the victims and the students at Virginia Tech.  I can not even begin to fathom what they are feeling and going through.  I can only imagine there is fear and uncertainty, pain and sorrow, anger and confusion; among a list of many other emotions.  And even though you may not have been on campus today at Virginia Tech, you still may feel for those students.  My heart is racing right now trying to figure out "WHY?"  What possesses a person to do something like this?  What are they trying to communicate? 

I have so many questions but I can't help but to also feel for the person who pulled the trigger.  They must have been in so much pain to do something like this.  It makes me wonder if they knew the love of God through Jesus Christ.  I can't speak to what was in this person's heart but if Christ was there I find it hard to believe they would have even pulled the trigger.  Maybe Christ was there, but nobody told them about Jesus.  If that is the case it saddens me and make me wonder.  Have I done enough to share the Gospel with the people around me.  Could I be doing more?

Please take a few moments right now to pray for the students at Virginia Tech.  Remember their friends and family and all those affected by this tragedy.  Also remember the shooter and all those who are hurting; those who do not know Jesus Christ.  How can we afford to remain silent with the Good News of life eternal?

In the midst of this tragedy I find comfort in knowing that Jesus is right there on campus at Virginia Tech.  Jesus was in that dorm room and classroom.  Jesus is with those grieving families and friends.  But more importantly, Jesus was with those who died.  We are never alone.  Share this Good News and never stop praying for the Kingdom.

Virginia Tech...you are in our prayers. -edh-

A Masters faith statement

I am a huge golf fan, but I don't sit and watch too many golf tournaments, except for the Masters.  This year the Masters happen to fall on Easter weekend.  Saturday afternoon consisted of me watching about 3 1/2 hours of golf.  And Sunday afternoon (after our dinner guests left) consisted of me watching another couple hours of golf.  Both days had exciting action (as exciting as golf can get).  On the final day (Sunday) Tiger Woods was in the final group so you had to give him the edge.  But it was a no name guy from Iowa, Zach Johnson, that held off Tiger to win his first Masters.  It was only his 2nd PGA Tour win...an amazing story.  But here is the part that made me proud -- as they were talking to Zach afterward he starting thanking various people.  Zach thanked his coaches and trainers and his wife and family.  Then Zach said, "But most importantly I have to give all the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Jesus was with me the whole time out there." He said this with tears in his eyes.  You could just feel his faith radiating through the T.V. screen and into your heart.  What an incredible witness. 

I have heard other people say similar things after receiving an award or some other accomplishment, but with Zach, I truly believed him.  His statement of faith came directly from his heart and was not said in passing as a nice thing to say.  I wish more people were that authentic with their faith.

What made me sad was when T.V. stations were replaying Zach's interviews from that day, nobody replayed Zach's faith statement (at least not that I saw or heard of).  Why were they so afraid to do that?  That interview was the best one he gave because he did not think about it.  It was a natural response to something that he achieved with God's help (not that his other interviews were artificial).  Zach spoke from his heart (and faith) in that first interview.

Thank you, Zach, for sharing your faith like that.  It meant a lot to me and I know to many others.

My prayer for all of us is to remember God in not only the bad times but in the good times as well.  Don't just cry out to God for help, but give God credit in your victories.  Jesus is the reason we can even begin to celebrate in the first place; for Jesus gave us the ultimate victory through the empty tomb.  Praise God ALWAYS and Amen! -edh-