But This Isn't Rome!

Luke 24:1–3 (ESV)

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

This week I have been thinking a lot about two special needs young men that I have known – Cain (who was a member at Lamb of God) and Eric (who is a member of Trinity).  I suppose they have been on my mind because this past Sunday (Easter) Eric (who is pictured on the cover photo for this blog) carried the cross in the Processional for our Easter Sunday worship.  That made me think of Cain who loved to acolyte and carry the cross at Lamb of God.  Here is a picture of Cain his parents gave me. (You have to watch the video to see this).  These two young men are very special to me, and have taught me by example what it means to be an eager servant of God.

I have been thinking this week about something Cain’s mom and dad told me shortly after he was called home to be with Jesus.  They were trying to explain to me what it is like to learn you have a special needs child.  They said, “It’s like you are taking a trip to Rome. However when you land and get off the plane, you discover that you are in Amsterdam, not Rome. At first you are confused and thrown off balance.  You don’t know what to do or how to feel.  But soon you discover that Amsterdam is a pretty cool place too – with lots of great places to visit and enjoy.”  One thing I can tell you about Cain’s parents and Eric’s parents – both are really glad God took them to Amsterdam instead.  Both love and are so thankful for the gift of their sons. 

That got me to thinking about Jesus and his followers.  When they started to follow Jesus, none of them expected to “get off the plane” at Calvary, at the cross.  They all believed Jesus was the Messiah. But they thought that meant that He would lead them to golden crowns, not a crown of thorns… to David’s throne not to Good Friday’s cross. This really threw them off balance.  They were confused and afraid that Good Friday.  They didn’t know how to feel or what to do, so they went into hiding.  But then on Easter morning they discovered that Jesus had led them to an even better place than they had ever hoped or dreamed.  He led them to an empty tomb.  He led them to the message of the angels, “He is not here.  He is risen!”  He led them to forgiveness… to the knowledge of how much God loves them… to life everlasting.  Instead of David’s throne He had led them to the throne of God, to the kingdom of heaven!

God does the same thing in each of our lives.  We follow God thinking we are going to Rome and He leads us to Amsterdam.  We expect being His child will lead us to a wonderful life with no problems.  Instead He leads us to a cross.  I think of husbands and wives who came home to their spouse one day and were told, “I don’t love you anymore.  I am leaving.”  I think of parents who learned their child had cancer.  I think of people who have suddenly found themselves out of work.  I think of people who have prayed and prayed and prayed to recover from cancer, only to get worse.  I think of my own mom and dad.  Their oldest daughter was born without any special needs.  Then at two years old she got very sick, spent the rest of her life deaf and with a medically damaged brain.  It was as if they landed in Rome, took a taxi to the hotel and then arrived in Amsterdam. 

I think it’s true that somehow in all our lives, God eventually leads us to places where we didn’t expect to go.  In one way or another, He eventually leads us to the cross.  At the moment we are dazed and confused.  “This isn’t Rome!  How can this be what God wants?  Why would He lead me here?”   But then, like the women at His tomb, we discover by faith that God is taking us someplace better.  That because Jesus died and rose again, through our journey to the cross is God leading us to our Easter… to real life, eternal life, hope, and peace that passes understanding.  I know that Cain’s mom and dad, as well as Eric’s would tell you that God used these two special needs young men to strengthen their family in faith… to lead them to and keep them close to Him.  I can tell you that in our family, the faith of my oldest sister Bobbie was used by God’s Holy Spirit to bring and keep each of us close to our Savior Jesus.  He led us through the cross to the empty tomb.

Thank God with me this Easter Week.   No, “this isn’t Rome!”  But because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we can live in this confidence – Even when we don’t understand why God has led us to a cross in life, we can be sure He is leading us to a place way better than we ever hoped for.  Eric, Cain, and Bobbie – “Thanks for letting God use you in our lives.”

Gifts from the Crucified Shepherd - Setting a Table in the Age of Terrorism

"You prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies..."

Psalm 23:5a

We probably didn’t need a reminder but we got one anyway.  You all know what happened in Brussels.  There was yet another terror attack this week – bombs in the airport… bombs in a train station.  This is a dangerous world with dangerous people… people we don’t even know who consider us their enemies.  Of course there are many different kinds of enemies in this world.  There are the anonymous enemies like these terrorists.  These are people who don’t know us and yet hate us for being American, European, or because of the color of our skin, or because we are Christian. There are people who just walk into schools and theaters and start shooting.  There are the more personal enemies - the person who knows us and  is filled with envy or who holds a grudge against us.  There are the spiritual enemies.  The Bible calls death an enemy.  The word devil means enemy...There is the world with its temptations that threaten us.    Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.  In so many different ways, we live in an age of Terrorism.

Since the attacks in Brussels the other day, I have been thinking about how the events of Holy Week might speak to our fears and anxieties.  My mind settled on the words from Psalm 23:5.  This is my test for tonight at our Maundy Thursday service.  David wrote, “You  prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies…”    This is a powerful comfort, when you understand a very important aspect of Bedouin culture.  When a Bedouin invites you into his home, to eat at his table, he is offering you his complete protection.  Even if he considers you his enemy, if he has invited you into his home, he will protect you at all costs.  He will sacrifice even his own life to protect yours. 

That’s what Jesus did for his disciples that first Maundy Thursday evening.  He knew what was going to happen.  He knew he would be arrested, beaten crowned with thorns, and sentenced to die.  He knew He would be nailed to a cross.  He knew that fear would seize the disciples.  Peter would deny him three times.  The others would flee.  They would all go into hiding for fear of the enemies of Jesus.  So what does Jesus do?  Jesus sets a table for His disciples.  In bread and wine He gives them His holy Supper.  He invites them to sit at His table.  In so doing He promises them that He would give up everything, even His life to protect them.  Indeed a few hours later that is exactly what He did. 

That’s what Jesus does for us tonight and every time the Lord’s Supper is celebrated.  In an age of Terrorism, our Lord sets a table for you and me.  He invites us to eat with Him.  Here in bread and wine He gives us His very body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.  For us this table is more than a promise to give His life if need be… This is the assurance that He has given His life to protect your life and mine from every enemy. He has paid the price of sin.  By His death He has destroyed him who holds the power of death – that is the devil.  The Bible calls death the last enemy to be destroyed.  Jesus already made that victory certain when He rose again on the third day. .

One of our kids “Face timed” me on Tuesday because they heard about the attacks in Brussels. They just wanted to know we were okay.  I was glad to say, “No worry.  We are fine.”  “But, they asked, “What will happen if this happens close to you?” The truth is, even if terror comes so close that it takes our lives, we are fine.  That’s one of the comforts Maundy Thursday holds out to us.  That night when He was betrayed, Jesus set this table for you and me, for our lives in the midst of an age of terrorism… He invites us to come to His table, as His guests.  In giving us His body and blood in the bread and wine He reminds us of all that He sacrificed to protect our lives for eternity.  Because of Him goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  He has set the table.  No terrorist… no enemy can change that.    Amen.  

Gifts from the Crucified Shepherd - Goodness and Mercy Every Day

Psalm 23:6a

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”

She has been looking for a new job. Right now she drives over an hour to work in traffic.  She wants to work closer to home. She wants more time with her family. She wants to get more involved in the church.  You would think this is what God would want for her. She has had all sorts of interviews.  None of them turned into a job.  Instead she got a promotion where she works right now.  She got moved into a position with even more responsibility that she had before.  Sure the pay is better, but now she is away from her family even more.  Or what of the man who worked for the same company for years. He had been a loyal employee. He had been a hard worker.  He was planning on working there till he retired. Then one day he went to work and they told him to go home. He didn’t have a job there anymore.  How can this be God’s plan?  What happened to “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life?”    

It really is much easier to speak of God’s goodness and mercy when things are going well.  If my health is good… if I am making good money… if my family is healthy… if my friends like me then its not hard to be confident that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.  But what about when your body breaks down?  What do you say when you can only stand by helplessly and watch your spouse die?  Where does that faith come from when you are crippled or in pain every day of your life?  What is your reaction when you are out of work and can’t pay your bills?  What happens if your children are struggling at school or in trouble, or angry with God?  What do you say when suddenly, without good reason, a friend hurts you?  There are times that test a person’s faith.

This was true even for our shepherd.  Jesus lived the perfect life.  He really is the son with whom God is well pleased.  Yet now His Father’s plan for him is to endure unbelievable suffering. God’s plan is for Jesus to be arrested, beaten, whipped, convicted falsely and then crucified.  No wonder Jesus told His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”  No wonder He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible may this cup be taken from me.”  Yet it wasn’t possible. The cross is God’s will for Jesus.  How is Jesus to accept this? How is Jesus to trust in God’s goodness and mercy in the face of the cross?  Yet He does.  “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done!”  Jesus could pray those words because His faith was not founded on the goodness of His circumstances.  His faith was in something that never changes no matter how life changes.  His faith was and is in the goodness and mercy of His Father. .

The same is true for you and me.  Our faith doesn’t depend on how well life is going at the moment.  Our faith depends on the trustworthiness of our God and shepherd.  I have seen two separate herds, both in pastures where the grass was all used up.  One herd looked scrawny and underfed.  The other looked fat and well fed. What made the difference?  The second herd had a rancher who brought it feed and hay to make up for the lack of grass.  That’s how our shepherd Jesus is.  He takes care of us even when we find ourselves in poor pasture… in difficult times.  He is after all the shepherd who endured the agony in the garden, the beatings of the soldiers, the lies of His enemies, the crown of thorns.  Jesus is the one who was nailed to the cross for the sins of the world. He endured all that because He loves us.  Then on the third day He was raised to life again so that we might have life everlasting.  That’s a shepherd whose goodness and mercy you can trust when times are good and when days are hard.  After all if God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all how will He not also along with Him freely give us all things?   Because of His love He made us members of His flock in baptism.  Because of His love He hears, and answers all our prayers.  Because of His love He feeds our faith with His body and blood in Holy Communion.  Because of the love of our shepherd crucified for us we have a deep confidence that God’s plans for us are always good… even on the bad days.   Because Jesus is our shepherd that’s how we are certain that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives!  Amen!

Gifts from the Crucified Shepherd - Deliverance from Evil

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 23:4

Why would a shepherd lead his sheep through “the valley of the shadow of death?”   The answer is quite simple. He is taking his flock to graze in the meadows of the high country.  To get there he had to lead his sheep though the valley… through steep canyons and deep gulches.  Towering cliffs stand on either side.  The valley floor is often covered in dark shadow, the sun shining only a few hours each day. This allows great cover for predators.   These valleys are often subject to terrible storms, flash floods, rock slides, all sorts of disasters that threaten his sheep.  These are the valleys of the shadow of death.  Yet still the shepherd leads his flock here, for this is the best way to the high country.  He can’t lead his sheep straight up the side of the mountain.  Following the valleys allows the shepherd to lead his flock gradually up into the high pastures. For another thing its in the valleys that the shepherd will find rivers, streams, and quiet pools for water for his sheep… green pastures to feed them  That’s why the shepherd leads his sheep through this dangerous valley. 

You and I live our lives in such a dangerous valley!  Dangerous evils surround us..  I don’t need to show you pictures of war torn Syria or tell you stories of Isis beheadings. I can just take you on a tour of your own life.  Why do you lock your doors?  Why are you afraid to be outside the Hauptbahnhof after dark?  Why do you have passwords for your computer?  Why do we have controls to make sure our kids don’t visit certain sites on the internet?  Why teach your children not to talk to strangers?  Why do we need policemen and armies and jails?  Why is it that the person who counts the money in the offering plate has to be different than the person who signs the checks?  Because the devil is real!  The bible calls him a hungry roaring lion.  There is evil in the world, in your neighborhoods, even in your church - Evil so bad that you can take all of these precautions and still not be safe.  Evil is not just out there.  Evil is in you and me.  Jesus warned us, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries and the like.” 

Protecting the sheep, as well as feeding them, are the shepherd’s primary responsibilities.  That’s why he carried his rod and his staff everywhere.  He used the rod to keep them from wandering away. He used it to defend himself and the flock.  He used it to examine his sheep…to push back the fleece so he could look for wounds or other signs of trouble.  His staff had that strange crock at the top.  He used it to pull his sheep close to him, to draw them for safety.  He used it for guiding the sheep through narrow gates, or down dangerous paths.  The shepherd’s job was to guide them through the valley to the high pasture. .

No wonder David included this verse in His Psalm.  He is describing how our shepherd takes care of us.  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  His rod is the law by which He helps to recognize right from wrong…to recognize evil as evil.  It is a mirror showing us our own sin.  With it He pushes back to the fleece to uncover the wounds with which evil has marred our souls.  The rod however is not enough.  The law can not conquer evil. 

For that our Lord uses His staff- the Gospel - the good news of all He has done to protect us.  Yes our Lord’s own suffering and death is His staff.  His cross is His staff.  I remember watching the video of the day President Reagan was shot..  The agent guarding him turned his body into the gun fire to shield the president.  That’s what our shepherd.  Jesus being beaten with that staff, whipped, mocked and then crucified – that’s Jesus putting Himself between us and evil.  He took the blows meant for us.  He took our beatings.  The nails driven through his hands were all meant for you and me.   It cost Him His life!  Then He rose from the dead.  He destroyed the one who holds the power of death that is the devil. 

His staff is the promise that He conquered evil.  His staff is the assurance that no matter how the devil scowls he can’t harm us. His Gospel is the assurance that the evil in our hearts has been washed away by His blood.  His staff is the assurance that in spite of evil we are more than conquerors through Him….  Nothing in can separate us from the love of God in Christ.   This morning I read a blog post by the mother of close friend and colleague.  She wrote about her journey through the Valley of he Shadow of Death after her husband died.  She talked about feeling as if she was lost, had lost her place.  What she clung to was the promise that “Jesus never leaves us.”  He was with her through it all and has created for her a new place and role in life.  That’s Jesus.  That’s what He is promising here.  He never leaves us, even in the dark valley of death.  He stands between us and the evil that threatens.  He is why we can say with confidence. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me.  Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.  Amen!  

Gifts from the Crucified Shepherd - The Path of Righteousness

"He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

Psalm 23:3b (ESV)

Have you ever wondered if Jesus was leading you down the right path?  I wondered when God called us to Flower Mound.  Taking that call meant that we would be leaving our oldest son in Wisconsin to finish his senior year in High School.  I wondered, “How can this be the right path?”  I wondered when God called us here to Germany.  I was asked, “What kind of grandparents move away from their grandchildren?”  I have had many friends lost their jobs, then struggle for years to find a new one.  They asked this question  Or what of the person receiving months of Chemo therapy hoping to shrink a tumor so the surgeons can remove it?  But then he finds out nothing has changed.  He needs  more chemo.  “Lord, how can this be the right path?”  After all doesn’t Psalm 23 promise “He leads in the paths of righteousness?”  That means He leads us back into a right relationship with God.  It also can be translated, “He leads us in right paths?”  Have you ever wondered if Jesus was leading you down the right path?

Peter wondered.  When Jesus told them that His path would lead to a cross, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”   In other words, “NO Lord, that can’t be the right path.  Jesus stopped him short, “Get Thee behind me Satan….”  Then Jesus took a step farther.  Not only is the cross my path, it’s yours too.  “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. “  We shouldn’t be too hard on Peter. Even Jesus, faced with the cross, wondered if there might be another path.  “Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me.”  Yet that was exactly where the Father was leading Him.  That’s exactly where Jesus leads us. 

The greatest single safeguard that a shepherd has in handling his sheep is to keep them on the move.  They dare not be left in the same place too long.  Do that and they will overgraze the pasture.  The food will run out.  A Good shepherd is always planning ahead. He knows what His sheep need.  He is always aware of where to take them next.  That’s what we need to know about our Lord Jesus.  He is the Good shepherd.  He knows what lies ahead of us.  He  moves us from one pasture to another, from one experience to another, causing us to grow, preparing us for what lies ahead.  He knows the real dangers.  Sickness, the lost of a job, an unexpected move are just temporary. He’s concerned about the eternal dangers.  He knows the sin in our hearts, the wiles of the devil and the temptations of the world.  Those things pose the lasting dangers.  Those things are His chief concern.   
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He knows because our shepherd does more than scout out what lies ahead.  He walks down the dangerous path ahead of us.  He confronts those dangers.  He faces the temptations. Jesus suffers many things at the hands of sinful men.  He overcomes the world.  He is crucified to pay the price for our sin.  On the third day Jesus was raised to life again that we might have life. 

He does all this that He might lead us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  Because Jesus is our shepherd we can trust Him with our paths, even when we don’t understand where He is leading us or why.  A couple was taking a tour of Israel.  In one small village they saw a man driving sheep through town. They asked, “Is that a shepherd?”  “No,” said the guide.  “That’s a butcher driving the sheep to the slaughter. A shepherd walks out in front of his sheep to protect them.  Because they trust him, they follow.” That’s what our shepherd does.  He leads us down the various paths of life.  Sometimes we wonder how this can be the right path.  Why would He invite us to take up our cross and follow Him? Yet we know we can trust Him.  He has gone ahead.  By His cross and resurrection He has blazed the trail that leads to forgiveness, hope and heaven. 

Think of Simon of Cyrene.  He’s the man they seized to carry the cross for Jesus.  Simon had been minding his own business. He had to wonder how this could be the right path.  Yet because the Gospel writers tell us his name, we know that carrying the cross of Jesus down that Friday eventually led Simon down the path to faith… to salvation… to heaven.  That’s the confidence we can have in God.  When He calls us down paths don’t make sense to us, we can trust Him… we can trust His leading.  His paths are the right paths… the path to life… the paths to Him. Amen!