​My poor rose bush. It’s been a tough few weeks for it.  Of course, there’s been the lack of rain and excessive heat. But it has also been under attack by Japanese Beetles, cutworms, and something called black-spot fungus. (You'll never guess why it was given that name!?) 
 
When our rose bush is healthy, it is beautiful—speckled with colors of pinks, yellows, and orange.  But lately, the picturesque flowers have given way to an increased number of brown leaves and bare branches.  Between Amazon, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart we’ve thrown all kinds of powders and sprays at that poor plant.  Fortunately, after investing a good deal of time and money, we are nursing it back to health.  It will take some time yet before all the bugs are gone and fungus dissipates.  Nature may still throw another deflating obstacle our way (i.e. spotted lantern flies).  But slowly and surely, our roses will bloom full force again.
 
Aside from the oppressive heat, what’s been eating away at you lately?  What frustrating outside factors have caused your leaves to go brown?  Summer vacation plans that have been cancelled.  Unexpected cost of car repairs or the need for a new air conditioner.  Sickness and diagnosis of a loved one.  Sideline drama with another team parent or frustration with an estranged family member.
 
This is not an easy world to live in. Tough weeks come for more than just rose bushes. We know this to be true. But so does our Heavenly Father, which is why His word is ever-present to encourage and comfort us.  An underlying theme of our most recent Sunday morning psalms have called us to perseverance and trust in the midst of life’s moments that are more burdensome than beautiful. For example, in Psalm 30:1-2 we read, “I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.”  Or in Psalm 34:8 which declares, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”  We may not be bombarded by beetles and bugs, but nevertheless we do feel the weight of the perpetual brokenness of this world.  Thanks be to God, that our help is in Him.  He comes to our rescue, not with magic powders or quick-fix sprays, but with the blood of our Savior that flowed from the cross.  No more wilting. He gives us His word and the love of Jesus to nurse us back to health—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
 
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.” (Psalm 130:5)
 
“It is only when you reach the very bottom, when everything falls apart, when all your schemes and resources are broken and exhausted, that you are finally open to learn how to completely depend on God.” (Tim Keller)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Here’s what I’m thinking about doing. As our kids get out of school this week, and summer officially begins, I’m thinking about telling my wife that I am going to take the summer off from her and the kids.  Don’t get me wrong, I obviously still love her and the kids. They are still really, really important to me. Really, I mean it. These are not just words to make me feel better about this decision. It’s just that there are some other things I want to get done this summer also—and sometimes they cramp my style, they slow me down.  Places I want to visit and things I want to do; having a family prevents me down from checking things off of my bucket list, what I want to do. Don’t worry. I will reassure her that I’ll see her again in three months. Plus, if there is some sort of major emergency, I will probably check in with her for an hour or so. I may even make an exception for a week or two in August so we can do some sort of obligatory family vacation. I will even Venmo her a few bucks after each paycheck to keep her happy. But other than that, it’s “Sayonara baby!”   Think about it… for the next three months I’m not going to waste any of my resources—time or attention, energy or money on my family. Just three glorious months of no one to make happy but me.  No more coming home, spending time with family. No more cleaning. No more dishes. No more laundry. No more conversations. No chauffeuring kids to games or piano lessons. I am just going to spend 92 straight days doing whatever I want, whenever I want.
 
Sounds ridiculous, right? Of course it does. This is not really going happen.  I would never do such a thing; and Calie would not let me. 😉 Even the suggestion of taking a summer off from your family sounds neglectful and absurd.  Which wife in her right mind would tolerate a husband living in selfish solitude golfing and fishing the summer away without her?  Yet the irony here is how easy it is for far too many to take the summer off from God.  Seriously!  Sure, we may not see it that way, nor do we do it intentionally, but the summer months often lend themselves to a less than consistent worship schedule.  Most churches experience less attendance, less excitement, and less generosity during June, July, and August. Truth be told, this trend has already crept its way in here.  As our summer schedules fill up, we can find ourselves tripped up by Satan and slacking in our “remember the Sabbath” duties.  We spend all of Saturday busy, so Sunday feels like a good day to sleep-in.  Vacations and trips to the lakes or down to the Jersey shore are the norm during the summer—but that doesn’t mean our worship habits should take a back seat. 
 
God will understand you taking a well-deserved vacation. He told you to “rest” on the Sabbath, as He knows you need a change of pace in order to recharge your batteries. Exodus 20:8-10 says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.” God didn’t tell you to ignore worshipping Him for months at a time, but instead, find ways of worshipping him as you take a break from the busyness of your daily life. Maintain God as a priority in your life, not just when it is convenient. The most important thing we can do for our families is show them that Jesus is still on the throne of our hearts, even when it gets to be short-sleeve weather. On Sundays over the summer whether you’re in town or somewhere else—go to church.   Be immersed in His story.   Seek out a place to worship God and be fed by the holy goods that only He can give.  Worship is the place where God promises to meet us and give us His life-giving, forgiveness-granting goods.  Church is the place where God gospelizes and graces His people.  It is the place where the Divine serves us. What a gift, don’t miss it!
 
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Hebrew 10:23-25
 
“I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” (Martin Luther)
 
(Devotion adapted from our Weekly Blast, 6.1.21)
​

Imagine parents seeing their child playing on a busy street, saying, “Everything is OK.”
Or a doctor finding cancer in a patient, saying, “That’s fine.”
Or people watching a blind man walk toward the edge of a cliff, saying, “He will be safe.”
 
That, in essence, is what God accused the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day of saying. These prophets “say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you’” (Jer. 23:17).  They comforted the unrepentant. They affirmed evil. Instead of preaching the law and calling sinners to repentance, they said, “Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re good.”  Claiming to speak for heaven, they preached for hell.
 
None of us likes correction. But we need it. We need to hear the stern and clear Word of God that shows us our sins, points out God’s threat to punish evildoers, and calls us to repent. This is neither an easy thing to preach nor an easy thing to hear, but the truth must be spoken. God save us from churches that do not preach the law, and do not call us to repent!
 
God also save us from churches that do not follow this preaching of the law with the proclamation of the Good News of forgiveness and life in Jesus. It ultimately does no good to realize we are sinners and we have done wrong if that is the end of the proclamation. Telling us, “Do better!” will not help. Telling us, “Improve your life!” will not help.  What we need is the sweet, consoling, life-giving Gospel preached into our ears. That Gospel will generate repentance. That Gospel will enliven us. That Gospel will pour Jesus into us so that we stand forgiven, righteous, and holy in him.  Preach the law? Yes. Preach the Gospel? A thousand times, Yes! That Good News is our hope because it gives us Jesus, who forgives, renews, and leads us to a life pleasing to him.
 
(Devotion from author Chad Bird, 6.11.24)
 
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
 
"A man who wants to help people tell them the truth, and a man who wants to help himself tells people what they want to hear." (unknown)

“Well, this is going to stink.”
 
This has been the consistent reaction in the Jefferson/Sparta areas over the past 18 hours. Perhaps you have heard, but Route 15 Southbound is closed indefinitely. One of the bridges they have been working on for the past year has now been deemed unsafe. Rumor has it that parts of the bridge began to crumble into the river below yesterday afternoon. Thankfully, they were able to make this determination early so that no one was on the bridge.  Even still, this is closure of a major highway that will be a lengthy headache for many. Travel plans and work commutes have been radically disrupted. Frustrating. Inconvenient. Prolonged. Our local social media outlets have been saturated with people venting over this recent development. NJ DOT has warned, “expect significant delays” and “look for detours.”  Truer words are rarely spoken. Earlier this morning, my wife and I found our commutes to work about 30 and 55 minutes longer than normal respectively.  Of course, we both took alternate routes (we had no choice), but so did everyone else that normally travels down Rt. 15. 
 
As I sat in stop-and-go traffic this morning, I pondered the teachable moment in this.  The Holy Spirit always has a lesson for a discerning heart. The verse that came to the forefront of my mind were these familiar words of Jesus, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)   When it comes to our eternal salvation, there is no detour. No alternate route. No roundabout way to get to the same place.  Jesus makes it clear that He is the ONLY way to eternity.  Fortunately, and unlike this current transportation nightmare, this is hardly inconvenient. Quite the opposite is true. There is great joy and freedom in knowing that we need not fire up Waze or another traffic app to find the quickest alternate route. Two weeks ago, we heard these beautiful words of Jesus from the Gospel of John.  You know them well.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  There is nothing stinky about this message. This promise and invitation of God is an open gift, to all people.  The highway to heaven is paved with the blood and love of our Savior; and this road that leads to life will never be obstructed. It will never be too congested. It will never be closed. By faith, we journey down the traffic-free road of salvation through the vehicle that is Jesus Christ.
 
Sadly, there are a lot of people today who feel there are many ways to get to heaven. They believe the way to heaven is like a mountain with many paths leading to the top. They are convinced that it doesn’t matter what “god” you believe in or what religion you are—as long as you do the right thing and are a good person, you can earn your way to heaven. This type of teaching is false and very dangerous; but it is far too commonplace in our culture today, especially in our northeast American context. The Bible is clear that there is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Jesus. Is this exclusive? Yes!  But it is also a gift that is available to everyone.  It is inclusively exclusive. To the unbelieving world this message is foolishness. As God’s children, this message brings us peace. It also nudges us to be more bold and vocal about this reality. Just as we may try to warn our fellow commuters about closed roads and compromised travel plans, so also may we proudly showcase the life-giving path that only Jesus provides.
 
“Keep using my name in vain, I’ll make rush hour longer.” –God 😉

The past three days, pastors in our LCMS NJ District conferenced together under the theme of “Growing Young.” For many of our churches, and across many denominations, we have noticed that we are not only growing older, but that we are at risk of no longer having any connection to younger generations. In fact, according to recent studies, no major Christian tradition/denomination is growing in the United States. Based on the research from the Fuller Youth Institute, we looked at the core commitments that Fuller’s “Growing Young” research found consistently in churches that are growing young demographically rather than growing old. I’ll share more on that in the coming weeks, as we continue to work towards reaching out to young people in the context of our local ministry.  What follows is an excerpt from the opening sermon I shared at the conference...
 
Looking around the room, I think it is fair to say that we are certainly more familiar with growing old than growing young.  With each passing day, this reality hits me more squarely in the face. I now have to stretch before I do any sort of running with my children on the ballfields. My bones crack and my muscles gimp when I get out of the car after more than a 45-minute drive. And I have to be honest; I do get pretty proud of myself when I only get up twice in the middle of night to pee… now that’s a good night sleep.  Many of you can relate. More wrinkles. Less hair (at least, growing where it is supposed to grow). Increasing doctor appointments. Smorgasbord of medications. Whether this hits a little too close to home or not, the unavoidable reality of growing old looks back at us every time we wake up in the morning and walk to the bathroom mirror.
 
So what about growing young? I suspect most of you have seen the “the Chosen” TV series.  It depicts the life and ministry of Jesus. Now to be sure, there is a lot of creative licensing taken in that show. I highly doubt they would have ever passed the formidable LCMS Doctrinal Review process.  The writers provide a lot of backstory and extra plot twists to fill in and flush out the characters.  And if you’d like to talk about discrepancies or other controversies surrounding this, I’d be happy to avoid that conversation with you later. Personally, I think they do a fantastic job.  The sets, the scenery, the acting…  are all outstanding. It’s a great production.  In some of the early episodes of this show, I loved how they depicted a group of children that had discovered the encampment of Jesus. They were curious. They were excited. They wanted to see him. They wanted to get closer to him. They wanted to talk to him. They wanted to play with him. They want to hear His stories. They just wanted to simply sit, laugh, and enjoy being in the presence of Jesus.  Beautiful, genuine, inquisitive childlike faith innocently on display.  This is what I’m thinking about “Growing Young” as we begin our conference together. Psalm 66:5 declares, “Come and see what our God has done, he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.”   It’s much easier to “grow young” when we act young ourselves. When we, like those little children, get excited about simply being in the presence of Jesus.  It is much more alluring to “grow young” when we invite others to come and see Jesus with the same childlike curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm we have on Christmas morning or walking the streets of Disney World.  It’s far more attractive to “grow young” when we ourselves are ready to jump into the outstretched arms of Jesus.
 
I know as pastor’s this should be a given. But I wonder sometimes if we get lost in the frustrating business, administrative tasks, or transactional side of ministry. The outreach is ongoing and the church doors are always open. A genuine invitation to  everyone around us is always on display, but far too often they fall on deaf or apathetic ears. Yes, we know we have to look for the “young people” in our community and context, but it can be deflating when all our time, energy, and efforts to do so yield little to no results.  We’re constantly fine-tuning our evangelism approaches.  We’re always trying to discover the next great idea. But… No matter how much we blitz our church’s social media accounts. No matter how much we instill that this is not just the job of those wearing clerical collars. And no matter how much we unleash our members into their own spaces with invites in hand… The ballfields are still more full on Sunday mornings that our churches. Church-gifted Bibles still collect dust in favor of iPhones and Xbox controllers.  Confirmation classes are still an afterthought in a world of piano lessons and extracurricular activities. No wonder, we pastors, at times feel like we are dreaming the impossible dream and fighting the unbeatable foe.  Thanks be to God, that the grace and mercy of Jesus that covers our culture’s (and our members, and our own) misplaced priorities… He also forgives our own faithless moments when we are ready to give up and stop.  When we doubt our calling. When we question our qualifications. When we disbelieve our ability.  When we really contemplate flipping burgers or driving trucks for a living. When we find it easier and much more worthwhile to just focus on the people who are already there—to placate the grey-haired people in the pews, to literally preach to the choir.
 
Indeed, brothers, we could each keep ourselves plenty busy with shut-in visits, nursing home worship services, building maintenance, and other administrative tasks. But these words ring loudly from the lips of our Savior, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” To hinder does not simply mean to stand in their way, but it also means to stop inviting and stop trying. To lose the vigor and zeal. Let that not be so of us, our churches, our district. Time to jump back onto the lap of Jesus and let others know just how awesome it is to sit there. Time for our churches to channel our inner Tom Sawyer and let the young people around us see that following Jesus can be as much fun as whitewashing a fence. To genuinely engage and appeal to a younger generation, we first have to “grow young” ourselves first, embrace the joy of our baptismal identity, to receive the kingdom of God like a small, eager child. 

Are you feeling rested and refreshed? Me neither. We are constantly on the move. Keeping busy at work. Rushing from one activity to the next at home. Squeezing in brief moments to do the laundry or buy the groceries. Struggling to find time for home improvement projects. We wear ourselves out trying to keep all the plates spinning before any of them hit the ground.  Who among us wouldn’t love a day with nothing to do? A weekend away to recharge and refresh?  Oh well… maybe next month!  Just kidding. School ends next month. Summer starts. Maybe we’ll find that rest that always seems to escape us in August.
 
The Psalm for this upcoming Sunday is the very first one. It also happens to be one of my favorites. It is an invitation to stay spiritually rested and refreshed. The first psalm deals with how we can be blessed, how we can be in a rested and right relationship with God. It separates the world into two categories—the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are those who are right with God, while the wicked are not. The difference between the two is in where they are planted. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His Law he meditates day and night.” 
 
The wicked are described as living and working in evil. They walk in guilt, take their stand on wrongdoing, and finally plant themselves in pride (Psalm 1:1b). They believe this way of life will make them thrive, but it only leads them to wither and die. That is why the wicked are described as chaff. Chaff is the worthless and dead part of a stalk of grain that is easily blown away by the wind (Psalm 1:4). They are like the springtime dandelion fuzz we see all around us right now—destroyed with a single breath. But the righteous are pictured as a healthy, fruit-bearing tree because they are planted by a stream of water (Psalm 1:3a). They are not chasing what they think will make their lives thrive. Instead, they are resting in what God says will make them thrive–God’s law (Psalm 1:2). The “law” refers to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. For us today, we understand this also as the entirety of the Bible.  This psalm tells us that meditating on God’s Word brings life and thriving. Being blessed—or prospering as this psalm calls it—is to be by the stream, is to be actively and regularly immersed in God’s Word. This tree always has healthy leaves and puts out its fruit in season because it constantly draws nourishment from the stream. He or she prospers because they're living a life informed, comforted, challenged by God’s Word. The wicked wither because they aren’t connected to the source of life (Psalm 1:5). The righteous flourish because they are deeply rooted.
 
Our lives are unbelievably distracted. We are always busy. We are experts at multi-tasking, surfing, and skimming.  But it has become harder than ever to meditate. This seems to be true, especially in this part of the country, where intentional rest and slowing down is viewed as a waste of time. We’ve got to keep up with the Joneses. We can’t give up one inch. Therefore, it is imperative to intentionally cultivate meditation on God’s Word.  I love how Psalm 1 ends, it’s so sweet. It says, “The Lord knows the way of the righteous.” God just doesn’t give us his Word. He gives us himself with it, and his watchful eye and his loving care and his tender-hearted mercy. God knows your way. He knows everything about you. He knows everything you’ll face today. He knows everything you’re thinking, everything you’re struggling with. And he says, “You come to me. You meditate in my Word. You listen to my counsel. I want you to thrive.”
 
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” (Psalm 62:1)

Inspiration taken from various related devotionals I found online.

Have you ever been the recipient of an unexpected gift?
​Or a surprise act of service or generosity?
 
In my experience, these can be hard to receive. They catch us off guard, make us feel uncomfortable. We don’t feel worthy. We don’t feel like it is deserved. We contemplate underlying motivations. We worry about returning the favor. Yet this is the very reason such surprises are called just that—a gift.  
 
Even though we have heard for years and served with the Lord’s church, I wonder how many of us, or those around us, struggle with accepting the free gift of salvation in Jesus.  For what reasons? My sin is too severe for God to love me. My hidden shortcomings are too extreme.  I can never be good enough to make God happy. I lack contentment when I look at those around me. I don’t know as much about the Bible as others. I fail to lift others up in prayer. I’m too tired to serve like I used to. I don’t go (or want to go) to church as much as I should. My children or grandchildren have stopped going to church. There is discord amongst my family.
 
Whatever the reason, God has a definitive retort, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)
 
We are loved by God. YOU are loved by God. Unconditionally. Unequivocally.  All the time. No strings attached. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord beautifully declares, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (31:5)  We are loved with His eternal and everlasting love. No matter our age and in spite of our deficiencies, God’s grace abides in us. As Christians, we understand that this is absolutely not because we deserve it or because we have earned it with our good works or profound piety. God’s love is a gift.  Sometimes, and especially this time, we simply need to sit back and rejoice in the generosity given to us. As we continue on in this season of growth and new life, give thanks for the gift of Jesus.  Rejoice and be glad. We are loved by God! 😊

There are times when watching sports, primarily football, that a gruesome injury will take place on the field. Occasionally, and if I’m lucky, I may not have seen the injury initially happen. However, the broadcasts will inevitably show the replay repeatedly. Knees getting bent in the wrong direction. Ankles rolling over. Bones snapped in half. Fingers and shoulders dislocated. Just typing these words make me grimace.  When these replays are shown, I don’t watch. Turn my head, close my eyes. It’s enough to see that the player is pain and surrounded by medical staff. I’ll watch as they’re being attended to or being taken out on a cart. But I don’t need to watch the injury happen, over and over again, zoomed in from different cameras and distinct angles. No thank you. I don’t want to see it. It’s gross. It makes me squeamish. It makes me uncomfortable. I’ll tune back in when the football game resumes; but while the injury replays are cycling, I’ll use that time to get a snack or use the bathroom.
 
I think that many Christians take this approach to Holy Week—whether intentionally or not. We love the Hosannas of Palm Sunday. We can’t wait for the Alleluias to return on Easter.  But Maundy Thursday, and especially Good Friday, are too cringe-worthy. It’s all about death and despair, sorrow and sacrifice.  The tone is dreary. The hymns are monotonous. The mood is bleak. The atmosphere is misery. The services are dark and depressing. We know that Jesus was beaten, crucified, and died. But we’d rather not hear about it again. No need for a replay. Too bloody. Too gory. No need to look at the cross. No thanks. We don’t need to see it. We’ll avoid the pain and be content with the pleasure that Easter morning brings. We’ll wait patiently and contently until the lilies and white paraments of this coming Sunday arrive.   
 
I understand this mindset. But we dare not skip the cross. We dare not take it for granted. We dare not overlook it, or worse yet, look away completely. If you go from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, and skip the days in between, you’re fast-forwarding past the events that give Easter all its meaning and power. In Hebrews 12:2 we read, “For the joy set before Jesus, He endured the cross…”  The joy set before Him was you and me. The joy set before Him was our freedom from sin. The joy set before Him was making it possible for us to become children of God.  And the Cross was the ONLY WAY to make those things happen. This is true. Uncomfortable though it may be to look at. Repetitive though the story has become. Each year, we must pause at the doorstep of Easter, so we can appreciate anew the sacrifice made on our behalf—on that gruesome, gross cross. The Apostle Paul writes, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  The “power of God” which brings us salvation… that certainly sounds important to me. Certainly worth slowing down for. Worthy of our worship-filled time and attention!  One author wrote, “Without Holy Week, you miss the mocking, the betrayal, the crucifixion itself. We miss out on the passion. We miss out on those few days that were the most trying time in the life of Jesus and his disciples. Their lives were thrown into chaos. People need to know how great God’s love was, personified in those final days of Jesus’ life.”
 
The only path to the hope of Easter is through the struggle of Holy Week—uncomfortable and cringe-worthy though it may be.  After all, if Jesus went through the agony and inconvenience of the cross… is it really too much for us to stop at the foot of His cross for a few days? Afterall, there is no shortcut around the “valley of the shadow of death.” We have to go through it. It’s the only way out. Without Good Friday, the true meaning and joy of Easter cannot begin to be grasped: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

“Holy Week is a privileged time when we are called to draw near to Jesus: friendship with him is shown in times of difficulty.” (Pope Francis)