Where praise is due

The other day someone in our congregation did the worst thing to me that could be done to any pastor with an ego the size of mine.

She praised my sermon.  

Worse still, she said it was the best sermon she had ever heard.

Anywhere. 

By anyone.  

And she isn't a young woman!  

I know this sounds strange, but hear me out.    

Everyone is insecure about something. We all desire the approval of other people. 

This is why we keep checking our Facebook posts to see how many "Likes" our latest entry has accumulated.

Pastors are no exception.  

While it probably isn't the case, I suspect many pastors believe their congregations evaluate them primarily by their sermons.

So we like to hear a word of praise or feel a pat on the back - a Facebook "thumbs up" - as members are filing out after taking in our latest homily.

This is where the damage is done.

He is invisible to you, but each Sunday morning the devil is sitting on the pastor's shoulder while he greets members as they exit the sanctuary.

"Great sermon Pastor Balvanz," one says.

"You deserve those words," the devil whispers in my ear. "You really moved him this morning."

"I needed to hear your words today," says another member, as my chest expands.

"You are naturally better than other pastors," the devil chimes in. "In fact, you don't really need to prepare so hard next week." 

It takes a lot of time to develop a sermon.  Pastors want their words to be memorable and useful to those who hear it.  And there is the rub.

They aren't our words and pastors should claim no credit for them.

A sermon worthy of remembering is based solely on God's words given in His gospel.

Jesus is the one worthy of praise.  He is the one who shouldered our sins, died for them and rose again so that we might have life forever.

Don't praise the realtor for what the builder accomplished.  

Simply say, "Thank you pastor for reminding me of what God has done."

Thumbs up to that! 

  

Evil in this world

Do you believe that evil exists?

  

With great self-delusion, many people today do not.

  

I am not talking about "bad" things that happen to "good" people. Nor do I mean individuals whose wanton human natures bring them into repeated conflict with others.

I am talking about real evil, the pervasive darkness of spirit that invades one's mind, soul and body all at once.

  

Unseen but palpable evil.  Demonic evil.

Though many refuse to believe a spiritual realm even exists, St. Paul informs us this is where the Christian's fiercest battles are fought.

"We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)

Evil is living sin. Its author is Satan, and it commands the life of every person who has not received the new birth of the Holy Spirit through baptism in the name of Christ.

Evil inhabits one's being, and its lies are so convincing they sound like truth.

A friend told me about visiting a place where he  felt evil's presence, like an enveloping inescapable mist.

It is real, and many people struggle in its grip.

Alcohol and substance abuse, suicidal and murderous thoughts, and a host of other manifestations testify to the reality of evil.

Rejection of the Gospel of Christ, disobedience to the Word of God, Paul wrote, is the goal of the "prince of the power of the air." (Ephesians 2:2)

Evil does not enjoy the final word, however.

As he prepared to give up his life as a payment for all of the sins of this world, Jesus pronounced judgment against evil and its author saying, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out." (John 12:31 NIV)

And as he was about to be arrested by his opponents he said, "The prince of this world now stands condemned." (John 16:11 NIV)

Satan is condemned, guilt is abolished and death is overcome in Christ, but evil persists in this world.  Its primary target is the people of God.

Here is God's command to us:

"Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV)

Evil - sin alive in the world - will remain until the day Christ returns. But we are not powerless against it. 

God has freely given us his strong defense - the shield of faith in his Son and the sword of his powerful Word.  

He has placed them in our hands.  But they are most effectively used with practice.  Are you becoming more efficient at swinging the sword of his Word, more forceful in handling the shield of faith?

By the way, I was always impressed by how well evil's darkness was portrayed in the movie, "Passion of the Christ." Here is a short, edited video of living evil seeming to conquer Jesus, only to have the tables turned by His cross!

A blessed death

How do you want to die?

That sounds like a foolish question because nobody wants to die. But the question is rooted in the fact that there is nothing any of us can do to avoid death.

Dying has been part of the shared human experience ever since Adam and Eve believed the devil's lie that sin is a victim-less crime. As St. Paul wrote, "The wages of sin is death."

Certainly there are lifestyles that keep our bodies fit longer, but the end always comes. The writer of Psalm 90 recognized this fact, "Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away." (v. 10)

Death is God's judgment against sin and our participation in it.

For many years our society has attempted to eliminate the concept of sin from our culture. To be successful, it must also downplay death.

Therefore, we are persuaded to believe that death is a natural part of life no different than changing jobs or getting a haircut. In fact, when death seems inevitable, one should take charge and speed it along. Confront death by ending your life! What a ridiculous notion.

If death is a natural part of living, life has little value.

But Jesus - God in human flesh - conquered death for us! How valuable must one's life be that Jesus would die to redeem it?

St. Paul added to the quotation above, "The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

This changes everything. The one "in Christ" looks forward to an unending new life while the person without Christ perceives no future at all.

What a difference in outlook. What a difference in how one approaches death!

This leads me back to the original question.

How do you want to die?

Put another way, what will be my attitude toward the future? Will I live as though death is the end of all things, or will I live in the truth that life in Christ is everlasting? Will I live in view of my resurrection? If so, how will I convey this to those around me?

These are questions that lie at the very heart of one's faithful Christian witness.

Beginning September 10, King of Kings Lutheran Church will host a Bible study entitled, "A Blessed Death."

This class will focus on how we who are called to faith in Christ live with the reality of death while publicly affirming our hope of eternal life.

As always we will study Scripture to hear God's message to us regarding sin, death and his provision for our eternal life with him.

We will also address some practical issues that witness about our faith: medical directives, advance funeral planning, wills, etc.

This study is for adults of all ages and will be held at 8 a.m. Sunday beginning September 10. Everyone is invited.

Take the load off

The other day I looked out my office window just in time to see a young man being placed under arrest by two deputy sheriffs.

Being the former nosy journalist that I am, I walked outside to determine what was going on.

It seems one of the officers in an unmarked car observed the fellow exceeding the speed limit in a small SUV as he passed through town.  

Rather than pull over as he should have done, the man attempted to elude the cop, and was eventually chased onto our street where he came to a dead end.

The second deputy quickly arrived on the scene, and then the real trouble began.

The fellow had no valid drivers license, the car he was driving was registered to another person and a search of the vehicle turned up a stash of dope.

The car was hauled away by a towing company.  The driver was hauled away in a cruiser.

There was a time when I would have said, "Good.  He's getting what he deserves for breaking the law."  

Today I am less inclined to focus on the law that was broken than on the man who is broken.  

It is possible to sum him up without even knowing his name.  

He is in his twenties and probably has no permanent employment. 

He has no car of his own, his drivers license is revoked or suspended and he has no health insurance. 

His few possessions will all fit into one room, and other than his TV they have little to no value.

He has struggled with drugs since his teens.

He has done things he regrets.

He wants a better life but he is trapped by previous decisions and current addictions.

He has no hope.

There are no quick fixes for broken people, but there is a place where healing and recovery can be found.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28)  

Our savior invites all of us to bring our burdens and cares - our lives - to him so that he can give us relief!  The word 'rest' means much more than a good night's sleep.  It is a renewed life, a lasting respite from the things that weigh us down daily.

He adds, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:29)

Animals yoked together walk side-by-side with one another.  They walk in step and at pace with each other as they move along the path.  But one must be taught to take its walking cues from the other.  

This is how it is when one walks with Christ. 

Jesus encourages us to imitate him in gentleness and lowliness, to learn from him in humility and strength.  In him we find peace and rest.

If you have feelings of failure or disappointment related to the events of your life, look next to Jesus.

If you live with regret or shame over your past actions, look now to Jesus.

If you are being swallowed up by addictive or unbridled behaviors, run to Jesus.

You have an open invitation to lay all of it on his shoulders.  

The hard part is already done.  He carried the punishment for your sins to the cross, died there and has risen to life again.

This is the new life he wants to share with every broken one of us.