Searching for Answers in the midst of Tragedy

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Luke 23:42

For the last 6 weeks it has been one tragedy after another.  There have been three catastrophic hurricanes – ripping apart southeast Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.  There have been major earthquakes near Mexico City, huge fires in the northwest United States, and typhoons in the Pacific.  Now there is this horrible massacre in Las Vegas.  Quite naturally, during all of this, people have started to do what we always do at such moment – we have started to search for answers. 

For example, people are searching for someone to blame.  But who do you blame for a hurricane or an earthquake?  Those things are natural disasters.  Yet still people point to God and blame Him as cruel and unloving.  Some in the news have even claimed that God is punishing people for their lifestyle, for their politics and other ridiculous reasons. Other blame comes after the fact.  Some blame the government, the President for not responding quick enough.  It would seem there is an obvious person to blame in what happened in Las Vegas – the villain doing the shooting.  Yet that isn’t enough. People want to blame the different sides in the gun control debate.  Who did this is a big, important question.  But does it really provide the healing and comfort people need right now? 

Another question people ask is the “why” question.  “Why did this happen?”  People want to make some sense out of any horrible, tragic situation.  I suppose you could point to the natural phenomena that bring about hurricanes and earthquakes.  But I don’t think that’s what people are looking to understand.  The why question is deeper.  “If God is a loving God, why did He let this happen?”  In the case of this gunman in Las Vegas – the last three days in the media there has been relentless speculation on his motive.  “Did he have gambling problems?”  “Had he been radicalized?”  “Did he have psychological problems?”  “Was he upset about politics?”  Yet even should we answer these questions, will that help?  You can’t make sense out of a senseless situation.  You can’t make sense out of evil.  The Bible doesn’t even explain how evil began, only that evil is real.  Evil exists.

Too often there aren’t any good answers.  Yet there is something else worth searching for.  What we need to search for is hope in the midst of tragedy.  A lot of that has been happening.   After each of these tragedies we have found great hope in how neighbors and strangers have reached out to help each other.  There have been countless stories out of Las Vegas of great heroism as people shielded others from the bullets.  A good friend who lives in California, is searching for the man who shielded her and her daughter, even as he took a bullet in the leg.  Those stories really do help.  They lift up our spirit at a time of great sadness.

There is however an even more important place to search for hope in the midst of tragedy.  Look to the man on the cross next to yours.  What?  I am thinking of the thieves crucified with Jesus.  Both men were in the last hours of messy lives that were now ending in their execution.  One sought to blame someone.  He hurled insults at Jesus.  The other one looked at Jesus next to him and found reason for hope.  After rebuking the first thief, this second man turned to Jesus in hope and called out,   “‘Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.’  Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’”   In the midst of his suffering this thief found hope in the fact that God’s own Son was nailed to the cross next to him.

That is where hope is always to be found – in Jesus hanging on the cross next to yours.  Often there is no sense to be made out of our suffering.  But there is sense to His suffering.  He came to live, suffer and die in our place… to redeem us from sin and death. He rose again so that all who believe in Him – no matter what mess we have made of our lives, no matter what tragedies befall us – that we might have eternal life.  He entered into our suffering, that He might bring us into his glory!  Ours is a God who is with us in tragedy… who hangs, as it were, on the cross next to ours.  Indeed, He hangs on the cross that should have been ours.   And He rose again so that we might have a hope that will never disappoint. 

So, may I suggest this, as we search for answers after tragedy big or small.  Look over to Jesus on the cross next to yours.  Let this be your prayer, “Lord remember me!  Find real hope for every situation in Him, in His answer spoken from His cross, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”  

Who Taught You?

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.

Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

Hebrews 13:7

This past weekend, Trinity in Frankfurt celebrated its 60^th anniversary with a banquet on Saturday night, then a festival worship and reception on Sunday.  It was a great weekend.  One of the highlights of the weekend for everyone, myself included, was the fact that three former Trinity Pastors were in attendance – Pastor Larry Myers, Pastor Sam Wolff and Pastor Bob Flohrs.  As part of the banquet on Saturday night each of them was given the chance to bring greetings to the congregation.  They each shared great stories from Trinity’s history.  But what really stood out to me was how much they loved the people of Trinity and how much the people of Trinity loved them.  For me it was a reminder of the close intimate bond that forms when you share Jesus with people and teach them God’s word.  As a teacher of God’s Word you become an integral part of their lives.  You literally become family to them, and they to you.  On Saturday night the members of Trinity were living out the words of Hebrews 13:7 - “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.  Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” 

So, my question to you this week is, “Who taught you the Word of God?”  Who have been the significant spiritual leaders whom God has used in your life? What stands out in your memories of them? For me there have been many. One was Pastor Ty Miles who taught me in confirmation instruction.  He made learning about Jesus interesting and fun.  He was a great preacher.  I will never ever forget how he cared for our family when my sister died.  He has been my model for ministering to the grieving ever since.  Another is Ralph Iverson, the layman who taught our Sunday School class in 7^th and 8^th grade.   I learned that anyone could love the Bible, not just Pastors.  He showed me that a man could teach Sunday School… it’s not just for women.  That’s important for a young man to see.  Another man was Pastor Koch.  He was the campus pastor when Linda and I were students at Concordia Milwaukee.  Although I have never belonged to one of his congregations, David Koch became my Pastor – marrying us, ordaining me, preaching at my dad’s funeral, and being my spiritual mentor until the day God called him home.   His wife, Ruth is another one.  I still call her for advice and counsel.  Or there was Mr. Werner Engelmann, the German born layman who gave up every Friday night for 4 or more years, to meet with us teenagers and teach us about Jesus.  I could go on and on, because the list of people God has used in my life is a long one.

Who are they in your life?  Who spoke the Word of God to you?  What did you learn from them? That’s the second part of the verse from Hebrews 13. We are to do more than remember them.  “Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”    In the seminary I learned a lot of Theology.  However, most of what I learned about being a Pastor, a husband, a father, and more I learned from watching and imitating others.  My dad taught me the joy of being a dad, the value of hard work and more.  He taught me by showing me… by being a good dad and a hard worker.  Because of all the time Mr. Engelmann spent with us teens, youth ministry has always been a high value to me.   I learned from Pastor Koch how to lead, how to teach, how to preach, how to be a pastor.  I learned by watching him. 

Now all of that sobers me up a bit, as it should sober up everyone who teaches God’s word.  People are watching us, listening to us, learning from us.  I had one person tell me they had their second child because I urged them too.  I thought, “Oh my!  People take my words seriously.  I better be careful.  I certainly need to pray.  I have clay feet and make all sorts of mistakes.  Lord help me!”

I guess that is my point to all of you this week.  Take a moment to think about those who have taught you the Word of God.  What have you… what can you learn from their faith and life?  Then take a moment to thank God for whoever they are… and pray for them.  Oh yeah, and even if I don’t happen to be one of those people – please pray for me anyway.  I need all the help from the Lord I can get.  Amen.   

A Meal You Never Want to Miss

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,

Which neither you nor your fathers had known,

To teach you that man does not live on bread alone

But on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 8:3

As you can readily tell by looking at me, I almost never miss a meal.  In fact, if the truth be told, if you consider snacks and so forth – I go above and beyond the call of duty in my eating habits.   Indeed I am somewhat puzzled by those who almost never eat breakfast. That’s supposed be the most important meal of the day.  Or what about those who are so busy they don’t take time for lunch?  If I do that, I get the “hangries.”  The evening meal is my favorite, especially because that is when Linda and I eat together and because she is a fantastic cook.  I hear about families where everybody fends for themselves at dinner time, but that just doesn’t seem right to me.

There is however one meal… one that I should never miss… that far too often I skip – my daily time in the Word of God.  My suspicion is that this is also the case for many of you.  There are many excuses – “I was tired so I slept later.” “I was in hurry to get going.” “I was just too busy today.”  We are hurting ourselves.  Skipping the time in the word is as unhealthy spiritually, as skipping breakfast is physically. The text for today from Dt. 8 makes that clear – “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

Friends, daily time in God’s word is a gourmet meal you never want to miss.  “Come,” is the invitation in Isaiah 55, “ Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fair.”  Here you meet Jesus, for as He said of Scripture “these are they that testify about Me.”  Through His word God works in our hearts “to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ...”  Through Scripture God works to change hearts, to equip us for “every good work.”

I was reminded of all of this as I listened online to the funeral sermon for Dr. John Saleska.  I didn’t really know him well but I did have a chance to listen to him to teach the Word.  He had a great sense of humor.  More importantly he knew the Scriptures backward and forward.  After you sat in a class he led, you left full to overflowing, like you just got up from your Thanksgiving feast.  In the sermon, the Pastor noted something very important about Dr. Saleska – that his love of the Word of God was more than a scholarly love.  Through God’s word God worked in his heart – convicting him of sin and grace, changing his heart and life.  Through His Word God invited him to know Him, into a personal relationship of faith in our God and His Son Jesus.  That’s what God wants to do in your life through His word – to fill your heart to overflowing with the joy of knowing Him.  That’s why His word is a meal you never want to miss.

There is a prayer I want to offer you today, one I learned as I grew up in church.  This prayer summarizes the point of today’s blog. I offer it to you as a prayer for you each day before you take your time in God’s Word.  Although a newer wording is found in the Lutheran Service Book on page 265, I offer you the one I learned -

“Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning.  Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.”

Faith Like a Palm Tree

“So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, Strengthened in your faith just as you were taught.”  

Colossians 2:6-7a

The last couple of weeks I have spent a lot of time watching news reports of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.  Those were two powerful and destructive storms.  Many, many people have lost everything in Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean.  Our hearts go out to all who are hurting and our prayers go up to God.  If you are looking for a way to help, I would send you to the website of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod  (www.txlcms.org).  You will find a link there that will tell you how you can help the victims of Hurricane Harvey.  I imagine you would find a similar link if you went to the website of the Florida-Georgia District of the LCMS.

Watching the news clips of the storms, you can’t help but be amazed by the powerful and destructive winds.  This time, however something caught my eye in those clips – the palm trees.   What amazed me is how many of them took the beating of the hurricane and survived.  Watching them blown in the wind, some bent over to the ground by the wind, I wondered, “How is it that they don’t break?  Why aren’t they uprooted?”  I know that some were broken and uprooted.  But many were not.  Watching how strong those storms were, I wondered – what is it about palm trees that enables them to withstand terrible storms?  So, like all good modern-day knowledge seekers, I googled it.

Here is what I learned.  “There are two main advantages the palm tree has over other trees, the roots and the shoot structure.  Unlike other trees, the roots can fare well in both very wet and very dry soils.  Generally preceding the heavier storms, the soil gets very wet.  Whereas, this allows most trees to slide easier (and thus fall over more easily), with the palm tree this actually makes the roots attach to the ground better and stronger… The shoot of the tree is strong and yet flexible, with few branches for the wind to catch – helping the tree to bend but normally not break.  There you have it – the two things that make a palm tree strong in a storm – good roots and a strong core.

Those same two things also make all the difference for you and me when it comes to weathering the storms of life – having good roots and a strong core.  Storms in life – big and small will come.  Like hurricanes they will have many names – death, cancer, divorce, failure, job loss, among others.  You live in Florida you will have sunshine and hurricanes.  You live in a sinful world, you will have good days and stormy days.  You can’t expect every day to be sunny and easy.  You need to be prepared for the storms. One friend, describing the impact of Hurricane Irma, thanked God that her home had been built to the latest hurricane standards.    In the same way, if you want to be ready for life’s storms, you need to set down strong spiritual roots and strengthen the core of your faith in Christ.   That’s Paul’s point in Colossians 2 -  “So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthen in your faith just as you were taught.”    A growing faith in Jesus… a faith fed on the word of God, faithfully receiving God’s grace at the Lord’s Table – that is a faith being more and more rooted and built up on Jesus. That’s how God grows in you and me faith like a palm tree – faith that can bend in life’s storms but will not break and will not be uprooted… no matter how bad it gets.  Jesus Himself explained what a difference such faith makes – “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose , and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”   

Things You Should Never Take for Granted

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure

Whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –

Think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8

You never really appreciate what you have until you don’t have it anymore.  This is a lesson I have had to be taught again this week.  I have had growing pain in my knee all summer as the result of a small injury in early May.  That pain reached a climax on Tuesday night when I didn’t sleep at all, all night.  You never realize how great a good night’s sleep is, until you can’t sleep all night.  On Wednesday, I went to a doctor who concluded that by compensating for the pain in my right knee, I have caused inflammation to the tendons of that knee.  The result is, I now have crutches, a brace, and medicine.  I can’t climb the steps to my office at Trinity, for a while. Putting shoes and socks on my right foot is now quite a challenge.  You never know what a blessing a healthy knee is till you have to do without one for a while.  Watching the aftermath of hurricane Harvey also brought this home.  We take for granted our homes, our cars, our highways and more.  They will always be there when we need them.  They people living in and around Houston would tell you that is not true. There are many blessings in life we should never take for granted.

My purpose in this is not to be negative.  My purpose is to take seriously the words of St. Paul to the Philippians.  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –think about such things.”  I’ve had a lot of time the last couple of days to do just that. 

The first is Linda, my bride.  As always, she has been amazing… sitting with me all day at the hospital yesterday.  She then drove me down to get the brace, into a part of Frankfurt where she hates to drive.  She has been patient and compassionate as I have groaned about my pain.  She has helped me get socks and shoes on my right foot, gone and gotten things for me rather than me having to get the crutches so I can get up.  The list of things she is doing for me and I know will do for me is too long to list here.  Thank you, Lord, for Linda and thank you Linda for all you do.

There are also my colleagues at Trinity- the staff I work at.  Marion is always ready to help me.  I called her at 6:30 am yesterday to help me figure out what I could do.  She also helped Linda get to where I was in the hospital.  Johanna came over and helped Linda find the way with the car to pick me up and take me home.  Kendra will be helping us with Molly, our dog.  I have a great team!  Then you add in the members of the church – Dr. Dany Doc who took me to the hospital and set up a meeting with a Dr. there, Kristen Ruesges who helped me get in to get the first MRI early this summer, members who have been sending emails, offering to help, offering prayers.  Then there are our kids who are so concerned, friends and others who are sending notes and offering prayers. Yesterday while skyping with our kids, our little granddaughter Hailey, without any prompting, asked me if I was okay… was I hurting? I have a lot of praiseworthy things to think about, and to be thankful for.

My point is – so do you!  It’s easy to sit around, feel sorry for yourself, to moan and groan.  Believe me, I know.  I have been doing a lot of that.  Yet the truth is that even at the worst moments God has been very good to you and me.  So, I would join with Paul in urging you and urging myself - “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –think about such things.”

Of Biblical Proportions

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

And whoever would be first among you must be your slave,

Even the Son of Man came not be served but to serve

And to give His life as a ransom for many.” 

Matthew 20:26-28

This has been a hard week for people who live along or near the Gulf Coast of Texas. There are going to be many, many hard days ahead.  Hurricane Harvey has meandered along the coast leaving destruction and flooding that defies the imagination.  I cannot even picture what 40 inches of rain is like.  There are so many left homeless, so many homes and businesses and schools destroyed.  Our hearts all go out to the people of the Houston area, and our prayers for them go up to the throne of God.  Many times this week I have heard reporters and others describe this as a disaster of “biblical proportions.”

I think I understand what they mean by that phrase.  It’s a way of putting this event in the category of Noah and the flood, or of judgment day, or other Biblical events that defy our imagination.  It’s a way of saying this is a huge catastrophe.  Make no mistake -  it is!  However, I am not sure that our Lord or the Holy Scriptures would measure “biblical proportions” in the same way the news media does. 

Think of the text for this devotion.  The mother of James and John has just come to Jesus requesting special honor and rank for her two sons.  Jesus responds that greatness is not measured that way in His kingdom and among His people. “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  And whoever would be first among you must be your slave. Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”    In other words “biblical proportions” are measured differently within God’s family.  Within God’s family, Jesus is the measure.  Remember what He said to the disciples after he washed their feet?  “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right for so I am.  If I then, Your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.”  He offers an entirely different way of measuring biblical proportions, one that we would do well to learn and follow.  Just He made Himself nothing, took the form of a servant and died on the cross to save us… so we “should do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility consider others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.”  (Philippians 2)

As I have watched the news reports from Hurricane Harvey, have read many online posts from people living through this horrible week – I have seen many examples of people doing just what Jesus calls us to do – to serve.  I have watched reports for people spending hours in little motor boats to go out again and again to rescue stranded strangers.  I have read Facebook posts by pastors stranded in their own homes trying to find out what’s happening to the members they serve, trying to get their congregations ready to care for those who are hurting.  I’ve talked to a counselor friend who is already thinking four months down the road and what kind of care these pastors are going to need. Friends and neighbors are opening their homes to each other.  I know of churches opening their doors to those who have had to evacuate homes… People are donating, sending supplies, coming in the 1000s to help.  Many like myself, have felt frustrated because there is nothing we could do except pray.  Yet to bring these needs to our Father in heaven is no small thing   Just as was the case with Katrina, I am sure that for years after the news media has forgotten, people will be coming to Houston to help people clean up and rebuild.

So often we, along with the news media, sensationalize the size of the storm or the depth of the flood.  And it is horrible. Yet we fail to recognize the breadth, the length and height and depth of God’s love that is being expressed in simple ordinary people reaching out to neighbors and strangers to help one another.  Such small actions are, I believe, what make this an event of “truly biblical proportions.”  For such small acts of humble service reflect for us Jesus who gave His life as our ransom.  Amen. 

Are You an Eclipse or a Reflection?

“You will be My witnesses…”

Acts 1:8

Well I wasn’t there but if you have been paying any attention this past week, everybody in America has been talking about the eclipse.  There were instructions everywhere on how to view the Eclipse… where it would be seen across America, the dangers of looking at the Sun during an eclipse and so forth.  I have seen all sorts of great pictures posted by friends, videos of people watching the Eclipse and so forth.  It was a big event.  I wish I could have been there to see it.

For those of you who might not know – an eclipse is what happens when the moon passes between us and the Sun.  During that moment, the moon instead of reflecting the light of the sun, partially or completely blocks it from our view. When the moon is a reflection, it lights up the darkness of our nights.  That’s a good thing.  But when there is an eclipse, the moon becomes dangerous.  Looking at the light surround a moon during an eclipse can actually do great harm. 

That got me to thinking about the words of our Lord, “You shall be My witnesses…”  As Pastor I hear a lot of people say, that they can’t be witness.  They are afraid to give witness.  But the truth is, like it or not, as believers we are always witnesses to Jesus.  In our witness, we are like the moon. Our witness gives either a clear reflection of Jesus or we are an eclipse.    Of course, as with the moon, when we reflect Jesus – that’s a good thing.  He is the Savior.  Knowing and believing in Him is the essence of eternal life.  On the other hand, as with the moon, when we eclipse Him that does great harm.

Hence the question I think you and I should reflect on before saying something to someone or taking some action. Will this make me a better reflection of Jesus or an eclipse?  Too often, because we are always sinners, we are both a partial eclipse and a partial reflection. 

How do we change that?  What do we do to stop being eclipse?  We move out of the way. We repent – that is turn away from our sin and turn back to God for forgiveness.  That however is at times easier said than done.  Let me illustrate. When I was a kid, I would often position myself between my sister and whatever she was watching on TV.  Sometimes it was an accident and at other times I did it on purpose.  Almost always my sister would say to me, “Wayne, move. You make a better door than a window.”  Now the easiest thing for me to do was to move to the side.  But sometimes – because I just wanted to be a bratty little brother, or because I was angry with her – I would just stand there… see if I could make her mad.   In the same way, you and I sometimes get stubborn in our sin, refuse to see or admit our wrong… stand there and insist on being an eclipse. 

That ultimately is why Jesus came isn’t it?  We make poor reflections.  He had to come so that we and others could really know who God is, that He is gracious and loving.  John said it in His Gospel, “No one has ever seen God, but God the one and only who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.”  Last week, to actually see the eclipse in all its beauty, people had to wear special glasses.  Jesus is the only lens through which you or I or anyone can see the beautify of God’s love and grace!  In His life on our behalf, His death for our sins and His victory over death – we see God clearly.  So when you find yourself being more eclipse than reflection, repent… put on your Jesus glasses… be reminded of how much God loves you.  Then get out of the way so that others can see Him too… through you.  Amen.