Blowin' in the wind

This morning when I arrived at King of Kings Lutheran Church I noticed two unfamiliar vehicles at the far end of the parking lot.

Two men were standing there, engrossed in something.

After a while it became apparent one of the men was preparing to take flight using a para-glider powered by a backpack-mounted gasoline engine attached to a propeller.

(Silent movie comedies spring to mind.)

I'm not certain why anyone would want to strap two gallons of gasoline to one's torso, start it slowly but precisely exploding and then fly into the sky on a wing resembling a very large pair of flimsy ladies' underwear, but this is what he did.

Now I want to do it too.

Joking aside, this fellow was very precise in how and where he attempted to become airborne.

In fact, he jabbed a portable windsock into the ground not far from the church in order to determine the exact direction needed in order to take off into the wind to utilize the best lift.

As I contemplated the windsock in that location - next to the church - I wanted to rip it out of the ground.  It is so incongruous next to a building housing a confessional congregation.

The windsock is the source of most of the problems of the Christian church in America today.

Too many denominations, congregations, pastors and individual Christians have decided the Church must check which way the cultural wind is blowing and "adjust" its teachings and doctrines to match the wind's direction, no matter where it takes them.

Unfortunately, most of these churches, including many Lutheran groups, have departed so far from the Bible's clear teachings that they may never find their way back.

According to the cultural wind, sin is no longer sin.  And without sin one certainly has no need of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
Remember 1 John 1:8? "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

The truth is that sin is still sin, separation from God brings eternal judgment and our only hope is the redemption won for us by Jesus, our Savior.

God's Word is clear on that.

The next verse, 1 John 1:9, is also clear. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The one who admits his sinfulness and desires to change his life is forgiven.  We call it being justified, made right with God.

God's Word is clear on that, too.

The moral of this story?  Windsocks are necessary for para-gliders but they are death for the Church.

  

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.